Zeke Smith was added to Will Feldman’s coaching staff as an assistant coach for both the cross country and track & field programs in 2019 and begins his third term in 2021-22 working with long-distance runners.  

In his first-year coaching in 2019, Smith saw the Rams put up top team and individual performances. First at GNAC cross country championships, the women claimed second, while the men finished third with both individual champions donning the blue-and-gold in Emily Manfra and Matyas Csiki-Fejer.  

That twosome led Suffolk place at regionals where the pair clinched its spot at NCAAs. Manfra went on to run at her second national championship, while Csiki-Fejer became the first-ever male Ram to do so.  

Indoors, Smith saw the Rams’ men bring home the inaugural GNAC Championship banner, while the women were the conference’s runners up. The blue-and-gold had both GNAC Track Athletes of the Year in Manfra and Csiki-Fejer. The pair both captured two individual conference crowns.  

Following conference competition, Manfra went on to pick up a pair of all-region accolades and repeated as an All-American in the mile despite the NCAA Championships being cancelled due to COVID-19.  

Academic accolades mirrored the athletic accomplishments with both Suffolk’s squads in cross country and track & field garnering USTFCCCA Team Academic honors. Csiki-Fejer and Manfra took home individual nods from the national organization for their work in the classroom as well. That duo also garnered CoSIDA Academic All-American status for their work in the classroom. 

In 2019-20, Smith helped shape Suffolk’s first-ever GNAC Women of the Year honoree, Emily Manfra. 

The 2020-21 athletic agenda was anything but ordinary as the cross country and indoor track & field seasons were cancelled due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Suffolk did have a chance to return to action in the spring for the outdoor campaign.

The women's team's first in the CCC. In the race for the conference crown, the blue-and-gold women finished fourth. Individually Allison Rodrigues etched her name in the Rams' record book as the CCC Field Athlete of the Year after a perfect regular season in all four fielding events. To go along with her top honor, Rodrigues was one of seven Rams to collect All-CCC honors. In total, Suffolk took home 15 all-league nods.

The men's chance for GNAC glory, meanwhile, was put on hold yet again as the league cancelled the conference meet due to safety restrictions. Matyas Csiki-Fejer however made Suffolk history as the first student-athlete, male or female, to garner All-NEICCCA honors as he topped the 10,000 field at the second oldest track meet in the nation, which featured competitors from all NCAA Divisions. Csiki-Fejer went on to garner a pair of USTFCCCA All-New England honors in the 5,000 and 10,000. He is the first Ram, male or female, to earn two all-region nods. Michael Balestra also appeared on the USTFCCCA All-New England team for his efforts in the hammer throw. 

Feldman gave Smith his first coaching role after a four-year as a long-distance runner at Bates where he competed on the Bobcats’ cross country and indoor and outdoor track & field squads. In 2018, he was recognized with a spot on the NESCAC Fall All-Sportsmanship team.  

Academically, the economics, environmental studies concentrator, who graduated in May 2019, shined. The four-time Dean’s List honoree garnered All-NESCAC Academic nods every season and year he was eligible to take home the nod to pick up nine overall. As a senior in 2018, he was awarded as Bates Senior Scholar Award recipient as well as the Honor Baton, which is awarded for perseverance and contributors to the program.  

On the racing circuit, he was the youngest entrant in the 2015 Boston Marathon and finished the historic 26.2 miles in 3:17.32. Overall, Smith has ran on Patriots Day twice.