Jhaven Sims and Eyinah Smith were two aspiring track athletes searching for events that would challenge their athleticism and showcase their speed.They found the perfect fit in the hurdle races.Both record setters from Scranton High School are making rapid progress in their final seasons. Sims and Smith are enhancing their résumés and honing their techniques, driven by their desire for success.Sims, a senior, comes off an outstanding first two weeks of outdoor competition. He eclipsed his school mark in the 110-meter hurdles with a blistering time of 14.54 seconds in a win over Valley View and is also in pursuit of the record in the 300 hurdles with a season-best time of 43.14.Smith is also out of the blocks quickly. She shares the fastest time in the Lackawanna Track Conference Division I for the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 16.94 and holds the top effort of 48.14 for the 300 hurdles.— — —Sims and Smith started their track careers in junior high and always had the speed to do well in the sprints.Oftentimes track coaches identify that quickness and evaluate an athlete’s ability to clear the hurdles. If they can, the next part is to master the technique of taking only three steps in between the barriers.It takes patience, time and repetitions.Then, after years at the junior high level, those who race in the hurdles face the unique task of combining all of the elements and having to do so over hurdles that are raised three inches higher for varsity competition.“The hardest part was getting used to jumping over the hurdles,” Sims, 17, said. “I had the benefit of racing against teammates Edie Salazar and Memphis Shotto in practice. I had to keep my focus because I was always tailing behind them.“With the higher hurdles, it wasn’t too bad. It is all about having a determined mentality with the hurdles and combining the speed with the physical part of the race. The challenge was just being faster. You can’t just jump a hurdle; you have to sprint through them.”After making the leap, Sims had an immediate impact as a sophomore. He had a season-best time of 15.77 and finished third in the 110 hurdles at the Robert Spagna Championships. At the District 2 Class 3A Championships, Sims finished fifth in the 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles.Last season, he set a school record in the regular season with a time of 15.44 seconds, finished third at the District 2 Class 3A championships with a time of 15.80 into a strong headwind and added a silver medal in the 300 hurdles with a time of 40.55 and qualified for the PIAA Championships.“Setting a school record was a great thing, but I had higher expectations for myself,” Sims said. “You can never be satisfied with something.”Smith didn’t compete in the hurdles until her junior year. She was a sprinter in her sophomore year, focused on the 100 and 200, but wanted more out of the sport.“At the end of my sophomore year, I was good, but I wanted to be great at something,” Smith, 17, said. “From the start, my goals were to make the all-star teams and help the team win.“I started doing the hurdles, and it was overwhelming at first. I didn’t think I was going to be that good, but I really worked hard at it.”Once Smith made the transition to the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles in 2024, she started to leave her mark.At the Walter Godek Twilight Invitational, Smith finished 18th in the 100 hurdles with a time of 18.70. When she started to take three steps in between the hurdles, her times dropped significantly. She had a fifth-place finish in the 100 hurdles at the Robert Spagna Championships and closed the season with a bronze medal at the District 2 Class 3A Championships with her school-record time of 16.09.In the 300 hurdles, Smith won bronze at the District 2 meet with a personal-best time of 47.65 seconds.“That was very exciting,” Smith said. “I actually thought that I could have done better, though. After the season, I started working out in the summer. I knew in my head that I could go far in track with the hurdles.”Sims played football in the fall and indoor track during the winter. Smith was a defensive standout for the Scranton girls basketball team this year.Once practices moved outdoors, the teammates worked together to prepare for the spring season ahead and built a friendship.“He is very motivating and helps me a lot,” Smith said. “I am not new to it, but I am still learning. He helps me when I am struggling.”After building some additional confidence with good performances during the indoor season, Sims bolted to a win in the 110 hurdles with a time of 15.54 just off his school mark of 15.44 in the opener against Wallenpaupack. Then, against Valley View, he darted to a time of 14.54 to obliterate his mark and share the third-fastest time recorded in the Lackawanna Track Conference history with Wallenpaupack’s Chad Goodall (1990), North Pocono’s Nate Wilmot (1997), Abington Heights’ Antonio Maletta (2018) and West Scranton’s Colin Manley (2024).“I ran through, and I heard a 14.3 (hand-held watch time), which was surprising,” Sims said. “I was confident I could get to the 14s this season. That meet, I tried to push through every hurdle. It sparked something for me. A lot of work goes into this, and that was a big accomplishment.”In the meet against Wallenpaupack, Smith won the 300 hurdles with a time of 48.14. She had a season-best time of 16.94 in the 100 hurdles and added a win in the 300 hurdles against Valley View.“I feel like I am getting better and stronger,” Smith said. “It is still the beginning of the season; hopefully, I will continue to get better.“I like both races, but I would say the 100 hurdles is my favorite because it is straight through. The 300 hurdles is a much more difficult race.”— — —Sims and Smith have enjoyed their ascension among the elite hurdlers in the LTC and District 2.Both will also continue their track careers in college. Sims is headed to West Chester University, and Smith will compete at East Stroudsburg University.“I have had a lot of fun running track and learning the hurdles,” Smith said. “There was a time when basketball was my main sport, but I always used to run fast. I am truly grateful for the opportunities track has offered me, especially being able to go to college and pursue a career in nursing.”For now, their minds and focus are on the remainder of the LTC Division I meets and the postseason.“My focus is to keep working in practice,” Sims said. “I want to work on the 300s, and I think I can be better in that event. That has been a primary event for me and got me to go to states last year. I believe I can get into the 39s and the 38s. And I am also focused on helping the team win.”TIMES-TRIBUNE TOP 5Girls teams1. Abington Heights (2-0)2. Wallenpaupack (2-0)3. Delaware Valley (2-0)4. Lakeland (1-0)5. Mid Valley (1-0)Boys teams1. Mid Valley (1-0)2. Dunmore (2-0)3. Abington Heights (2-0)4. Wallenpaupack (2-0)5. Delaware Valley (2-0)Originally Published: April 8, 2025 at 12:00 AM EDT

