ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – When she toed the line for the first time with the College of Saint Benedict track and field team this winter, Fiona Smith proved that she was one of the best distance runners in program history.
After a handful of indoor meets in her first season with the program, she showed that she was one of the top distance runners in the MIAC.
This past weekend, Smith proved that she is one of the best distance runners in Division III.
Smith won one race at the Division III Elite Meet and set two school records to wrap up her first-year indoor campaign with the Bennies. For her big weekend, Smith earned both MIAC Track Athlete of the Week honors and CSB Athlete of the Week honors. She is the Bennies’ first MIAC track weekly honoree since Morgan Pierce on April 23, 2019.
In four races leading up to the Elite Meet, Smith broke three school records – the mile, 3,000-meter run and 5,000-meter run. She won all four races she competed in, and also ran with CSB’s distance medley relay team against St. Thomas.
In her first race of the weekend Friday, Smith added a fifth win to her resume when she took first in the 5,000-meter run. Her winning time of 17:23.24 lowers the school record she set earlier this season by more than seven seconds, and leaves her ranked fourth in Division III in the event as a first year.
Saturday she lowered her school 3K record, and made CSB history in the process. Smith finished third in the event in 9:55.71 – seven seconds faster than her previous best – and also the third-best time in Division III. Smith is Saint Benedict’s first runner to break 10 minutes in the 3,000-meter run in indoor program history.
Smith and her teammates are scheduled to start the outdoor season Saturday, March 27, with a home meet at Saint John’s – the team’s first home meet since 2019. All schedules are subject to change.
