WINONA, Minn. – Saint Mary's University's Anna Swanson (Osceola, Wis.) entered Saturday's j competition as the defending conference champion — and exited with her title as the reigning queen of the javelin intact.
 
Swanson, who came into the championships ranked No. 6 in the country in the javelin, breezed to her second straight conference crown, uncorking a toss of 41.10 meters to easily outdistance runner-up Bryana Leverentz, who was second in 39.73 meters.
 
And Swanson wasn't the only Cardinal putting on a show for the home crowd Saturday afternoon.
 
Sean Curran (Appleton, Wis.) and Frankie Bakalars (La Crosse, Wis.) headed into Saturday's competition among the top five in the conference in the hammer throw — and left as No. 1 and No. 3, respectively.
 
Curran unloaded a throw of career-best throw of 54.83 meters in claiming his first conference crown, while Bakalars closed out his collegiate career with a third-place, All-MIAC effort with a throw of 51.75.
 
Nathalie Freire (Bloomington, Minn.) ­— also competing in her final conference championships — matched Bakalars' third-place effort, earning All-MIAC honors with a third-place performance in the pole vault with a vault of 3.20 meters. Earlier in the day, Freire delivered a throw of 29.45 meters to added a 13th-place effort in the javelin.
 
In other women's field event finals on Saturday, Samantha Kubes (New Prague, Minn.) placed seventh in the shot put with a throw of 11.77 meters, Caroline Gearin (Osceola, Wis.) delivered an eighth in the pole vault (3.05m), and Morgan Wallendal (Fond du Lac, Wis.) finished 13th in the shot put (10.68m)
 
The hammer wasn't the only event of the day for Curran, who added a 14th (36.66m) in the discus to his conference championship in the hammer, while a quartet of SMU triple jumpers — Dan Cooper (Belle Plaine, Minn. / 10th, 12.80m), Charlie Frenzel (Northfield, Minn. / 12th, 12.50m), Brady Johnson (Elburn, Ill. / 13th, 12.23m), and Chris Bulwa (Glenview, Ill. / 18th, 11.67m) rounded out the Cardinal field event lineup.
 
Amanda Tuvey (West St. Paul, Minn.) was the only individual runner to compete for the Cardinals on Saturday, placing 16th in the steeplechase with a time of 12:48.09. In the women's relays, the SMU 4x400 quartet of Gearin, Swanson, Sydney Klausler (Lakeville, Minn.) and Abrianna Utgaard (Star Prairie, Wis.) recorded a fourth-place time of 4:06.98, while Gearin, Utgaard, and Klausler teamed up with Freire to clock a time of 50.83 in finishing eighth.
 
In men's relay action on Saturday, Oliver Adamson (Rochester, Minn.), Antonio Cisewski (Amherst, Wis.), Coleton Strupp (Holmen, Wis.), Dan Cooper (Belle Plaine, Minn.) raced to an eighth-place showing in the 4x100 with a time of 43.82, while Adamson joined Isaiah Brindamour (Rollingstone, Minn.), Chris Bulwa (Glenview, Ill.) and Brady Johnson (Elburn, Ill.) to record a time of 3:27.60 to place ninth in the 4x400.