Speed runs in the family for Dowling Catholic's Annie Smith at the Iowa state track meet

Speed runs in the Smith family.

Seriously, Dowling junior Annie Smith qualified in four of the fastest events at the Iowa state track and field meet – the 200-meter dash, 100 hurdles, shuttle hurdle relay and the sprint medley.

Saturday morning, she helped the Maroons to a state title in the shuttle hurdle with a time of 1:01.57.

So yeah, Smith could be considered fast.

But one fast child doesn’t make a fast family.

Annie might be the fastest Smith sibling on the rubber track but put her on an asphalt oval and her brother, Sammy, has her beat.

Sammy – the only brother in the family of three siblings, with the oldest, Abby, competing in swimming while at Dowling – is a professional race car driver in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. So, if speed is based just on miles per hour, Sammy possesses a significant advantage.

But there is no desire from the youngest Smith to follow in her brother’s footsteps.

She’d rather run at top speed toward a set of wood and metal hurdles than get behind the wheel of a racecar.

As for the thing that connects her and Sammy and in their different sports, Smith isn’t even sure of the origin of her – and her siblings – speed.

“I’m not really sure, maybe my dad’s side,” Smith laughed.

Smith’s speed put her among the best in her events this season, but it’s been a long time coming for the Maroons' junior in the hurdles.

She wanted to do the hurdles her freshman year, but she was hurt.

Sophomore year, Smith found herself in the same situation.

This year, all the pieces came together, and she didn’t waste the opportunity. Smith already helped Dowling to a sixth-place finish in the sprint medley relay, and on Saturday she competed in three more events – two of which were hurdles.

“It’s great,” Smith said. “It’s been a good season for me, especially it being my first year (doing hurdles). I feel like I can still improve…so, we’ll see what happens.”

Support from her coach is one of the main reasons why Smith believes she was able to rise the ranks so quickly after just a few months of official competition. But she’s been preparing for the hurdles long before she was healthy enough to participate in them.

Smith spent the past two years going through the motions, doing the drills, training like she would compete in the hurdles.

That led to this season when she found herself on the same team she used to look up to: Dowling’s shuttle hurdle relay squad. The Maroons hold the all-time Iowa best time in the event, with a 1:00.44 finish in 2022.

“The past two years, I’ve always looked up to that shuttle team,” Smith said. “They’ve been amazing, and being a part of it this year is just really cool. You do have that pressure of filling a space, but it does help you push yourself.”

There must be something in the water in the Smith household.

Her parents raised three athletes, two with a serious need for speed.

And, as with most siblings, a healthy dose of competition.

“Probably me,” Smith responded when asked about the family’s best athlete. “My brother’s not going to agree.”

Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.