Smith collects individual title, team takes third

The CSB cross country team placed third at the MIAC Championships in St. Paul hosted by Hamline on Oct. 29.

The team’s goal, after placing fifth at the 2021 Conference Championships last year, was to place in the top three. There were many top finishes from the CSB team at the meet. Junior captain Fiona Smith ran a strong race and earned her second individual MIAC Championship title. Additionally, junior Annie Kiolbasa achieved All-MIAC Honors with a 15th place finish. First-year Mary Kenney received All-MIAC Honorable Mention Honors with a 22nd place finish. All five scoring CSB runners placed in the top 30.

“No matter where everyone placed, each and every one of the girls played a significant role to reach the third place team finish that we are all so proud of,” Smith said.

However, the team fought through some adversity to achieve their third place spot, as the course was hilly, and it was warm outside on the day of the race.

“Times weren’t fast, but at the end it’s about effort, and the team put a great effort out there,” head coach Robin Balder-Lanoue said.

Kenney agreed that the conditions were tough.

“After I was done [racing] I was happy with it, but in the moment it was hard,” Kenney said.

She wants to continue improving and is excited for regionals coming up. As a first-year, Kenney said she’s had a very positive experience training with a new, competitive team that shares the same goals. Junior captain Bridget Tetmeyer also said the race was tough for her.

“My legs were a bit tired going into the race, and I definitely felt them by the time we were on the last 2k of the race. While I didn’t quite achieve my goals for the race, I am proud of my effort,” she said.

However, Tetmeyer was reassured talking to other runners afterward because it seemed to be a tough course for everyone. Despite having some off races this season, Tetmeyer said it was her coach and teammates that picked her back up, reminding her that she can achieve her goals.

“The biggest lesson I’ve learned, and am still learning, is the importance of patience and trust. During workouts, it can be hard to trust the pace that Robin sets for us and it is tempting to go faster,” Tetmeyer said.

Tetmeyer is excited for regionals this year. After competing with bronchitis last year and not performing well, she’s excited to get another chance this year and put forth a strong effort. She said regionals might be her last chance to have a race she’s truly satisfied with this season. With the team having a chance at qualifying for nationals, she’s going to keep these goals in mind when she competes in the upcoming regionals.

“If I stick with my teammates through the whole race, we can finish in a nice pack and put ourselves in a great position to qualify, which is of course the ultimate goal,” Tetmeyer said.

Sophomore Kalli Smith also mentioned the race being challenging, but the team’s grit and determination propelled them to a strong finish.

“As a team, we definitely fought throughout the race for places that paid off in the end,” Kalli Smith said.

Entering into the postseason, Fiona Smith likes to focus more on placing than on times, so she made sure to know her competitors.

“I knew my biggest competition was going to be Clara Mayfield from Carleton, who I have raced countless times since I’ve been here at CSB. She has been running really well this season and we haven’t raced since the beginning of the season, so I was definitely nervous to be seeing her again, but I was able to compete well against her,” Fiona Smith said.

Fiona Smith went on to beat Mayfield by almost 30 seconds. Planning for regionals, which includes the MIAC and a few other conferences, she knows Mayfield will be her main competition again.

“Overall, regionals is just about being a top finisher, not necessarily the top finisher, in order to qualify for nationals. Considering the quick turnaround from regionals to nationals, I don’t want to have to expend more than is necessary to qualify for nationals–whether that be as an individual, or hopefully as a team” Fiona Smith said.

The CSB cross country team is currently ranked 30th in the women’s cross country National Coaches’ Poll for NCAA Division III. Balder-Lanoue was also proud of the team for their performance at the MIAC Championships. They wanted to finish in the top three and have at least three athletes get all-conference awards, and they accomplished both.

She is also pleased with the season so far and how the team pays attention to the little things outside of practice that are key to their success. Seven people on the team have made the top 50 performances of all time list from their races this season.

Balder-Lanoue believes this says a lot about the team and their success this year. Now, top seven runners from the team will compete at the NCAA North Region Meet on Nov. 12 in Northfield, Minn.

“Most of the hard work is already done,” Balder-Lanoue said. “Now, it’s just taking care of the little things and making sure everyone stays sharp, feels good, and feels strong.”