Jhaven Sims and Eyinah Smith were two aspiring track athletes searching for events that would challenge their athleticism and showcase their speed. They found the perfect fit in the hurdle races. Both record setters from Scranton High School are making rapid progress in their final seasons. Sims and Smith are enhancing their résumés and honing […]

Jhaven Sims and Eyinah Smith were two aspiring track athletes searching for events that would challenge their athleticism and showcase their speed.

They found the perfect fit in the hurdle races.

Both record setters from Scranton High School are making rapid progress in their final seasons. Sims and Smith are enhancing their résumés and honing their techniques, driven by their desire for success.

Sims, a senior, comes off an outstanding first two weeks of outdoor competition. He eclipsed his school mark in the 110-meter hurdles with a blistering time of 14.54 seconds in a win over Valley View and is also in pursuit of the record in the 300 hurdles with a season-best time of 43.14.

Smith is also out of the blocks quickly. She shares the fastest time in the Lackawanna Track Conference Division I for the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 16.94 and holds the top effort of 48.14 for the 300 hurdles.

— — —

Sims and Smith started their track careers in junior high and always had the speed to do well in the sprints.

Oftentimes track coaches identify that quickness and evaluate an athlete’s ability to clear the hurdles. If they can, the next part is to master the technique of taking only three steps in between the barriers.

It takes patience, time and repetitions.

Then, after years at the junior high level, those who race in the hurdles face the unique task of combining all of the elements and having to do so over hurdles that are raised three inches higher for varsity competition.

“The hardest part was getting used to jumping over the hurdles,” Sims, 17, said. “I had the benefit of racing against teammates Edie Salazar and Memphis Shotto in practice. I had to keep my focus because I was always tailing behind them.

“With the higher hurdles, it wasn’t too bad. It is all about having a determined mentality with the hurdles and combining the speed with the physical part of the race. The challenge was just being faster. You can’t just jump a hurdle; you have to sprint through them.”

After making the leap, Sims had an immediate impact as a sophomore. He had a season-best time of 15.77 and finished third in the 110 hurdles at the Robert Spagna Championships. At the District 2 Class 3A Championships, Sims finished fifth in the 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles.

