MOUNT VERNON, Iowa — The Saint Mary's University track and field teams are proving to be just like a bottle of fine wine — they keep getting better with age.

After watching his teams put together back-to-back stellar performances in their first two indoor meets of the year, SMU coach Paul Thornton wasn't quite sure what to expect from his Cardinals at the Cornell Quadrangular Saturday.

After all, it would only seem natural for his squad to have a bit of a letdown — considering their early-season success.

Yeah, right.

Ashley Dingels (Gibbon, Minn.) won three events and Megan Mason (Rochester, Minn.) won two as the SMU women picked up their first-ever team championship.

"This was a great, great effort — by all of our athletes," said Thornton, whose women finished with 156 points to easily outdistance runner-up Coe (132). "As a coaching staff, we are very pleased with the improvements we are making from week to week.

"Everyone is competing with a lot of confidence, and (the women's team title) is just going to boost that confidence even more."

Dingels — an indoor national-qualifer in the high jump a year ago — won the 200 (27.53) and the long jump (4.51 meters), and shared the individual title in the high jump with Mason (1.51 meters). Mason also won the pole vault (3.02 meters), while Jenny Folgers (McHenry, Ill. / 55 hurdles, 9.06), Theresa Miller (New Berlin, Wis. / 5,000, 20:33.68) and Ellen Koranda (Blue Earth, Minn. / 1,000, 3:14.39) were also crowned individual champions.

"Our women's team had an outstanding meet," said Thornton, noting that, along with the individual titles, several participants also posted career-best efforts. "Ashley, Megan, Jenny, Theresa and Ellen really stepped it up and did a great job."

Despite only two first-place finishes — Eric Habberstad (Bloomington, Minn.) in the triple jump (11.72) and the 4 x 400 relay team (3:33.78) — Thornton was equally impressed with his men's team's performance.

"It was great to watch our 4 x 400 relay team run," said Thornton of his team of Dwyne Smith (Burnsville, Minn.), B.J. Klenke (Jordan, Minn.), Shawn Stewart (McHenry, Ill.) and Jim Baertsch (Winona, Minn.). "They are really running well together and are continuing to improve every week.

"It great to see both our programs show so much improvement so early in the season," Thornton continued. "Now we'll start putting our athletes in their best events and start getting ready for the MIAC Championships."