After not competing in Fall 2020, the College of Saint Benedict cross country team was ready to race in 2021, and head coach Robin Balder-Lanoue watched as her team put together a solid season on the course.

On Sept. 4, 2021, the Bennies won their first official meet since Nov. 16, 2019, when they hosted St. Cloud State and Trinity Bible. In her first collegiate cross country race, sophomore Fiona Smith won the individual title – and broke the program’s 6K record by more than four seconds.

In the second race of the season, Smith set the program 5K record and took second at Luther, becoming the first athlete in program history to break 18 minutes in the 5K. Junior Emily Demorett also jumped into the top 50 in CSB history in the 5K.

The Bennies finished fifth out of nearly 30 teams at the Blugold Invite in October, then headed west and took eighth out of 23 teams – including Division I competition – at the Lewis & Clark Invite in Portland, Ore. Smith took fourth and broke her school record by 26 seconds. Demorett moved into eighth in CSB history in the 6K and Tracy Renier moved into 10^th.

Smith went on to win five of the eight races she competed in as a sophomore, including the 2021 MIAC Championships and the NCAA North Regional. She is the third MIAC champion in program history and the first since 2018, and the first region champ in CSB history. Renier and Demorett both earned All-MIAC Honorable Mention honors and All-Region accolades for the Bennies. CSB took seventh at the region meet – the team’s best finish since 2014.

Smith wrapped up the year with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Her All-American honor marks the fifth in program history and first since 2005, and hers marked the second top-five national finish in program history. She was named the team's MVP, Renier took home the Coach's Award and sophomore Elise Yeager was named Most Improved.

CSB earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors for the 25^th straight season in 2021, and Smith, Renier and Demorett earned All-Academic individual accolades.