In 2010 Dillon Smith, in his last year at Jim Thorpe, was recognized as the District 11 Class 2A Scholar Athlete in Wrestling. It was the culmination of an outstanding career both as an athlete and as a student.

When he graduated, he had earned four varsity letters in both soccer and wrestling and was captain of both teams in his senior year. He excelled in wrestling where his overall record of 141-38 established the Jim Thorpe career win record until it was broken in 2016 by Kevin Gentile (142 wins).Dillon finished in the top five percent of his class academically and was on the Principal's List Honor Roll his entire four years at Jim Thorpe. He was also Vice President of the Student Council and a member of the Spanish Honor Society. He was a 2008 (GPA of 4.0) and 2009 member (GPA of 3.92) of the PWCA All-Academic Teams.He set a school record for wins in his freshman year with 29 and became the first Jim Thorpe wrestler to qualify for the State Regional Tournament.As a sophomore, he had a record of 38-7 and finished third in the District 11 tournament and qualified once again for the regional tournament.A year later, Dillon became the first Jim Thorpe wrestler to reach and exceed 100 wins as a junior, joining his brother Ethan who recorded his 100th win the previous season as a senior. Dillon also compiled a record of 39-8 which were the most wins in a season by a wrestler up to that time. He took first place in the JTHS Christmas tournament and was name Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. He placed third in the Districts, fourth in the regionals and qualified for the PIAA State Tournament. He was also named to the Times News Wrestling First Team.Dillon's record in his senior year was 35-12 and with that he placed first in the North Schuylkill Tournament; second in the Schuylkill League Tournament; second in the Panther Valley tournament; second in the Christmas City tournament and second in the Penn Cambria tournament. He earned his second trip to the State Championships while placing third at districts and fourth in the regionals.Dillon graduated from Lehigh University in 2014 and works as a Production Assistant in Hyannis, MA. He presently resides in East Sandwich, Massachusetts.Next week will feature the last inductee into the Jim Thorpe Area Sports Hall of Fame for 2017, Kareem Mickens.The Jim Thorpe Area Sports Hall of Fame Annual Induction Banquet will be held on Saturday, Aug. 19 at the Jim Thorpe Memorial Hall. Cocktail hour will begin at 5 p.m., dinner at 6 p.m. and the induction ceremony will begin at 7:15 p.m. Musical entertainment and socializing will begin at 8:30 p.m.Tickets for the banquet and the induction ceremonies may be obtained by calling either Wilmer Redline (570-325-3073), or Jack Kmetz (570-325-4923). Personalized advertisements for the banquet program can be purchased for $25, $50, and $100. Contact Redline or Kmetz for more details.