Fiona Smith was named the 2023 NCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country National Athlete of the Year. Smith, who hails from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, put a stamp on an undefeated season with a victory at the 2023 NCAA DIII Cross Country Championships this past weekend in Newville, Pennsylvania. Her win was never in doubt, as she led by more than 12 seconds at the 1 mile split and poured it on from there, eventually triumphing by more than one minute in 19:54.1. Smith became the first female athlete in NCAA DIII history with a sub-20-minute mark at the NCAA Championships. During the regular season, Smith topped the podium in each of her six races, including some of the biggest meets on the NCAA DIII calendar.