ST. PAUL, MINN. – The Saint Mary's University men's and women's track and field team put together some strong performances to open the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships. At the end of the first day, the Cardinals rank ninth in the men's competition with 12 points, while the women sit in eleventh with two total team points after the opening day.
 
Christian Beamer (Two Harbors, Minn. / Two Harbors) scored huge points for Saint Mary's, as he earned All-MIAC honors with his third place finish in the high jump competition. Beamer cleared 1.94m in the competition to come in third behind student-athletes from Hamline and Gustavus.
 
Kyle Lichttenegger (De Pere, Wis. / West De Pere) earned a slew of points for the Cardinals Friday afternoon, thanks to his third place finish in long jump. The senior, who qualified in second place after prelims, earned All-Conferene honors with his jump of 6.99m. Additionally, Lichttenegger qualified for Saturday's finals in the 200m dash behind his time of 22.19 and just missed a spot in the 100m dash, as he came in ninth with a time of 11.15.
 
Desmond Steward (Bayside, Wis. / Nicolet) just missed the podium in long jump, as he finished ninth thanks to his jump of 6.55m.
 
Matthew Boone (Mindoro, Wis. / Melrose-Mindoro) finished tenth in the 100m dash with a time of 11.35, and carded an eleventh place finish in the 200 with a time of 22.91. Ben Borash (Bowlus, Minn. / Royalton) finished 18^th in the 1500m run with a time of 4:15.79.
 
On the women's side, Sydney Klausler (Lakeville, Minn. / Lakeville South) led the way for Saint Mary's, as she earned points for the team's overall score with a seventh place finish in long jump. The first year flew 5.23m to finish in seventh, earning two points towards the team's overall score. Klausler additionally finished ninth in the 100m dash with a. time of 13.12, and qualified for finals in the 200 with her time of 26.12.
 
Alicia Schurrer was a few paces behind Klausler in the 100m dash, as she finished in twelfth with a time of 13.27. Schurrer just missed a chance at finals in the 200, as she came in 14^th with her time of 27.20.
 
Molly Sweet (Prescott, Wis. / Prescott) competed in the 800m run and finished with a time of 2:34.14. Kynzie Smedsrud (Luverne, Minn. / Luverne) finished top-20 in the 100m hurdles with a time of 17.47.
 
Hannah Crowe (Baraboo, Wis. / Baraboo) just missed the podium in the 400m hurdles thanks to her ninth place finish and time of 1:09.21. Smedsrud also competed in the event and earned another top-20 finish with a time of 1:11.63.
 
Nathalie Freire (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson) finished 17^th in pole vault with a jump of 2.71m.
 
Thanks to these strong performances, the Saint Mary's men's track and field team sits in ninth with 12 team points while the women are in 11^th with two total team points. The Cardinals will be back in action on Saturday, Mary 11 as they compete in the final day of the MIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.