VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – In yet another remarkable and history-making performance, senior
Fiona Smith of
College of Saint Benedict Track & Field concluded her
NCAA Division III indoor career by capturing her fifth national title by winning the 3,000-meter title in 9:25.97 at the
NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championship on Saturday (March 9) at the Virginia Beach (Va.) Sports Center.
CSB HC Robin Balder-Lanoue and Fiona Smith at podium.
Kelly Anderson Diercks, CSB Athletics
Smith is the first in Saint Benedict &
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) history to repeat in both the 3K & 5K. She finished just .35 off her own NCAA DIII championship record of 9:25.62 which she ran in winning the 3K a year ago in Birmingham, Ala., at the DIII Championship. Smith, who has 14 All-American honors and four indoor titles (plus cross-country title in fall 2023), took control of the race today at the 1,000-meter level and cruised to her fourth indoor national individual title. In a dominating, no-doubt effort, Smith finished almost six seconds ahead of the second-place finisher senior Natalie Bitetti of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, who clocked 9:31.74.
CSB head coach
Robin Balder-Lanoue was exceptionally pleased with her senior standout for this championship meet, this year and her entire career at CSB.
"Fiona executed a beautiful race and came away with a win," said Balder-Lanoue. "I am proud of the way she doubled here (this weekend) and represented CSB this entire indoor season. She truly is an ambassador for our college and this sport."
Smith consistently covered 200-meter laps throughout the 3K race in 36-39 seconds, finishing with a 35.72 in the final lap. She opened at 36.82 and clocked 3:13.60 in her opening 1,000 meters. At the 2,000-meter mark, she ran even faster with a 3:04 1,000 meters as she was clocked at 6:16.69. In the final 1,000-meters, she ran a 3:09.79 to finish at 9:25.97.
As she crossed the finish line, Smith felt a rush of emotions in realizing her indoor career at CSB had come to an end. It was raw emotion which captivated her time on the Saint Benedict campus.
Fiona Smith and her family, friends, coaches and
teammates at DIII Championships.
Kelly Anderson Diercks, CSB Athletics
"It feels really good to be done. As soon as I crossed the finish line, there was a whole flood of emotions. Relief and joy and just gratitude for being able to do this - especially in a Bennie uniform," said Smith, a mathematics major, who will run at North Carolina State next year to complete her eligibility as a collegiate student-athlete.
"We got these new uniforms a couple of weeks ago, so it was fun to be able to represent them. With my family here and in Bennie gear, it's really special to wear that uniform one last time indoors. I'm just really grateful and thankful. It's been fun," said Smith, who led Saint Benedict to its first-ever top-10 team finish with 20 points (tying that total from 2023) and placing ninth.
CSB, which was ranked No. 14 by the USTFCCCA before the meet, was the top placing school in the MIAC. She is the first-ever in conference history to win back-to-back 3,000-meter races at the DIII Championship. Other MIAC 3K national champs include Anne Prineus of Carleton in 1988 and Julia Kirtland of Macalester, who won indoor 3K titles in 1985 and 1987.
Recap – Smith won the 5K in dramatic finish on Friday
Smith had a championship-winning response in capturing a program-first, fourth national individual title and repeating as the 5,000-meter champion at the NCAA DIII Indoor Track and Field Championship on Friday afternoon. Smith, who finished in 16:26.40. led for nearly the entire race before responding to a challenge from runner-up Grace Richardson of New York University in the final 25 meters. Smith, who finished seven seconds faster than the second-place finisher a year ago, immediately responded by retaking the lead in the final 25-meters.
Smith, who is the first MIAC repeat national champion in the indoor 5K since Kelly Copps of St. Thomas in 1994 and 1995, opened with at 2:31.0 in the 800-meters as she raced to a large lead. At the 1,000-meter mark, Smith clocked 3:08.87 and was seven seconds in the lead. At the 3K mark, she had a 9:41.58 and led by nearly 10 seconds. She was clocked at 13:03.95 at 4K and 15:47.73 at 4,800 meters. She finished in 16:26.40 as she fought off Richardson, who had a late rush to finish in 16:26.75 in one of the closest 5K finishes in DIII history.
Smith repeated the 5K title she won a year ago at 16:33.78 at the DIII Championship a year ago. Then, in 2023, Smith added the 3,000-meter time of 9:25.62, which shattered the previous championship record. Smith's 5K time today was over seven seconds quicker than a year ago. Earlier this year, Smith set the DIII all-time 5K record with a 15:50.48 clocking in Boston, Mass., in December.
After being named the USTFCCCA North Region Indoor Track Athlete of the Year and the three-time MIAC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, Smith earned her fourth title and bettered a field of 17 student-athletes. Named the 2023 USTFCCCA Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, Smith was honored on March 5 as an all-region performer for the fourth straight year after being recognized in the mile, 3,000-meters, and 5,000-meters during the 2023-24 season. In 2021, she was honored in the 1,500, 3,000 and 5,000-meter runs and in both 2022 and 2023 earned the designation in the mile, 3,000- and 5,000-meters events. Smith now has 12 all-region honors indoors.
