By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ST. PAUL, Minn. —  If there was one thing the Saint Mary's University men's and women's track and field teams have been this season, it's patient.
 
And Saturday afternoon, that patience finally paid off.
 
After competing in less-than-ideal weather conditions the entire outdoor season, Mother Nature finally shined down on the Cardinals Saturday afternoon — and they weren't about to waste the opportunity.
 
With temperatures in the mid-to-upper 60s and sunny skies, the Cardinals turned up a little heat of their own at the Hamline Meet of the Unsaintly.
 
The Cardinal men's 4x100 relay teams of Kyle Lichttenegger (De Pere, Wis.), Noah Anderson, Matt Boone (Mindoro, Wis.), and Desmond Steward (Milwaukee, Wis.) shattered their own school record, placing first in 41.68. The quartet entered Saturday's event sitting with the 44^th-fastest time in NCAA Division III this season — and exited with the nation's 23^rd fastest performance.
 
And Lichttenegger was just getting warmed up, as the junior added another first-place effort in the 100, winning with a time of 10.79, narrowly missing out of breaking his own school mark of 10.74, set earlier this year. He also placed fourth in the long jump (6.54m), while Steward was fifth (6.47) and Anthony Pasquesi (Chicago, Ill.) was 10^th (6.07m).
 
Christian Beamer (Two Harbors, Minn.) also had a stellar day for the Cardinal men, clearing 1.96 meters in the high jump to finish tied for first, while David Kemper (Woodbury, Minn.) added a third in the pole vault (4.75m) and Boone chipped in a fourth in the 200 (22.66).
 
Rachel Ohde (Chetek, Wis.) led the way for the Cardinal women, posting a second-place leap of 1.63 meters to place second in the high jump. Sydney Klausler (Lakeville, Minn.) had a busy day, placing fifth in long jump (6.24m) and adding an eighth-place effort in the 400 (1:00.37). Hannah Crowe (Baraboo, Wis.) chipped in a ninth-place showing in the 400 hurdles (1:10.71) and Jordan Keeley (St. Peter, Minn.) placed 15^th in discus (31.54m).
 
The Cardinals are now off until next Friday and Saturday, when they head to St. Thomas' O'Shaughnessy Stadium to take part in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships.