ST. PAUL, Minn. — The season-ending Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships are drawing near, and if Saturday's performances at the St. Catherine Invitational are any indication, the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota swimming and diving teams are on track to make a rather big splash.
 
Joe Tonda (St. Paul, Minn.) led the Cardinal men to a second-place finish—collecting a first, second, and third—while Grace VanBeest (Flossmoor, Ill.) helped the Saint Mary's women to a sixth-place showing with her second- and third-place efforts.
 
"It was a good day for us," said Saint Mary's coach Eric Lindquist. "I thought we had a lot of nice swims, and things seem to be shaping up nicely for us as we gear up for the conference championships in a few weeks."
 
Tonda picked up Saint Mary's lone first-place finish, touching the wall in 2:11.45 in the 200 IM, while adding a second in the 200 breaststroke (2:29.95) and a third in 100 backstroke (1:00.40).
 
P.J. Heller (St. Cloud, Minn.) posted a second in the 100 freestyle (56.90) and third in both the 50 freestyle (25.06) and 200 freestyle (2:05.14). Brian Mockler (Dubuque, Iowa) posted a third in the 100 breaststroke (1:10.02), and fourths in the 50 freestyle (25.83) and 200 breaststroke (2:36.95), while Jimmy Lynch (Chicago, Ill.) was fourth in the 100 freestyle (1:01.64), and fifth in the 50 freestyle (25.90) and 200 freestyle (2:21.15)
 
VanBeest recorded her second-place showing in the 100 breaststroke (1:14.64), and added a third in the 200 IM (2:29.64), while Reese Galewski (Winona, Minn.) tallied a second in the 100 butterfly (1:03.04) and a fifth in the 100 backstroke (1:10.06), and Janelle Mueller (Lewiston, Minn.) finished fifth in the 3-meter diving (338.90) and eighth in the one-meter (306.35).
 
The Cardinals are back in action next weekend, taking part in the two-day MIAC Invitational next Friday and Saturday at St. Thomas.

Meet Results