Last season, he set a school record in the regular season with a time of 15.44 seconds, finished third at the District 2 Class 3A championships with a time of 15.80 into a strong headwind and added a silver medal in the 300 hurdles with a time of 40.55 and qualified for the PIAA Championships.

“Setting a school record was a great thing, but I had higher expectations for myself,” Sims said. “You can never be satisfied with something.”

Smith didn’t compete in the hurdles until her junior year. She was a sprinter in her sophomore year, focused on the 100 and 200, but wanted more out of the sport.

“At the end of my sophomore year, I was good, but I wanted to be great at something,” Smith, 17, said. “From the start, my goals were to make the all-star teams and help the team win.

“I started doing the hurdles, and it was overwhelming at first. I didn’t think I was going to be that good, but I really worked hard at it.”

Once Smith made the transition to the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles in 2024, she started to leave her mark.

At the Walter Godek Twilight Invitational, Smith finished 18th in the 100 hurdles with a time of 18.70. When she started to take three steps in between the hurdles, her times dropped significantly. She had a fifth-place finish in the 100 hurdles at the Robert Spagna Championships and closed the season with a bronze medal at the District 2 Class 3A Championships with her school-record time of 16.09.

In the 300 hurdles, Smith won bronze at the District 2 meet with a personal-best time of 47.65 seconds.

“That was very exciting,” Smith said. “I actually thought that I could have done better, though. After the season, I started working out in the summer. I knew in my head that I could go far in track with the hurdles.”

Sims played football in the fall and indoor track during the winter. Smith was a defensive standout for the Scranton girls basketball team this year.

Once practices moved outdoors, the teammates worked together to prepare for the spring season ahead and built a friendship.

“He is very motivating and helps me a lot,” Smith said. “I am not new to it, but I am still learning. He helps me when I am struggling.”

After building some additional confidence with good performances during the indoor season, Sims bolted to a win in the 110 hurdles with a time of 15.54 just off his school mark of 15.44 in the opener against Wallenpaupack. Then, against Valley View, he darted to a time of 14.54 to obliterate his mark and share the third-fastest time recorded in the Lackawanna Track Conference history with Wallenpaupack’s Chad Goodall (1990), North Pocono’s Nate Wilmot (1997), Abington Heights’ Antonio Maletta (2018) and West Scranton’s Colin Manley (2024).

“I ran through, and I heard a 14.3 (hand-held watch time), which was surprising,” Sims said. “I was confident I could get to the 14s this season. That meet, I tried to push through every hurdle. It sparked something for me. A lot of work goes into this, and that was a big accomplishment.”

In the meet against Wallenpaupack, Smith won the 300 hurdles with a time of 48.14. She had a season-best time of 16.94 in the 100 hurdles and added a win in the 300 hurdles against Valley View.

“I feel like I am getting better and stronger,” Smith said. “It is still the beginning of the season; hopefully, I will continue to get better.

“I like both races, but I would say the 100 hurdles is my favorite because it is straight through. The 300 hurdles is a much more difficult race.”

— — —

Sims and Smith have enjoyed their ascension among the elite hurdlers in the LTC and District 2.

Both will also continue their track careers in college. Sims is headed to West Chester University, and Smith will compete at East Stroudsburg University.

“I have had a lot of fun running track and learning the hurdles,” Smith said. “There was a time when basketball was my main sport, but I always used to run fast. I am truly grateful for the opportunities track has offered me, especially being able to go to college and pursue a career in nursing.”

For now, their minds and focus are on the remainder of the LTC Division I meets and the postseason.

“My focus is to keep working in practice,” Sims said. “I want to work on the 300s, and I think I can be better in that event. That has been a primary event for me and got me to go to states last year. I believe I can get into the 39s and the 38s. And I am also focused on helping the team win.”

TIMES-TRIBUNE TOP 5

Girls teams

1. Abington Heights (2-0)

2. Wallenpaupack (2-0)

3. Delaware Valley (2-0)

4. Lakeland (1-0)

5. Mid Valley (1-0)

Boys teams

1. Mid Valley (1-0)

2. Dunmore (2-0)

3. Abington Heights (2-0)

4. Wallenpaupack (2-0)