Two key cornerstones of the College of Saint Benedict athletic department will be honored for their impact on women’s athletics as part of Minnesota’s celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Wednesday, Feb. 2 at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul.

Longtime CSB cross country and track and field coach Robin Balder-Lanoue is one of the Breaking Barriers award winners while Margy Retica Hughes, the former chair of the physical education department at CSB/SJU until her retirement in 2003, will receive the Marie Berg Award for Excellence in Education.

The pair will be recognized along with 13 other influential individuals in girls’ and women’s sports from around the state. The 2022 National Girls and Women in Sport Day – Minnesota Celebration is scheduled for noon on Feb. 2. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit  www.ngwsd-mn.com.

Balder-Lanoue has been the head cross country coach at CSB for 25 seasons and the head track and field coach for 24.  Her teams have finished in the top five in 10 of the past 13 MIAC indoor track and field championships and eight of the past 11 outdoor championships. She was named MIAC indoor coach of the year in 2009, ’11 and ’16 while earning conference outdoor coach of the year in 2010 and ’17.

Hughes is a charter member of the CSB Athletics Hall of Fame and the department annually hands out the Margy Hughes Inspirational Award to an individual or team that has been an inspiration throughout that school year.

For more on all that Balder-Lanoue and Hughes have accomplished over the years, and the roles they played in helping shape the CSB athletic department, visit the story on gobennies.com.