MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. –
Fiona Smith, the most decorated and accomplished student-athlete in College of Saint Benedict track and field history, culminated her career with another outstanding effort by placing third in the 5,000-meters at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championship on Saturday (May 25).
Running in hot and humid conditions, Smith, who came into the race with the fastest time (15:53.87) in DIII this year, and fourth fastest in division history, registered her ninth straight top-three finish or better in NCAA DIII Track and Field/Cross Country competitions.
Fiona Smith won the 10K & was third in 5K at DIII Championship.
Kelly Anderson Diercks, CSB Athletics
Now, a 16-time All-American, Smith led for a share of the 5,000-meter race which – because of a lengthy rain delay - did not begin until 9 p.m. (CDT) after being scheduled for a 6 p.m. start. However, sophomore Faith Duncan of Wilmington, Ohio closed with 77.69-second and 74.41-second laps to win the race in a time of 16:44.12. Grace Hadley of WPI was second in 16:46.66 followed by Smith in 16:48.87.
In the final race of her career at Saint Benedict, Smith recorded her second All-American performance of the weekend and her fifth of the 2023-24 academic year. The third-place finish followed her 10,000-meter victory on Thursday with a facility record time of 34:27.32. The two performances by Smith garnered 16 team points, as CSB finished tied for 11
th in the team standings. The 16 team points this year is tied with 2023 for the most in school history with the 11th place finish the top team point result in CSB history.
CSB head coach
Robin Balder-Lanoue was proud of Smith, who competed with extraordinary heart.
"The conditions were hot and humid and Fiona ran a gritty race," Balder-Lanoue said. "She raced so hard and dug so deep and I couldn't be more proud of her and how she raced. Her grit and character really showed today."
The 10K win on May 23 marked the first outdoor track and field national title for Smith, as well as the first in program history. She had four national titles this year, including the 3K and 5K indoors and the DIII cross country title last fall. She won the 10K by a 27-second margin over Grace Richardson of New York University, who clocked in at 34:55.05.
Smith is one of five in MIAC history to win at least five individual national track and field titles, joining Carolyn Ross, Augsburg, 1988-89; Julia Kirtland, Macalester, 1984-87; Lisa Keolfgen, St. Thomas, 1985-86; and Kelly Copps, St. Thomas, 1993-95.
Add in her cross country title in the fall of 2023, and she is one of three in MIAC history to capture six or more national DIII individual titles (Julia Kirtland, eight titles, 1984-87; Kelly Copps, six titles, 1993-95).
Smith had the top-ranked 10K time coming into the race (32:57.28), which she clocked at the Stanford Invitational on March 29. That performance shattered school and MIAC record and ranks as the second best all-time.
But Thursday, in very difficult conditions, she put together a national championship effort facing over 80 percent humidity and broke the facility mark of Lauren Tinkler of South Alabama (34:36.61), set on May 11, 2023. (
10K - Recap)
In the 10K, Smith opened up a five-second lead after 16 laps, taking over control of the race with 1:19.15 lap at the 6,800-meter mark (23:25.86). In the next lap, she extended the mark to nine seconds, and by the 8,800-meter mark, she had an 18-second margin with a 1:22.83 lap and a 30:14.66 time.
A mathematics major and Hispanic studies and computer science major with a 4.0 GPA, the back-to-back USTFCCCA North Region Track Athlete of the Year, will compete at DI North Carolina State next year, using the final year of eligibility the NCAA granted student-athletes due to COVID-19.
Also at the NCAA DIII Outdoor Championship Thursday, CSB sophomore
Jaylyn Ahlberg tied for 18
th in the pole vault by going 3.56 meters (11-feet-8). She wrapped up a tremendous first season in which she won MIAC pole vault championships both indoors and outdoors. Ahlberg earned her first outdoor pole vault title at the MIAC Championships by matching her outdoor best of 3.71M (12-02), a mark which ranks third all-time at CSB. She also won the indoor MIAC Championship with a career-best vault of 3.76m –(12-4.25), a mark that ranks second all-time in CSB program history. Ahlberg finished the year with nine individual pole vault titles.
This spring, Smith was named the MIAC Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year for the first time in program history. A three-time MIAC Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year and a three-time cross country MIAC Athlete of the Year, she was honored after winning the rare triple of the 1,500-meter, 5,000-meters and 10,000 meters at the MIAC Championship on May 10-11 in St. Paul. In the 1,500 and 5,000-meter runs, she established conference championship records.
Smith is the first-ever at CSB to earn MIAC Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year honors after repeating with wins in the three distance events. With victories in May 10 at the MIAC Championships in the 1,500-meters and 10,000-meters, she wrapped up her career with nine individual outdoor titles and 15 individual titles overall. Including relays, she earned 20 All-MIAC career honors. She broke the conference championship record in the 1,500-meter run in 4.28.55, which broke the 15-year-old record of Marie Borner of Bethel in 2009. Later that night, she broke a 41-year-old championship record in the 10,000-meters by clocking 34:15.01 and surpassing the mark of Debbie Thometz of the University of St. Thomas, who had a 34:22.58 in 1983.
In her career, Smith, who has 29 All-MIAC Athlete of the Week and six USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week honors, totaled 71 career wins in track and field and cross country.
