BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its annual award winners for women's cross country on Thursday. Saint Benedict junior Fiona Smith received Athlete of the Year honors, while St. Scholastica first-year Regan DeWitt was named Rookie of the Year, and Knights' head coach Donna Ricks was celebrated as MIAC Coach of the Year. The MIAC also recognized its All-Conference and Honorable Mention runners from last Saturday's conference meet.
Smith (Jr. | Dhahran, Saudi Arabia) was named MIAC Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year after winning the 6K conference championship race for the third consecutive season. Smith crossed the finish line in 19:55.1, surpassing the previous MIAC 6K championship record of 21:11.0 by more than a minute. Smith is the third woman in MIAC history to win three straight individual cross country titles and the third Bennie to receive Cross Country Athlete of the Year honors.
DeWitt (Fy. | Bemidji, Minn.) received Rookie of the Year honors after clocking in at 22:56.6 at last Saturday's MIAC Championships. DeWitt was the first first-year runner to cross the finish line, ending up 17th overall and earning honorable mention distinction in the process. DeWitt is the first Saint in history to be named MIAC Women's Cross Country Rookie of the Year.
Ricks (30th season) was recognized by her peers as the MIAC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year for the 13th time in her career and second straight season after guiding the Knights to a repeat conference title in 2023. Ricks' team placed three runners among the meet's top five finishers and seven in the top 15. Ricks is the only coach in MIAC women's cross country history to be honored with double-digit Coach of the Year selections.
In addition to the top individual honors, the MIAC Women's Cross Country All-Conference and Honorable Mention runners were also recognized. The top 15 finishers in Saturday's MIAC Championship race received All-Conference honors, while finishers 16-25 received Honorable Mention.
Fourteen of this year's 15 All-Conference honorees were also All-MIAC or honorable mention in 2022, with six – Carleton's Helen Cross, Libby Rowland and Phoebe Ward, Saint Benedict's Fiona Smith, and St. Olaf's Bella Call and Julia Everest – becoming three-time All-Conference honorees, a feat achieved by just 49 women in MIAC cross country history.