ST. PAUL, MINN. – The sun was shining on the Saint Mary's University track and field team Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals excelled on the second and final day of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Track and Field Championships, highlighted by All-Conference finishes from Chris Bulwa and Morgan Wallendal. The duo earned top-3 finishes in several events, including the women's shot put and men's 100m dash. In addition to his All-MIAC finish, Bulwa also broke the program record in the 200m dash while running a top-20 time in the nation.
Wallendal earned Saint Mary's first top-3 finish of Saturday, claiming second place in her premiere event: the women's shot put. The junior's throw of 12.68m was long enough for second place, as Wallendal secured her second top-8 finish of the weekend. Three of Wallendal's teammates also competed in the event on Saturday, including Samantha Kubes, Sydney Jackman and Erica Wright. Kubes finished just outside the top-8 in ninth, while Jackman closed Saturday in the top-10 with a tenth place finish. Wright would go on to finish 16th.
Bulwa impressed at the MIAC Championships, placing in two events as an individual and leading the Cards 4x100 relay team to a fourth-place finish. The junior scored a new personal record (PR) in the 100m dash, securing third place with a time of 10.72. That preluded a record-breaking performance in the 200m dash, as Bulwa just missed the podium by .01, running the distance in 21.25. That time shattered the previous program record of 21.51, and Bulwa now ranks #20 in the nation in the event.
In addition to his individual performance, Bulwa also ran the second leg of the 4x100 relay, leading Saint Mary's to a second place finish in the event with teammates Jinwoo Jung, Brady Johnson and Oliver Adamson. Adamson would also go on to finish sixth in the 100m dash with a time of 11.00 and ninth in the 200m dash with a PR time of 22.12.
Additional competitors for the Cardinals on the women's side included Caeli McMahon (3000 steeplechase) and Isabella Schei (javelin). Wright also competed in the shot put Saturday afternoon.
On the men's side, Casen Fritz and Ron White both competed in hammer throw and discus events. Isaiah Fitzgerald also ran in the 5000.
