NORTHFIELD, Minn. — One week left before the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Indoor Championships.

One last chance to fine-tune before the season's pinnacle meet.

One last meet to strut your stuff.

And strut their stuff the Cardinals did.

Led by a one-two finish in the men's 55 hurdles and first-place efforts from Ellen Koranda (Blue Earth, Minn.) and Ashley Luehmann (Lewiston, Minn.), the Saint Mary's University track and field teams made the most of the Carleton Invitational Friday evening.

If the Cardinals weren't quite ready for the MIAC Championships before Friday's meet, they certainly are now.

"This was a good final meet (before the MIAC Champioinships)," said SMU coach Paul Thornton. "It was nice to get one more meet under our belts, before we turn our full attention to the conference meet."

Koranda blew away the rest of the field in the 1,000, clocking a time of 3:11.69, while Luehmann — a starter on the SMU women's basketball team, which completed its season just five days before the Carleton meet — won the long jump competition with a leap of 15-11 1/2.

Luehmann also chipped in a sixth-place effort in the shot put (36-3), while Megan Mason (Rochester, Minn.) and Ashley Dingels (Gibbon, Minn.) were second and third in the high jump, with both clearing 4-11 3/4, and Dingels and Jenny Folgers (McHenry, Ill.) were fourth and fifth in the 55 hurdles (9.32 and 9.52, respectively). Heidi Morazes (Bethesda, Md.) chipped in a fifth in the 800 (2:46.08) and Beth Cleveland (Wausau, Wis.) and Rachel Fink (Northfield, Minn.) were fifth and sixth, respectively, in the weight throw (38-11 1/2 and 38-10 1/2).

Ryan Hover (St. Paul, Minn.) and Eric Habberstad (Blooming Prairie, Minn.) led the way for the SMU men, going 1-2 in the 55 hurdles. Hover clocked a time of 8.63 to win the event, with Habberstad right on his heels, placing second in 8.73. Jim Baertsch (Winona, Minn.) added a third-place effort in the 800 (1:26.80), while Todd Yankowski (Chicago, Ill.) was fourth in the long jump (19-3 1/4), B.J. Klenke (Jordan, Minn.) was sixth in the 1,000 (2:40.16), Shawn Stewart (McHenry, Ill.) was sixth in the long jump (19-1 1/2) and seventh in the high jump (5-3), and Dwyne Smith (Burnsville, Minn.) was eighth in the 55 (6.88).

"Everyone's excited about the challenges ahead," said Thornton. "We are looking forward to competing against the rest of the conference."