ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – In the first race of her College of Saint Benedict track and field career, Fiona Smith toed the line with some elite company.
Smith and Hamline senior All-American Helen Dolan went stride-for-stride to start the race, but midway through the 3,000-meter run, Smith pulled away – and kept on pulling. Not only did Smith win her first collegiate race, she set the school record and ran one of the best times in Division III in the process.
For her impressive performance on the track, Smith is this week’s CSB Athlete of the Week.
Dolan – a cross country all-American and national qualifier for the Piper track and field team – led for the first several laps, but Smith stayed right with her, and then hung on to win by two seconds. Smith finished the 3,000-meter race in 10:03.09 – good not only for first place, but also a new school record. Her time beat the previous record – set in 2016 by Kiley Green – by more than 12 seconds.
After one meet, Smith’s time is currently the best in the MIAC and ranks third in Division III.
Smith and her teammates are back in action – and back at home – Saturday, Feb. 13, when they host Gustavus starting at 4 p.m. at the Palaestra Fieldhouse at SJU. All schedules are subject to change. Schedule changes will be announced on
www.gobennies.com as well as the department’s
Twitter and
Facebook pages.
