MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Saint Mary's University of Minnesota swimming and diving coach Eric Lindquist knew how important this weekend's two-day University of Minnesota Jean Freeman Invitational was for his Cardinals.
 
Not only was it one final competition before the Christmas holidays, but it was also a chance for the Cardinals to compete in an event with a similar structure to the season-ending Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships—not to mention compete in an event at the same venue as the conference championships.
 
And Lindquist left the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center feeling very good about his Cardinals' performances.
 
"This was a great experience," said Lindquist, whose squads not only squared off against virtually every other MIAC school, but also found themselves staring at competitors from NCAA Division I teams like the University of Minnesota, Boise State, and South Dakota State. "I think it's important for everyone to get a feel for a prelim/finals type of meet—since that's what the conference championships will be.
 
"And the fact that this meet went over two days—similar to the MIAC (Championships), which are a three-day event—gives our younger swimmers a feel for what that all entails.
 
"I thought our swimmers did a great job—it was a strong showing heading into the holiday break."
 
Reese Galewski (Winona, Minn.) raced to a time of 1:03.61 in the 100 butterfly, while Katie Heller (St. Cloud, Minn.) led a strong contingent in the 100 freestyle, clocking of time of 58.72. Anne Raecker (Cedar Falls, Iowa) added a 1:05.52 in the 100 freestyle, followed by Sarah Fanning (Sparta, Wis. / 106:44). Hannah Emeott (Chisago City, Minn.) posted a 22:31.02 in the 1,650 freestyle, and Ashley Meehan (Glenview, Ill.) recorded a 1:02.25 in the 100 backstroke and Janelle Mueller (Lewiston, Minn.) posted 168.05 points in the three-meter diving.
 
On the men's side, Joe Tonda (St. Paul, Minn.) posted a time of 53.21 in the 100 freesstyle and a 2:29.78 in the 200 breaststroke, followed by Brian Mockler (Dubuque, Iowa) in with a 56.41 in the 100 free and a 2:34.84 in the 200 breaststroke.
 
The Cardinals are now off until Jan. 17, when they host the Saint Mary's Alumni Invitational at the Jul Gernes Pool