ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – In a history-making season, junior Fiona Smith has accomplished another first with the College of Saint Benedict Cross Country Team by earning her second straight USTFCCCA NCAA DIII North Region Athlete of the Year honor.  

On Saturday, Nov. 12, Smith, a junior from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, became the first-ever two-time NCAA DIII North Region champion from the College of Saint Benedict. In an announcement today (Nov. 15) by the USTFCCCA, she was again selected as the USTFCCCA North Region Athlete of the Year. She becomes the fourth student-athlete in MIAC history to repeat as region athlete of the year joining Hailey Harren, Gustavus, 2005-06; Marie Borner, Bethel, 2008-09; and Ruth Steinke, Carleton, 2014-15.

On Sunday (Nov. 13), Smith, who has won back-to-back NCAA DIII North Region MIAC individual championships, was among the individuals selected to advance to the NCAA Championships which will be held on Nov. 19 at the Forest Akers East Golf Course on the campus of Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich. With her school-record clocking of 20:51.6 at regionals on Nov. 12 in Northfield, Minn., she won the race by 15.3 seconds to earn the berth at nationals.

The 2021-22 CSB Athlete of the Year, Smith, who earned All-American honors a year ago (5^th), led the 2022 regional race from start to finish as she led the CSB to a sixth-place team finish with her record time. She now has recorded sub-21 minute clockings five times in the 6K.    

Smith, who will try for her seventh cross country/track and field All-American honor on Nov. 19, was the sixth female student-athlete in MIAC history to win back-to-back league individual titles, which had not been achieved since Bethel's Marie Borner won three in a row from 2007-09. Smith is the first back-to-back champion at St. Ben's and one of three women including Morgan Pierce, 2018; and Leah Wurm, 2004 to win a MIAC individual crown as well as earn MIAC MVP honors.

This season, Smith has five individual titles in six races (two second place finishes) along with three MIAC Athlete of the Week honors (12 in her career). In the past two years, she has won 10 cross country races. On Sept. 26, she became the first-ever CSB student-athlete to be named USTFCCCA DIII Athlete of the Week.