WINONA, Minn. – It's an exciting week ahead for Cardinal Athletics as postseason competition officially arrives with conference championship action across multiple sports.
TRACK AND FIELD SET FOR MIAC OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Saint Mary's track and field team wrapped up its regular-season outdoor schedule Friday at the Meet of the Unsaintly, hosted by Hamline, putting together several standout performances heading into championship season.
Mya Slavin highlighted the meet by breaking a school record that had stood since 2011 in the 800-meter run, clocking a time of 2:10.58 to surpass Brittany Kuehn's previous mark. Slavin's performance currently ranks 16th nationally and remains a national qualifying mark. Goi Ruei also turned in an impressive outing, winning the men's 400-meter dash with a personal-best time of 50.98.
The Cardinals continued to shine in the sprint events as Gage Hatch placed second in the men's 100-meter dash with a personal-best 11.01, while Zari Young earned runner-up honors in the women's 100-meter dash in 12.22. Samantha Munson added a third-place finish in the women's 200-meter dash with a time of 25.48, and Deni Zaharieva posted a season-best mark of 26.47.
Saint Mary's now turns its attention to the MIAC Outdoor Championships, hosted by St. Olaf on Friday, May 8, and Saturday, May 9. Competition begins Friday at 2:00 p.m. before resuming Saturday at noon.
The Cardinals will continue their push for national qualifying marks ahead of the NCAA Championships later this month in La Crosse.
BASEBALL RETURNS TO MIAC PLAYOFFS
Following a thrilling regular-season finish, the Saint Mary's baseball team (24-15, 12-8 MIAC) secured the final spot in the four-team MIAC Playoffs and returns to postseason play for the first time since 2024.
The Cardinals punched their ticket with a sweep of Carleton last Friday, earning 7-4 and 14-1 victories to close the regular season.
The double-elimination MIAC Baseball Playoffs begin Thursday, May 7, at CHS Field in St. Paul. Top-seeded Bethel (17-3) will face No. 4 Saint Mary's (12-8) at 2:30 p.m., followed by No. 2 Macalester (15-5) taking on No. 3 Saint John's (13-7) at 7:00 p.m.
The tournament continues Friday with elimination games scheduled for noon and 6:00 p.m., while the winners' bracket matchup is set for 3:00 p.m. Saturday's championship game will begin at 3:00 p.m., with an if-necessary game to follow approximately 25 minutes later.
Saint Mary's will look to avenge a pair of tightly contested conference losses earlier this season against Bethel in Arden Hills.
SOFTBALL EYES THIRD STRAIGHT MIAC TITLE
The No. 8 Saint Mary's softball team (35-5, 20-2 MIAC) enters the postseason ready to defend its conference crown as the Cardinals prepare for the MIAC Playoffs this weekend in St. Joseph, Minn.
Saint Mary's finished second in the MIAC regular-season standings and closed conference play in dominant fashion with a sweep of Macalester by scores of 6-1 and 7-1. The Cardinals needed additional results around the conference to claim the regular-season title, but ultimately fell just short despite taking care of business in their finale.
The six-team, single-elimination MIAC Softball Playoffs begin Thursday, May 7, with quarterfinal games featuring No. 3 St. Olaf hosting No. 6 Carleton and No. 4 Gustavus welcoming No. 5 St. Catherine. Both contests are scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
The winners will advance to St. Joseph for Saturday's semifinal round. Top-seeded Saint Benedict will face the winner of the Gustavus and St. Catherine matchup at 11:00 a.m., while No. 2 Saint Mary's will take on the winner of the St. Olaf and Carleton game at 1:30 p.m. The championship game is slated for 4:00 p.m.
The tournament champion will earn the MIAC's automatic berth into the 2026 NCAA Division III Softball Tournament.
The Cardinals will be aiming for their third consecutive MIAC postseason championship and another trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Ticketing and streaming information for all postseason events will be available through the conference website and saintmaryssports.com. Go Cardinals!
