Meet Results | GameDay Preview

STEVENS POINT, Wis. — With the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships just two weeks away — and the Saint Mary's University track and field teams competing on what coach Shawn McMahon calls “one of the fastest indoor tracks around” — expectations were high heading into Saturday's UW-Stevens Point Eastbay Invitational.

And the Cardinals did not disappoint.

Coco Booker (St. Paul, Minn.) and Katie Stolz (Forest Lake, Minn.) posted second-place showings to lead the way for the SMU women, while Jake Traxler (Le Center, Minn.) notched a fifth, and John Soucheray (Woodbury, Minn.) and Peter Borash (Bowlus, Minn.) added sixths to pace the Cardinal men.

“This was a huge meet from a competitive standpoint — and it proved to be a typical, late-season meet,” said McMahon. “We're just two weeks from our conference (indoor) championships, and a big meet like this is exactly what we needed.”

Booker uncorked a season-best toss of 13.14 meters in the shot put to place second, while Stolz's second came in the 5,000, where the SMU sophomore stopping the clock in 19:25.15. Maya Booker (St. Paul, Minn.) chipped in a ninth in weight throw (13.63 meters) and Allie Thiel (Burr Ridge, Ill.) added a ninth in the 5,000 (20:08.45), with Amy Spitzmueller (New Brighton, Minn.), posting a 15th-place showing in the 3,000 with a time of 11:49.94

Traxler and Borash led the way for the SMU men, as Traxler crossed the finish line in 8:67.54 to place fifth in the 3,000, while Soucheray was sixth in the 3,000 in 8:59.93 and Borash was sixth in the mile, stopping the clock in 4:25.39. Aaron Haley (Plainview, Minn.) — fresh off a record-setting performance in the 5,000 at the St. Thomas Invitational last Friday — was ninth in the 3,000 in 9:01.33, with Bryan Ortman adding a 10th in the triple jump (12.00 meters).

The Cardinals are back in action next Friday, traveling to Northfield, Minn., to take part in the St. Olaf Qualifier.