STEVENS POINT, Wis. — Saint Mary's University of Minnesota track and field coach
Niels Anderson was looking forward to seeing what his athletes could do against some of the top competition in the area this Saturday at the Big Dawg Invitational.
And the Cardinals did their coach proud, proving they were every bit as big as any of the "Big Dawgs" that took the track at UW-Stevens Point.
The Cardinal men shattered three school records en route to a third-place team finish, while the Saint Mary's women raced to a fifth-place showing in the high-caliber meet.
"Today was a very good day to be a Cardinal," understated Anderson. "Lifetime bests … top 5 all-time performances … and three school records—that's what great competition brings out."
James Davis,
Morris Dennis and
Brandon Krogman were the biggest of the Cardinals' "big dawgs" Saturday.
Davis captured the 200 title, breaking the tape in a school-record 22.71, while Dennis matched the freshman's first-place effort—and school-record performance—breaking his own school record with a time of 49.87 in winning the 400. Krogman, meanwhile, etched his name in the record books with a fifth-place time of 1:58.74 in the 800.
Davis also clocked a time of 7.24 in his heat of the 60, before settling for a sixth-place time of 7.31.
Austin O'Hare added a time of 4:29.11 to finish sixth in the mile, while
David Kemper placed sixth in the pole vault (4.17m). Ortman placed third in the triple jump (12.99m) and led a trio of top-10 finishers in the long jump with a fourth-place leap of 6.60m, with
Desmond Steward (6.26m) and
Jacob Hagen-Erickson (6.23m) placing seventh and ninth, respectively.
On the women's side, Allie Thiel led the Saint Mary's charge, placing fourth in the mile with a time of 5:46.65. Clare Siska added a sixth in the 400 (1:04.40), while Alicia Berkenes was sixth in the mile (5:49.02), and Becca Dup chipped in a seventh in the 60 (8.28) and an eighth in the long jump (4.31m). Maria Missurelli and Josie Moreno also posted top-10 performances Saturday, with Missurelli clearing 3.26m for seventh in the pole vault and Moreno adding a ninth in the mile (5:58.21).
The Cardinals are back in action on Friday, traveling to Northfield, Minn., to take part in the St. Olaf Ole Qualifier—the final meet before the MIAC Indoor Championships on March 5-6.
