BYU-Hawaii sophomore runs to title in NCAA cross country
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RALEIGH, N.C. — Becoming BYU-Hawaii's first qualifier for the NCAA Division II Women's Cross Country National Championship wasn't satisfying enough for sophomore Chelsea Smith. So she took it to the apex the second time by winning the 2003 individual championship over the 6-kilometer course here.
The former walk-on for the Seasiders took control of the race after the first mile and defeated her nearest rival by 25 seconds, finishing in 20 minutes, 33 seconds. In the process, she set a new BYU-Hawaii record for the 6K. Last year, she finished 57th at the national race.
"Everyone was taking the race so seriously," she said. "I just wanted to go out and have a good time. It was lots of fun."
BYU-Hawaii Head Coach Norman Kaluhiokalani said, "Chelsea worked very hard this year and she deserved to win the championship."
As good as she is, running isn't an all-consuming pursuit for Chelsea, who is from the Greenbluff Ward, Spokane Washington North Stake. She has an academic scholarship to BYU-Hawaii and is a four-year seminary graduate. Her mother, Debbie Smith, said that Chelsea took a Danish Book of Mormon to the national championship and gave it to a competitor from Denmark she had befriended in races during the season. "That's where Chelsea's mind is," her mother said.
Her victory caps an incredible season in which she broke a school record every time she raced and finished first in every meet except the University of Hawaii Big Wave Invitational, in which she finished second to Division I All-American Michaela Mannova of BYU.
Chelsea was honored as the NCAA II West Region Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year at the pre-national race banquet. Her victory makes her the first NCAA individual champion in BYU-Hawaii history. The Seasiders had seven individual national champions in tennis as a member of the NAIA.
