ST. JOSEPH, Minn. -- The legacy is set.

After yet another record-breaking and amazing season, track and field/cross country senior Fiona Smith has been named the CSB Athletics "Athlete of the Year" for a third straight time. She is just the second student-athlete in school history to achieve that distinction, joining Marcy Erickson of tennis in 1985-87. 
 

Smith was selected for the CSB honor among 10 CSB "Athlete of the Year" nominees, who contributed significantly to the success of their teams by exhibiting leadership while excelling in competition as well as the classroom. This group, which helped CSB Athletics finish second in the MIAC All Sport rankings, includes six total All-Americans, four conference athletes of the year, four individual national championships and 18 all-conference honors.
 
The award nominees were Corrine Brown, hockey; Emma Guest, volleyball; Chloe Lewis, lacrosse; Carla Meyer, basketball; Emily Renner, golf; Fiona Smith, cross country and track and field; Ashley Tarrolly, tennis; Olivia Tautges, softball; Emi Wagner, swim and dive and Abby Willenbring, soccer. 

Smith, a mathematics and Hispanic studies major at CSB, began rewriting the history books at CSB, in the MIAC and across NCAA DIII from nearly the first day (Feb. 21, 2021) she competed as a Bennie. Her high-achieving, high-energy, record-breaking efforts continue to her final competition when won a national title (10K - 1st ever at St. Bens) and earned two more All-American honors at the NCAA DIII Outdoor Track and Field Championships in humid, and hot conditions in Myrtyle Beach, S.C., on May 24-25, 2024.
 
In 2023-24 alone, she won four NCAA DIII individual titles (XC, 3K, 5K, 10K) and seven MIAC titles, unprecedented at St. Bens. Smith earned five All-American honors in 2023-24 as well as earning her third straight College Sports Communicators' Academic All-District honor and numerous other conference, regional and national honors.

"Fiona has been an incredible ambassador for Saint Ben's cross country and track and field, but also for the College of Saint Benedict, Saint John's University and all of NCAA Division III running," said CSB head coach of track and field/cross country Robin Balder-Lanoue of Smith, who set records at St. Ben's 28 times and also won six national titles.
 
"She has represented them all with such grace," said Balder-Lanoue, who earned her second MIAC Elite 22 honor for cross country in fall 2023. "It's been amazing to watch. She's been an incredible role model for what it takes to be a 4.0 student and among the best as a student-athlete."
 
She graduated from CSB in May and will pursue a graduate degree at North Carolina State while using a final year of eligibility in the fall. But she leaves a legacy at CSB that includes those six national titles and 17 individual or relay MIAC titles, making her the most decorated student-athlete in St. Ben's history.
 
Not bad considering that when she arrived at Saint Benedict, the school had never won a national championship – individual or team.
 
Smith is one of five in MIAC history to win at least five individual national track and field titles. 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).
 
This past track and field season was truly a work of art. During the outdoor season, she set school records in the 5,000-meter (15:53.27 - fourth best in DIII history) and 10,000-meter (32:57.28 – second all-time in DIII) in addition to the 1,500-meter (4:25.51). Indoors, she set the school record in the 3,000-meter (9:23.40 - fourth fastest in DIII) and 5,000-meter (15:50.48 - fastest all-time in DIII history)

The recipient of the USTFCCCA North Region Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year honor, Smith was also named the MIAC Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year for the first time in program history. 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.
 
She earned four USTFCCCA Athlete of the Week honors in cross country and track and field and was named USTFCCCA All-Region in seven events. Smith was also named the Honda NCAA DIII Athlete of the Year finalist for cross country, and the Presidential Award winner at the Bennie Awards banquet due to her success in academics, athletics and community engagement. In addition, she was the USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Year in Cross Country in on Nov. 21, 2023 and the USTFCCCA National Scholar Athlete of the Year in Cross Country on February 1, 2024.
 
"Fiona Smith is an inspiring example of our mission to produce empowered and principled leaders who work for the betterment of society," said CSB and SJU President Brian J. Bruess, Ph.D. "She beautifully defines what we imagine for all our scholar-athletes at Saint Ben's. She is a champion many times over as an athlete, a sterling honors program scholar, a 4.0 math major and a person of exceptional integrity who steadily contributes to our community and the common good."
 
Her time at CSB has gone fast, but Smith said she will always retain a warm spot for St. Ben's, her teammates, coaches, faculty and alumni.
 
"All of my cousins and older siblings who have graduated from here always told me to just enjoy it while you're here. It goes by fast and honestly it went by so fast," said Smith, a two-time College Sports Communicators' Academic All-American who took on summer research projects on campus at CSB and SJU in 2021 and '22 and completed a research internship at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County last year. "My relationship with my teammates, I would definitely say we're like a family. They're my best friends around here and will definitely be my friends for life."
 
"I'd say being a Bennie to me really encompasses like all the past Bennies, all the current Bennies, all the future Bennies. It's just like a whole network of amazing women," said Smith.
 
"No matter what stage you are in your life, we're all looking for success for each other. I hope all future Bennies that come after me see what I've done and see that it's possible and that they can do it to," added Smith, a trustee's scholarship recipient, member of Pi Mu Epsilon, Delta Epsilon Sigma, Phi Beta Kappa and is an Honors Scholar.
 
Additionally, Smith earned six USTFCCCA national athlete of the week honors, holds multiple conference and school records, was named the Chi Alpha Sigma National Scholar Athlete of the Year and the USTFCCCA National Scholar Athlete of the Year last summer (2023).

In the community, Fiona has been active in Kids Fighting Hunger and has worked with "Around Cloud Tutors" doing online tutoring for youth. Additionally, she served as a volunteer for Casa San Benito and was an Honors Scholars Program speaker. Smith has worked as a member of the subcommittee for improving facilities and student experience at CSB, as well as being the captain for the cross country and track and field teams. Smith has also been involved in undergraduate research during her time at CSB which has helped her to develop her creativity and critical thinking skills.
 
"It's the little things she does - ice bathing every week, usually being the last one to leave practice every day - that make her so exceptional," said Balder-Lanoue. "She does all those things that have led to her own success, then turns around and lifts up her teammates as well. She knows how to inspire and how to lead. She's an amazing athlete and an amazing person."