Anne-Elyse Smith

Hall of Fame Class of 2009

Anne-Elyse Smith (class of 1998) – Anne-Elyse attended Aptos for her junior and senior years. She participated in three varsity sports, cross-country, soccer, and track & field. She was a two-year starter in soccer, but running was her ticket. In her two years at Aptos, she led the cross-country and track teams to four SCCAL team championships. In cross-country, Anne-Elyse was a two-time individual SCCAL champion. In 1996, she was the CCS runner-up, and in 1977, she was the CCS champion. In 1997, she also finished fourth in the state at the CIF Cross-Country Championships. In track, Anne-Elyse won six individual SCCAL titles, two each in the 800m, 1600m, and 3200m. She was a four-time CCS medalist, and a two-time CCS champion, winning the 1600m both years. At the 1997 CIF State Track & Field Championships, Anne-Elyse finished fourth in the 1600m, and at the 1998 state championships, she finished sixth. Anne-Elyse is the only two-time state meet medalist in school history. When she graduated, Anne-Elyse held three school records and scored the third-most CCS points in school history. In addition, in 1997, Anne-Elyse was selected as the Santa Cruz Sentinel Athlete-of-the-Year. In 1998, she was the Aptos High School Female Athlete-of-the-Year, the TCI Cable TV Athlete-of-the-Year, and the winner of the Wharf-to-Wharf scholarship. After high school, Anne-Elyse accepted a full-ride to the University of Texas, and she was a member of the Longhorns 1999 NCAA Women’s Track & Field Championship team. At Texas, Anne-Elyse also competed in cross-country and indoor track. After one year, Anne-Elyse retired from competitive racing and returned home to complete her B.A. in Art History at U.C. Santa Cruz. Anne-Elyse was presented into the Hall by her mother, Patty.