ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The Saint Mary's University track and field teams took to the track for its first action of the 2023 outdoor season — and the Cardinal distance runners and hammer throwers made sure SMU's outdoor season got off on the right foot.
 
Casen Fritz (Minnesota City, Minn.) and Samantha Kubes (New Prague, Minn.) led the Cardinals' charge Friday, kicking off the Washington University Invitational with third-place finishes in the hammer throw. Fritz uncorked a toss of 45.02 meters for the SMU men, while Kubes paced the Cardinal women with a mark of 44.00 meters, and Anna Becker (Cannon Falls, Minn.) chipped in a throw of 33.93 meters.
 
Granton Schneider (Moorhead, Minn.) led the way for the Cardinals, posting a time of 16:08.26 in the 5,000 to lead four SMU distance runners in the Washington University Distance Carnival Friday afternoon.
 
Gabe Bickerstaff (Rollingstone, Minn.) and Sam Morris (Hockinson, Wash.) chipped in 5K times of 17:34.63 and 17:53.25, respectively, while Kendra Klobe (Glencoe, Minn.), the lone SMU female in the event delivered a time of 20:35.74.
 
The rest of the Saint Mary's track and field teams will make their outdoor debuts on Saturday, when they return to the Washington (Mo.) University campus to take part in the WashU Invitational.