ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Fiona Smith had a short week last week, but that didn’t seem to bother her.
After competing in the 10,000-meter run for the first time in her career on Saturday, April 9, Smith and her College of Saint Benedict track and field teammates were scheduled to compete again Thursday, April 14 – but Mother Nature had other ideas.
Instead, Smith and the Bennies competed Wednesday at St. Thomas – just four days after their last competition.
The short break and cold temperatures didn’t matter to Smith – who competed in a shorter, faster-paced race. Smith won the 1,500-meter run Wednesday at UST in her first time competing in the event since the 2021 MIAC Outdoor Championships. For her impressive race, Smith is this week’s CSB Athlete of the Week.
After winning a 25-lap race on Saturday, Smith acclimated quickly to a four-lap race Wednesday, and came away with another win.
She finished the race in 4:34.26 – 11 seconds faster than the second-place finisher and in a field of 42 athletes that included Division I and II competition. That time marked a four-second personal best, and is just one-tenth of a second shy of CSB’s school record, which was set in 2016 by Allison Kosobud.
Not only was Smith’s time just shy of a school record, it is also the best time in the MIAC so far this outdoor season and is currently the ninth-fastest time in Division III.
After competing Wednesday, Saint Benedict got more than a week off for the Easter break and are scheduled to compete again Saturday, April 23, at the Carleton Relays in Northfield.
