Cal Poly Athletics Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2005
Robyn (Root) Schmidt is a five-time NCAA All-American -- three in cross country and two in track and field -- and still holds the Cal Poly record in the 10,000 meters with a time of 33 minutes, 12.86 seconds, set in1985.
She also has the third-fastest 5,000-meter time of 16:04.74.
Schmidt won the 1985 NCAA Division II 10,000-meter run and placed fifth in the 1984 NCAA championships in the 10,000. She still holds the Division II meet
record of 33:24.24 in that event.
Her three All-America honors in cross country helped Cal Poly to national team championships each year. She has won numerous national road races, including Ride and Tie competitions, following her Cal Poly career.
Schmidt ran in the U.S.Olympic Marathon qualifying race in 1984 and earned Academic All-America honors in 1985.
An accomplished gymnast, Schmidt also competed in volleyball and basketball at Loara High School in Anaheim. She was the first female inducted into the San Luis Obispo Marathon Hall of Fame in 2018.
In 2009, Schmidt started a Youth Cross Country program in Atascadero with just a half-dozen athletes and successfully grew it into an official Atascadero Junior High School running program with 50 participants, preparing students for high-school running. Since 2016, she has served as an assistant coach at Atascadero High School.
