After coming to Concordia as a softball player, Janet (Brownawell) Smith closed out her collegiate career with two highly decorated seasons on the cross country and track & field teams, becoming the Golden Bears’ first-ever NCAA Division II Championships individual qualifier in track & field in the spring of her senior year.
Smith was a steady producer on the softball diamond as she hit .311 over 31 games while helping the 2001 squad to a 27-14-1 record overall and a 10-1 record in league play while winning the NSIC Tournament title. The team followed with another impressive season with a 30-19 mark in 2002 as Smith locked down an everyday role in her second year.
The Farmington, Minnesota native hit the ground running in her cross country career as she wrapped up a seventh place finish in the NSIC Championships in her first season on the team as a junior and followed it up with a runner-up finish in her senior campaign.
She saved her best for last as she put up a dominant 2003 track & field season in which she set three individual school records and a pair of relay records. The season was highlighted by an NSIC record-setting 4x800 meter relay performance along with fellow hall of famer Emily (Schoop) Bredeson as well as Sarah Keiser and Natalie Schmit, and qualification for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 3000 meter steeplechase.
After earning her degree in secondary education mathematics in the spring of 2003, Smith began her teaching career at Fridley High School where she met her husband, Neil. During her time there, she also worked as co-head softball coach and assistant cross country coach for the Tigers. Following their time at Fridley, Smith spent 13 years teaching math at Faribault High School where she was nominated as Minnesota Teacher of the Year. She has spent the last three years at Northfield High School where she helps coach the cross country and track & field teams.
Janet and Neil have two children, Sonja and Teddy, and reside in Dundas, Minnesota. Their family attends Hosanna Lutheran Church in Dundas where she served as a member of the vision board when the church became a campus of Hosanna. Janet enjoys watching her daughter swim competitively and her son play hockey and baseball. Janet still runs for fun, completing five marathons among various other races.
Career Awards
- CSP’s first ever NCAA Championship qualifier (3000m steeplechase)
- 2001 Academic All-America in softball
- 2001 NSIC Tournament Champion in softball
- NSIC indoor record holder in 4x800m relay (9:46.96 in 2003)
- Two-time NSIC Indoor Champion (5000m in 2003 & 4x800m relay in 2003)
- Two-time NSIC Outdoor Champion (3000m steeplechase in 2003 & 4x800m relay in 2003)
- Two-time All-NSIC in indoor track & field (5000m in 2003 & 4x800m relay in 2003)
- Two-time All-NSIC in outdoor track & field (3000m steeplechase in 2003 & 4x800m relay in 2003)
- Two-time All-NSIC in cross country (2002, 2001)
- 2001 CSP Cross Country Newcomer of the Year
- 2002 CSP Cross Country Team MVP
- 2002 Comet Award winner in softball
- 2003 John Paul Chiapuzio Award winner
CSP Records
- 1st – indoor 3000 meter run (10:37.05)
- 1st – indoor 5000 meter run (18:08.48)
- 1st – indoor 4x800 meter relay (9:46.96)
- 1st – outdoor 3000 meter steeplechase (11:11.20)
- 1st – 4x800 meter relay (9:29.11)
Career & Season Stats
- Career .286 hitter with 53 hits in two seasons in softball
- Stole 13 bases and scored 31 runs
- Fastest career 5K of 19:09 in cross country
