By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
GENEVA, Ohio — The Saint Mary's University 4x100 relay team of Matt Boone (Mindoro, Wis.), Desmond Steward (Milwaukee, Wis.), Noah Anderson (St. Paul, Minn.), and Kyle Lichttenegger (De Pere, Wis.) had a simple goal heading into their first-ever NCAA Division III Outdoor National Championships — run fast.
 
Which is exactly what the Cardinal quartet did Thursday afternoon in the first of the event's two heats. Unfortunately, despite clocking a time of 42.10, the Cardinals were disqualified for an out-of-the-exchange zone hand off, leaving them 16th in the 16-team field.
 
"We knew were going to have to take some risks — push the zones a bit — if we were going to get into the finals. And sometimes, when you have to take risks, things don't always work out the way you want them to," said Saint Mary's coach Niels Anderson. "The guys all ran their hearts out — and in a competition like this, that's all you really can ask for.
 
"Obviously we would have loved to be running in the finals Saturday, but what happened today certainly doesn't diminish what this group has accomplished this season," Anderson said. "This was a fantastic opportunity — and with three of the four coming back, hopefully this is just the tip of the iceberg for these guys."
 
The Cardinals' NCAA Championships continue on Friday, when Rachel Ohde and Christian Beamer compete in the high jump. Ohde kicks this off at 11:30 a.m. EST, followed by Beamer at 2 p.m. EST.