ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Running, and throwing, long distances took center stage for the Saint Mary's men's and women's track and field teams, as the Cardinals kicked off their 2022 outdoor season Friday.
 
Four Cardinal distance runners competed in the 5,000 as part of Friday's Washington University Distance Carnival, while seven hammer throwers kicked off the two-day Washington University Invitational.
 
Sean Curran and Frankie Bakalars (La Crosse, Wis.) stole the spotlight in the hammer, as the Cardinal duo placed second and third in the 19-man field. Curran delivered a throw of 51.11 meters to place second, while Bakalars was right on his heels, posting a throw of 49.82m to finish third. Casen Fritz (Minnesota City, Minn.) chipped in a throw of 29.35m.
 
Samantha Kubes (New Prague, Minn.) led the way for the women throwers, delivering a top throw of 41.79 meters to place fifth in the 26-person field. Morgan Wallendal (Fond du Lac, Wis.), Sydney Jackman, and Anna Becker (Cannon Falls, Minn.) scratched on their three preliminary throws and did not record a mark.
 
Quinn Steinbrecher (Holmen, Wis.) was the only male runner competing Friday, clocking a time of 17:17:00 in the men's 5,000, while Emily Kern (Buffalo, Minn.) led a trio of SMU women in the 5,000, breaking the tape in 19:40:00. Amanda Tuvey (West St. Paul, Minn.) and Kendra Klobe (Glencoe, Minn.) chipped in times of 20:30:00 and 21:30:00 for the SMU women.
 
The remainder of the Cardinal squads will kick off their 2022 outdoor season on Saturday, taking part in the Washington (Mo.) University Invitational.