Trio of Bennie athletes make history, break school records

Three student-athletes from the St. Ben’s track and field and basketball teams recently broke long-standing athletic records.

From the track and field team, CSB seniors Kate Gallagher and Fiona Smith each broke records they previously held in the 60-meter dash and 3,000-meter run.

In basketball, CSB junior Sophia Jonas became the all-time leader in three-point shots made with a total of 187, which was previously held by Ashley Brown-Stevens at (186) from the 2000-04 seasons.

Gallagher, for the second time this academic year, set a school record for the 60-meter dash by finishing second and clocking in at 7.89 seconds at the CSB+SJU Quad meet at Clemens Stadium. This was a blink of an eye quicker than her previous recorded time of 7.92 at the M City indoor meet in Minneapolis in December 2023.

“Turning around and seeing my teammates waiting and cheering for me at the finish line immediately filled me with gratitude. Being celebrated by my teammates in that moment was surreal and something I will remember forever,” Gallagher said.

Looking forward to the season, Gallagher is optimistic about both her own goals and the team’s as a whole.

“Achieving goals always makes you hungry for more. Individually, it feels like a privilege to positively reevaluate my goals in the middle of the season,” she said. “I think this is the most well-rounded and energetic team we have ever had. If there was ever a chance to succeed in the MIAC Championships, it feels like this is the year.”

Fiona Smith, a 12-time Division III All¬-American and three-time National Champion, set her second indoor record of the season by finishing in first place with a time of 9:23.40 in the 3,000-meter run to set in stone the fourth best DIII time ever recorded. Smith was also named the MIAC Indoor Track Athlete of the Week, earning her 27th weekly honor from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

“When Kate broke the 60-meter dash record on Saturday and we all saw her time in the finals go up on the board, you could hear all of us on the team start cheering and see us jumping up and down. And a bunch of girls went over to congratulate her, and I think this was very indicative of our team dynamic and the community and family we have. No matter how everyone is performing, I never fail to see my teammates congratulate each other and lift each other up,” Smith said.

Smith will look to add another All-American status and a fourth Individual National title in March. Sophia Jonas, originally from Hudson, Wis., surpassed the career three-point record previously held by Ashley Brown ‘04. Ashley Brown-Stevens, who resides in Denver, Colo. with her husband and two sons, now works in healthcare as a recruiter.

To welcome this generational accomplishment, Brown-Stevens sent a congratulations video to Jonas via Twitter. “Thank goodness you’ve broken a 20-year record,” Brown-Stevens said in the video.

Jonas thought this video was reflective of the timeless CSB+SJU network.

“I teared up watching [the video]. Stuff like that is part of the reason why I chose St. Ben’s in the first place. It feels like a big family here— from the coaching staff to current players and all the alums. We all support each other,” Jonas said.

The Bennies have had a positive season thus far with an overall record of 13-9 (.591) and a conference record of 11-7 (.611). They currently sit tied with Bethel in fourth place in the MIAC, being two conference wins behind St. Catherine’s University and two wins ahead of Hamline University. With the goal of making a run in the playoffs, Jonas said this record is something that shows the team’s achievement, and they still have a lot of work to do.

“I feel like it has not changed anything. We are still looking at the season the same as we did before,” Jonas said. “It doesn’t change how we act or feel about the season.”