ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict track and field team had three All-MIAC First Team honorees at the 2019 MIAC Indoor Championships this past weekend, and that threesome scored 75 percent of the team’s points for the weekend.
For their big performances in multiple events, seniors Jenna Degen and Morgan Pierce and sophomore Chelsea Smith are this week’s CSB Athletes of the Week.
Degen kicked off the conference meet Thursday with a runner-up finish in the pentathlon to give CSB an eight-point head start in scoring. She scored a 3,326 – which was 15
th in Division III at the time – and recorded season-best times or marks in the 60 hurdles, high jump, long jump and 800. She added points for the team Saturday by finishing fifth in the 60 hurdles and seventh in the long jump – three spots ahead of her seed with a season-best mark of 5.20 meters. Degen’s runner-up finish marked the third All-MIAC honor of her career.
Pierce won the second MIAC title of her senior season Friday evening, finishing first in the 5K by more than three seconds. She led most of the race, and finished in 17:57.89 – the second-best time in program history, and a 12-second personal best. She capped off the final indoor season of her four-year CSB career by finishing fifth in the 3K in 10:28.88, the fourth-best time in CSB history and a career-best time. Her conference title marked the second All-MIAC honor of her track and field career.
Smith came into the 60 hurdle race seeded fourth, but ran a pair of personal-best times Friday to finish second in the event. In Friday evening’s prelims she finished second in 9.40 seconds, the seventh-best time in CSB history and a personal best, and Friday night she one-upped herself, finishing in 9.28 seconds. That time is tied for fifth best in school history and is another personal best. That marked the first All-MIAC honor of her career.
Smith was also part of the sixth-place 4x200-meter relay team and earned All-MIAC Honorable Mention honors with teammates Madison Brown, Laura Mitch and Grace Zdechlik. Smith ran the anchor leg of the relay, which finished in 1:51.31.
CSB wrapped up the 2019 indoor championships with a trio of All-MIAC First Team accolades, three individual honorable mention honorees and one honorable mention relay. As a team, Saint Benedict finished eight with 51.5 points.
