ST. JOSEPH, Minn. –  The No. 21st-ranked College of Saint Benedict outdoor track and field team, which has eight student-athletes or relays seeded in the top three of the MIAC event ranking, will compete at the 2024 MIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Friday and Saturday, May 10-11 at Hamline University.

This weekend's action will begin on Friday afternoon with field events starting at 2:00 p.m., and track events beginning at 2:30 p.m. Saturday's events are scheduled for a noon start with the final set of events - the women's and men's 4x400 relay - running at 5:10 p.m.

CSB, directed by veteran head coach Robin Balder-Lanoue, is one of 12 teams who will compete in the two-day event. After the MIAC heptathlon a week ago, the Bennies begin the competition with nine points which came as a result of  junior Justus Floren and senior Ellie Selisker scoring points at multi-event on May 2-3. Floren had her second straight All-MIAC performance by placing second with 4,172 points while Selisker  finished eighth with 3,623 points. Earlier this week, CSB moved up from No. 25 to No. 21 in the USTFCCCA national rankings with 77.56 points.

A year ago, Saint Benedict finished third with 127.50 points, the second-highest total in school history (130 points, 2^nd, 2017). In 2022, the Bennies finished with 117.3 points.

Team Finishes – Last 10 years
2023, 127.50 points, third; 2022, 117.3, 2^nd; 2021, 58.5, 8^th; 2019, 63.5 points, 8^th; 2018, 76.5 points, 5^th; 2017, 130 points, 2^nd; 2016, 71 points, 6^th; 2015, 96.5 points, 5^th; 2014, 92.3 points, 4^th; 2013, 100 points, 4^th.

Six times in program history, CSB has totaled 100 points or more outdoors. In 2023, CSB had five individual/relay titles, which tied the program mark set in 2022, 11 top-10 program marks, 23 personal-bests and 10 All-MIAC performances. In addition, the Bennies had 21 top-eight or better finishes. Fiona Smith had a program-first with three individual titles a year ago in winning the 1,500 meters, 5,000-meters, and 10,000-meters. She is ranked No. 1 in all three events as the 2024 championships open.  

MIAC championship plaques will be presented to the first-place women's and men's teams at the conclusion of the meet on Saturday afternoon. Gustavus is the defending champion on the women's side. Gustavus Adolphus won their second consecutive women's conference title in 2023. In addition to team awards, the top-three finishers in each event will automatically earn All-MIAC honors, while the fourth-through-sixth place finishers will be named Honorable Mention. Individual awards will be voted on by coaches following the meet and will be announced - along with the complete list of All-MIAC and honorable mention recipients - next week.

How CSB ranks in MIAC events
100 M – Kate Gallagher, 4^th, 12.39
200 M – Tiana Johnson, 7^th, 26.12; Gallagher, 8^th, 26.16
400 M – Sidela Nyuga, 7^th, 58.84
800 M – Kalli Smith, 7^th, 2:18.53
1,500 M – Fiona Smith, 1^st, 4:25.80 (ranks fifth in DIII in 2024)
5,000 M – Fiona Smith, 1^st, 15:53.27 (school/MIAC record, top time in DIII in 2024)
10,000 M – Fiona Smith, 1^st, 32:57.28 (school/MIAC record, top time in DIII in 2024); Annie Kiolbasa, 8^th, 38:29.54
100 M Hurdles – Anya Adelgren, 8^th, 15.71
400 M Hurdles – Lauren Berg, 2^nd, 1:04.82
3000 M Steeplechase – Keiley Maahs, 4^th, 11:34.92; Bridget Tetmeyer, 6^th, 11:39.15
4x100 M Relay – 2^nd, 48.60
4x400 M Relay – 5^th, 4:02.57
High Jump – Ellie Selisker, 6^th, 1.55M; Anna Kemp, 8^th, 1.52M
Pole Vault – Jaylyn Ahlberg, 1^st, 3.71M - 12-02; Ming Li Raidt, 5^th, 3.33M - 10-11
Long Jump – Sabriya Farquharson, 2^nd, 5.55M 18-02.5; Ellie Selisker, 5^th, 5.33M - 17-06
Triple Jump – Sabriya Farquharson, 4^th, 11.16M - 36-07.5; Ellie Selisker, 5^th, 10.96M - 35-11.5
Shot Put – Haley Joos, 5^th, 11.96M - 39-03
Javelin Throw – Justus Floren, 5^th, 37.59M - 123-04 

Notes –
Senior Fiona Smith, who is a five-time NCAA DIII national champion in cross country and track and field, is ranked first in the 10,000 meters and 5,000-meters and fifth in the 1,500 meters. A 14-time All-American, Smith won another MIAC Athlete of the Week honor earlier on May 7 and has 29 in her career in cross country (12), indoor (five) and outdoor (12) track and field. Smith, who was named the Presidential Award winner at the Bennie Awards on Sunday, has 17 All-MIAC honors including 15 titles. In her career, she has 20 (including cross country) All-MIAC honors and has totaled 67 career wins in track and field and cross country. She has captured sixth individual outdoor titles. Already this year, has Smith clocked the fastest outdoor 5,000-meters in school and MIAC history of 15:53.27 at the Drake Relays on April 25 as part of the distance carnival. She recorded the fastest 5,000-meters in NCAA DIII this year. Her performance at the Drake Relays broke her own 5,000-meter school record of 16:05.43 set a year ago at the Drake Relays on April 16, 2023. The clocking was also the fourth fastest all-time at the DIII level. She is also just the second DIII women's runner to crack 16 minutes in the 5K both indoor and outdoor. At the Stanford Invitational on March 29, Smith shattered the school and MIAC record with the second best 10,000-meters time in NCAA DIII history by clocking 32:57.28 at the Cobb Track and Angell Field. She is a six-time USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week in track and field and cross country.   Smith, who last spring was named the Chi Alpha Sigma National Athlete of the Year, has earned the USTFCCCA National Scholar Athlete of the Year, College Sports Communicators Academic All-District and All-American. She is a multi-time MIAC academic all-conference honoree and twice has been named the MIAC Elite 22 award winner. She is the first student-athlete to crack 16 minutes both indoors and outdoors in DIII history and first in MIAC history to win back-to-back national titles indoors in the 3K and 5K. She has been named the USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Year in cross country and indoor track and field. She a Honda NCAA DIII Athlete of the Year finalist. Smith, a 12-time All-Region honoree, holds multiple conference and school records and the NCAA DIII mark in the indoor 5,000 meters.
 
Sophomore Lauren Berg has six All-MIAC honors indoor and outdoors as does Justus Floren, who has two individual titles (heptathlon, 2023; high jump, 2022). Kate Gallagher, Ellie Selisker and Sidela Nyuga and Tiana Johnson (200m champion in 2022) all have two All-MIAC honors.