NORTHFIELD, Minn. – On the biggest indoor stage of the season, the Cardinals rose to the moment. The Saint Mary's track and field team delivered a statement performance at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Indoor Championships, hosted at Carleton College, turning in three conference titles and rewriting the record books along the way.
Across three action-packed days, Saint Mary's crowned three MIAC champions and produced a collection of breakthrough performances that powered the program to one of its strongest indoor finishes in two decades.
Mya Slavin set the tone on day one with a performance to remember in the women's mile. Sitting in third with one lap to go, Slavin unleashed a blistering kick down the final stretch, shattering the school record by five seconds and claiming the Cardinals' first conference title with a time of 5:00.60. She wasn't done there, adding a third-place finish in the 1000m to cap a standout weekend.
Speed continued to shine for the Cardinals. Zari Young successfully defended her crown in the 55m dash, racing to another MIAC title in 7.14. Teammate Samantha Munson followed suit in the 200m, capturing her first conference championship with a 25.42 performance. Munson also placed sixth in the 55m (7.41), rounding out an impressive day on the track.
Both Young and Munson made history before finals even began, breaking the previous school record in the 55m during preliminary heats with times of 7.11 and 7.19, respectively.
On the men's side, Ryan Cramer delivered a record-breaking effort of his own. He set a new school mark in the 55m prelims and went on to place second in the finals with a blazing 6.45.
The women's 4x200m relay team of Munson, Young, Jossy Saamanen, and Melissa Torres added to the record-breaking momentum. The quartet clocked a school-record 1:46.45 to place fourth overall.
In the field events, Xara Gin cleared 3.53m to earn a runner-up finish in the women's pole vault, while Ron White recorded a 15.39m throw in the men's weight throw to take sixth.
The meet concluded with the women's 4x400m relay team of Deni Zaharieva, Riley O'Konek, Torres, and Slavin placing eighth.
Perhaps the most significant milestone came in the team standings. The Cardinal women finished eighth out of 12 teams with 52 points — an improvement of nearly 20 points from last year and the program's highest indoor conference score in 20 years. The men placed 11th with 11 points.
Several Cardinals will now turn their attention to a final opportunity to qualify for nationals at the Last Chance Meet in La Crosse, Wis., on Saturday, March 7.
