In college, she competed for the
University of Pittsburgh from 1996–1999 and was a seven-time
NCAA national champion (two outdoor and three indoor long jump titles and one outdoor and one indoor triple jump title), 15-time All-American, a 14-time
Big East Conference champion, and a 15-time
Eastern College Athletic Conference champion. Trecia was named to the
NCAA Division 1 Silver Anniversary Indoor Team and a "NCAA Division 1 Most Outstanding Student-Athlete".[1][2]
Her personal best is 15.16 metres, and she almost equaled that result at the
2005 World Championships where she won the gold medal with 15.11 metres.
Smith won triple jump at the 2009 Jamaican Championship with 14.43 m, qualifying for her fifth
World Championships in Athletics.[3] She retained her Commonwealth triple jump title at the
2010 Commonwealth Games, and she was given the
David Dixon Award for her performance. The decision was a surprise in many quarters as she had only one legal jump at the competition, a modest mark of 14.19 m which she herself acknowledged was "a terrible jump".
Smith was inducted into the
USTFCCCA Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame in 2024.[4]