ST. PAUL, Minn. — With the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships just two weeks away, the Saint Mary's University track and field teams got their first real look at the conference competition Friday evening.
 
And if their performances at the St. Thomas Invitational are any indication, the Cardinals stack up quite nicely.
 
Saint Mary's recorded first-place finishes by Sydney Klausler (Lakeville, Minn.), Samantha Kubes (New Prague, Minn.), and Kyle Lichttenegger (De Pere, Wis.) — and posted 15 top-5 performances at the non-team-scored event.
 
Lichttenegger led the way for the Cardinal men, posting a first in the long jump (6.87 meters) and a second in the 100 (10.81), while Matt Boone (Mindoro, Wis.) delivered a second in the 200 (22.45) and a fourth in the 100 (10.87).
 
Jon Meaden (Rosemount, Minn.) finished third in the 1,500 (4:01.71), while Noah Anderson (St. Paul, Minn.) and Sean Curran (Appleton, Wis.) chipped in fourths in the 200 (22.68) and hammer (49.66m), respectively, and Frankie Bakalars (La Crosse, Wis.) notched a fifth in the hammer (46.67m) and Jacob Homan (North Mankato, Minn.) posted a fifth in the shot put (13.65m).
 
Klausler and Kubes posted first-place performances for the Cardinal women — Klausler launching a throw of 5.28 meters in winning the long jump, and Kubes posting a mark of 41.06 meters to win the hammer.
 
Rachel Ohde (Chetek, Wis.) and Bailey Joens (Osage, Wis.) went 2-3 in the high jump with leaps of 1.60 meters and 1.55 meters, while Caroline Gearin (Osceola, Wis.) placed second in the pole vault (3.37m) and fifth in the 200 (27.05).
 
Saint Mary's is back on the track next Saturday, heading to St. Olaf's Manitou Track in Northfield, Minn., to take part in the Ole Open.