Meet Results / GameDay Preivew

NORTHFIELD, Minn. — Saint Mary's University swimming and diving coach Eric Lindquist knew what his Cardinals were up against when they took to the water Saturday afternoon for a dual against Carleton.

The Knights, one of the powerhouse programs in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, boasted both talent and depth — and they proved that against SMU, as the Carleton men dropped SMU 241-44, while the Carleton women were 235-35 winners.

“We knew what we were up against, but this meet wasn't really about wins or losses,” said Lindquist. “To have the opportunity to compete against some of the best swimmers in the conference, that's a great opportunity.”

And, despite the final team scores, Lindquist didn't have to look hard to find several silver linings.

Anna Smaron (Maple Plain, Minn.) picked up a first-place finish in the 200 breaststroke to lead the way for the SMU women, while Mark Ross (Dubuque, Iowa) and Andrew Noyes (Eden Prairie, Minn.) each collected a pair of second-place efforts to pace the Cardinal men.

Smaron touched the wall in 2:43.32 in winning the 200 breaststroke, with Ross going 58.01 in the 100 backstroke and 2:07.73 in the 200 backstroke, while Noyes placed second in both the one-meter (179.70) and three-meter (188.75) diving competitions. Ross also placed fourth in the 400 IM (4:44.35), while Brandon Matis (Blaine, Minn.) chipped in a second-place performance in the 100 breaststroke (1:08.16), and sevenths in both the 100 freestyle (53.82) and the 100 butterfly (1:04.93), and Robert Doyle (Hudson, Wis.) was third in the 500 freestyle (6:31.66).

Along with her first in the 200 breaststroke, Smaron posted a second in the 100 breaststroke (1:17.25), and Rachel Steinkamp (Lakeville, Minn.) was third in the one-meter diving (177.25) and fourth in the three-meter (152.75). Abby Kratzke (Dent, Minn.) posted a 6:25.63 to finish fourth in the 500 freestyle, with Linda Tierney (Cloquet, Minn.) adding a fifth-place time of 1:02.38 in the 100 freestyle.

The Cardinals are back in action on Saturday, when they host an intra-squad meet for Senior Day, before hitting the road for the Minnesota Challenge on Feb. 4-5 at the University of Minnesota.