NORTHFIELD, Minn. — As if going up against the rest of stacked conference field in arguably the most important meet of the season wasn't tough enough, Mother Nature had to throw her two cents worth into the mix — forcing Saint Mary's to compete in weather conditions that were better suited for a hockey game than a cross country meet.
 
But the frigid temperatures — hovering around the freezing mark to kick off the men's race — did nothing to slow the Cardinals down Saturday at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships.
 
The Saint Mary's men, fueled by Grant Schneider's (Moorhead, Minn.) season-best 8K time of 26:15.8 to finish 31st individually, posted a 10th-place finish, while the Cardinal women, behind Caeli McMahon's (Holmen, Wis.) career-best 6K effort of 24:44.8 — also placed 10th.
 
McMahon shaved more than a minute off her previous best collegiate effort with her 24:44.8 showing and was one of three Cardinal women who posted season- or career-bests, while Schneider was one of six Cardinal men to put together a season-best performance at the conference championships.
 
Delorean Peterson (Blair, Wis.) was second to Schneider across the finish line for the SMU men, knocking two seconds off his best time as a Cardinal, stopping the clock in 27:06.5. Sean Smyth (Pinehurst, N.C.) whittled off 30 seconds from his fastest time with a 27:11.4, followed by Sam Morris (Hockinson, Wash. / 27:44.1), Gabe Schonknecht (Chicago, Ill. / 28:26.7), Isaiah Fitzgerald (Rochester, Minn. / 28:37.4), Evan Finney (West End, N.C. / 29:43.3), and Cade Koss (Apple Valley, Minn. / 30:37.4).
 
Rheanna Hopkins (Bruce, Wis.) followed McMahon across the finish line for the SMU women, recording a time of 25:33.3, with Caroline Gearin (Osceola, Wis.) right on her heels in 25:57.3. Kendra Klobe (Glencoe, Minn.) chipped in a time of 26:32.5, with Abbie Meyer (Sauk Centre, Minn. / 27:33.3) and Megan Frosch (Oconomowoc, Wis. / 27:41.5) rounding out the Cardinals' top six.
 
St. Olaf won the men's team title with 34 points, easily outdistancing runner-up Carleton (65), while St. Scholastica (114), Saint John's (121). And Macalester (121) rounded out the top five. Mohammed Bati of Augsburg was the men's individual winner, breaking the tape in 24:23.8. Will Kelly of St. Olaf was second (24:41.4), with St. Scholastica's Lars Dewall (24:45.6) and Calvin Boone (24:47.4), and Carleton's Gabe Nichols (24:50.9) accounting for the top five places.
 
On the women's side, host Carleton brought home the team title, posting five runners in the top nine en route to its 25-point winning total. St. Olaf placed second with 51 points, followed by Saint Benedict (87), St. Scholastica (119), and Bethel (150). Fiona Smith of Saint Benedict cruised to the women's individual title, stopping the clock in 19:55.5, with Carleton's Hannah Preisser (21:29.7), Phoebe Ward (21.31.8) and Helen Cross (21:48.3) taking spots 2-3-4, and St. Olaf's Lauren Walda (21:43.9) completing the top five.
 
The Cardinals close out their 2023 schedule on Nov. 11, heading to Whitetail Golf Course in Colfax, Wis., to take part in the NCAA Regional, hosted by UW-Eau Claire.