By definition, the sport of cross country requires traveling long distances. Not only in terms of long mileage and late practices, but in going long distances to find meets.
But Oregon senior Hanna Smedstad has taken the traveling theme to an extreme. Over the years, the Swedish cross country runner has racked up many miles in her running shoes and on the road, traveling to different schools and races.
Smedstad has attended four different schools and run for four teams in the past eight years. Before transferring to Oregon this fall, Smedstad attended Oklahoma State, where she was an All-American three times.
The move to the west coast wasn’t the first time she changed places. Because secondary schools in Sweden do not offer athletics along with academics, Smedstad had to attend a school 560 miles away because she wanted to run and study.
“It was a tremendous distance from home,” Smedstad said. “But I still went because at home I was only running with nearby clubs and my high school didn’t have a cross country team for me to join, like most high schools here do.”
She spent three years at Kattgatt Gymnasiet, where she developed her running. After placing fourth at the Swedish junior championships, people began to take notice of the up-and-coming star. But after high school, Smedstad still faced the same dilemma: European universities do not offer athletics. If she wanted to run and study in college, she had to go to America.
Since Sweden isn’t known for its abundance in running talent, it isn’t a place where American universities recruit heavily.
After Smedstad graduated from Kattgatt, her family moved from Sundsvall, Sweden, to Kent, England. For a while, Smedstad worked as a hotel receptionist in England.
In the meantime, an article about Smedstad’s success at the Swedish junior level reached Oklahoma State coach Catrina Acosta.
“I had read about her and how well she did in Sweden and I tried to get a hold of her but found out she had graduated and had moved away,” Acosta said, adding she had tried twice a month for about a year to get a hold of Smedstad to see if she wanted to come to Oklahoma State and run for the Cowgirls.
“When we finally got to talk with each other, it was at the right time,” Smedstad said. “I would have gone to the university in England, but I would have never been able to run on their cross country teams because they don’t provide scholarships for runners like the U.S. colleges do. I would have had to run with a club.”
Smedstad had an extremely successful three years in Stillwater, Okla. She reached the National Cross Country meet twice, finishing 28th in 1998 and 18th last year. The two-time All-American also reached the NCAA outdoor track meet in the 5,000 meters and the 3,000 meters. She picked up another honor as All-American as a member of Oklahoma State’s eighth-place indoor distance medley team in 1998.
Last year, Smedstad completed her degree in psychology at Oklahoma State. The next logical step for Smedstad was to go graduate school and get a Ph.D. in neuroscience. She decided to transfer to Oregon with two seasons of eligibility left.
The decision “was mostly academic,” Smedstad said. “But I did want to run here.”
Despite this being her fifth home in as many years, Eugene is a nice fit for Smedstad. She said that she has adapted well to the new climate.
“So far so good,” Smedstad said. “It’s a lot like Sweden — except for the rain. It’s a lot easier to train here where it’s not so hot. In Oklahoma we would have to train in the morning. It’s better here.”
Living in Oregon will give Smedstad a chance to do some things she hasn’t done since living in Sweden: activities such as cross country skiing, orienteering (a sport which uses maps and compasses) and seeing the ocean.
Smedstad was almost a complete surprise to Oregon coach Tom Heinonen.
“She has just dropped out of the sky for us,” Heinonen said. “We’re real lucky to have her. She’s added so much depth to our team.”
In addition to depth, Smedstad takes over the No. 1 spot for the Ducks, which was vacated during the summer when sophomore Amy Nickerson left the team.
Smedstad has fit in well with the Oregon team. In her first meet in a Duck uniform, she finished sixth overall at the Roy Griak Invitational in St. Paul, Minn.
“Our [team] goal is to just do better than we did at nationals the year before,” Smedstad said.
Whatever the future holds for this nomadic distance runner, for now she has found a home with the Oregon cross country team.