Cheryl Smith of State University of New York-Cortland has been named the 1999 NCAA Division III Atlantic Region Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year. The United States Track Coaches Association and Mondo Surfacing selects and presents the award annually to the top athlete in each of the eight NCAA Division III women's cross country regions. The announcement is held in conjunction with the NCAA Division III Championship, which is hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh on Nov. 20.

Smith, a sophomore from Kirkwood, N.Y., won the individual title at the Atlantic Regional on Nov. 13 to help State University of New York-Cortland qualify as a team entrant for the NCAA Division III Championship. The health science major won the Atlantic Regional title with a time of 17:46 on the 5,000-meter course. The Red Dragons finished fourth at the 26-team Atlantic Regional with 103 points. Earlier this year, Smith won the individual title at the State University of New York Athletic Conference Championship.

Last year, Smith helped the Red Dragons to a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championship by winning the individual title with a time of 17:48. Smith's performance gave her the distinction of becoming the first freshman to win the NCAA Division III women's title. She also won the New York Regional title in 1998 and was the recipient of the 1998 Honda Award for NCAA Division III Women's Cross Country.