By RYAN BUCHMEIER
Saint Mary's Sports Information Intern
 
LA CROSSE, Wis. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's and women's track and field teams faced some fierce competition Saturday, as the Cardinals traveled to UW-La Crosse to participate in the Phil Esten Challenge.
 
And what a day it was.
 
Competing in their biggest meet this season, the Cardinals faced off against some of their toughest opponents yet—as 17 different teams clashed at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex.
 
Brandon Krogman (Owatonna, Minn.) wasn't fazed in the least by the large pool of talent, as the senior recorded a time of 1:53.17 to win the 800 in school record-setting fashion.
 
The men's 4x100 meter relay team, made up of Andrew Allemann (Cochrane, Wis.), Noah Anderson (Saint Paul, Minn.), Kyle Lichttenegger (De Pere, Wis.), and Desmond Steward (Bayside, Wis.), had a great performance as well, running a 43.18 to place second overall—and miss the school record by just over a tenth of a second. Steward also managed to earn a third-place finish in the triple jump, posting a leap of 13.72m.
 
The women's 4x100 relay team, composed of Hannah Crowe (Baraboo, Wis.), Becca Dup (Albert Lea, Minn.), Alexis Floresca (Romeoville, Ill.), and Portia Mensah (Bloomington, Minn.), had an amazing finish, taking fourth with a time of 49.61—missing their school record by .03 seconds. Dup continued to excel in the triple jump, taking fourth with a jump of 11.59m, and Maria Missurelli (Franklin, Wis.) cleared a height of 3.38m in the pole vault en route to a fifth-place finish.
 
The Cardinals are back on their home track next Saturday, hosting the Saint Mary's Open at the Saint Mary's Track and Field Complex.
 
 
4x100—Andrew Allemann, Noah Anderson, Kyle Lichttenegger, Desmond Steward—second (43.18)
Ross Kinderman, fifth in javelin (45.95m)
Matthew Boone, 11^th in 100 (11.52)
Isaiah Olsem, 12^th in 5,000 (16:09.50)
 
 
 
Women
4x100—Hannah Crowe, Becca Dup, Alexis Floresca, Portia Mensah—fourth, 49.61