ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Records are made to be broken, but on Saturday afternoon Fiona Smith made sure that her name will stay in the College of Saint Benedict track and field record books forever.
Smith, who already owns several CSB track and field records, became the first Bennie runner to break the 10-minute mark in the 3,000-meter run. For her impressive performance, she is this week’s CSB Athlete of the Week.
Saturday’s 3,000-meter race at Clemens Stadium in Collegeville marked the first time Smith had competed in the event during the outdoor season, but that didn’t seem to matter. She crossed the finish line in 9:58.64 – more than 12 seconds better than the previous record, and the first time in program history a CSB runner has finished the race in less than 10 minutes.
This marks the second time Smith has become the first Bennie runner to achieve a certain time. She was the first CSB athlete to break 10 minutes in the indoor 3K earlier this winter at a home indoor meet in the McNeely Spectrum on the SJU campus.
Smith now owns CSB’s outdoor school records in the 3K and 5K and is fifth in program history in the 1,500. She also owns the mile, 3K and 5K indoor records. Smith set the Clemens Stadium 5,000-meter record on April 2 – but that record was broken the next week by a Hamline runner. With her 3K time on Saturday, Smith has ensured that no one can remove her name from the record books.
CSB returns to action and is on the road for the first time in the outdoor season Friday, April 23, when it heads to Northfield for the St. Olaf Women’s Invite.
