BUFFALO, N.Y. – At the start for any athletic season, the goal, whether you are a team or an individual, is to make it to the National Championship. For junior D'Youville University cross country runner Lainie Smith (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) she will be out west in Sacramento, Calif., competing on the national stage.
 
"Finding out I qualified was a really special moment," Smith said. "Not only was it a testament to all of the hard work that went into training, but it highlights the success that will come for the future runners on the team. Our coach got us all in the championship mindset and I think a lot of our success comes from where our heads are at. To be able to qualify for nationals is something I never would have imagined for myself when I started running. If I went back in time to tell 14-year-old Lainie that she did this, I don't think I would believe myself. Qualifying makes me hopeful for the future successes of our cross country program."
 
Smith is no stranger to success on the cross country trails throughout her tenure here at D'Youville, being named to the East Coast Conference First-Team for both her sophomore and junior season. Smith was also named to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Region Team twice as well, both as a sophomore and junior.
 
"Seeing our program move to the height of being national qualifying was the goal when I first came to D'Youville," said women's cross country head coach Brendan McMaster. "But I can't honestly say it was planned this quick. Lainie was one of my first recruits to come here and build the track and field program from scratch and restart the cross country program. I believe in what we are building and how we are building the program, but Lainie makes me look much better than I really am at coaching. Her hard work, positivity, and consistency is what any coach in the country would look for in an athlete. She executed like I knew she could at regionals, and she put herself in a position at the end of the race to be our first qualifier in cross country."
 
To go along with her first team honors, Smith set a new school record in the 5k, posting a time of 18:21.3 earlier this season at the Harry F. Memorial Invitational hosted by Roberts Wesleyan University. Smith knew the familiarity of the course for when it came to the NCAA DII East Region Championship. Competing on the same course as she did to set the new school record, but this time it was a 6k where she posted a time of 22:08.5. The time was good to qualify for the national race, becoming the first Saints to do so since becoming an NCAA DII member institution.
 
Making the way out west, one would think it would be nothing but sunshine and warmth, but the extended forecast calls for rain leading up to the race and temperatures in the low 60s. The trail and weather conditions may bold well for a runner that has to compete in all types of conditions while competing in the northeast.
 
"Being a runner in Buffalo has its advantages when it comes to the weather," said Smith. "We run through it all: wind, rain, snow, hail. It's those practices that you don't want to show up for because it's 35 degrees, pouring rain, and windy that prepare you to run in any condition."
 
Being the lone representative of D'Youville, McMaster wants Smith to enjoy the opportunity to compete in a race like this and to go out and perform her best like he knows that she can.
 
"The main goal for Lainie at nationals will be to run a personal best 6k time," McMaster added. "Other than that, I would like her to enjoy the experience of competing at nationals. We want to plan our race strategy while we are on the course Thursday and Friday for practice, then I just let Lainie be Lainie. She is one of the most consistent runners I have been around, and she knows how to run the planned race."
 
Smith will compete this Saturday, November 23rd, at the Arcade Creek Cross Country Course with the race starting at 11:15 PST/2:15 EST.
 
"I am just beyond excited, and I feel so supported by all of my teammates and coaches," Smith added. "I feel eternally grateful to have them at my side."