WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University track and field teams shattered four school records at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships on March 6 — their final indoor event of the season.

Last Saturday, the Cardinals picked up right where they left off, shattering three school marks at the Wartburg Invitational — their first outdoor meet of the season.

So much for needing time to work the rust off.

"Considering the weather conditions, we performed admirably," said SMU coach Kirk Nauman. "The rain and wind may have hindered some performances, but to start off the outdoor season with so many positives is a testament to the kids I get to work with here.

"I am hoping that the outdoor season is as fruitful as the indoor."

And if Saturday's performance was any indication, it will be.

Ellen Koranda (Blue Earth, Minn.) continued her assault on the SMU record books, shattering the 1,500-meter record with her second-place time of 4:48.89, while Ashley Luehmann (Lewiston, Minn.) bettered her shot-put record with a third-place toss of 40-4. Koranda also teamed with Alicia Hartung (Menomonie, Wis.), Tera Bollig (Cambridge, Minn.) and Maria Roche (New Prague, Minn.) to break the eight-year-old 4x800 relay record with a time of 9:55.27.

And that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Roche, Jenny Folgers (McHenry, Ill.) and Megan Mason (Rochester, Minn.) all recorded first-place finishes — Roche with a 1:00.64 in the 400, Folgers with a time of 15.31 in the 100 hurdles and Mason with a leap of 5-2 1/2 in the high jump — while Mason was third in the pole vault (10-1 1/4) and Todd Yankowski (Chicago, Ill.) was third in the javelin (148-1).

"This was a great way to kick off the outdoor season," said Nauman. "Hopefully we can use this as a stepping stone to bigger and better things in the future."