Unusually windy conditions can't slow SMU
as Cardinals break 4 marks at Norse Relays

WINONA, Minn. — Breaking records has been a rather common occurrence for the Saint Mary’s University track and field teams this season.

The Cardinals have been breaking and re-breaking their own marks since their first indoor meet back in January.

Yet, despite the Cardinals’ record-setting prowess, SMU coach Paul Thornton was a tad bit surprised when his Cardinals came home from last Saturday’s Norse Relays toting four school marks.

It wasn’t so much that the Cardinals continued their assault on the SMU record books that baffled Thornton, it was the fact that they did so while competing in what seemed like gale-force winds.

“It was windy — and I mean windy,” admitted Thornton, whose women’s team finished ninth in the 12-team field, while the men’s team was tied for 13th in a 14-team field. “The conditions were far from ideal, but everyone had to run in the exact same conditions, so it really was a level playing field.

“The name of the game when conditions are like that is to just go out and compete — enjoy the fact that you are competing against other individuals and go out and give your best effort.”

Which is exactly what the Cardinals did.

Amber Liss (Onalaska, Wis.), Kari Pederson (Hastings, Minn.), Clara Setzer (Red Wing, Minn.) and Melissa Redig (Wells, Minn.) teamed up to set a pair of school marks, clocking a time of 52.24 in the 4 x 100 relay, then adding a time of 1:52.04 in the 4 x 200 relay. Pederson also chipped in a fourth-place finish in the long jump (16-5 1/2), while Colleen O’Hearn (Champlin, Minn.) was eighth in the shot put (36-11 1/2), 20th in the hammer throw (86-2) and 21st in the discus (106-2). Redig finished eighth in the high jump, clearing the bar at 4-8 1/4, and Theresa Miller (New Berlin, Wis.) and Renee Willkom (Cadott, Wis.) were 16th and 17, respectively in the 1,500 with times of 5:29.1 and 5:36.4.

On the men’s side, both hurdle marks fell as Ryan Hover (South St. Paul, Minn.) cruised to a school-record time of 16.74 to place 12th in the 110 hurdles, while Shawn Stewart (McHenry, Ill.) nailed a time of 58.84) to place eighth in the 400 hurdles. Other standout performances included Joe Thompson (Lake City, Minn.) in the 5,000 (9th, 16:38.00), Chris Yoch (Marine on the St. Croix, Minn.) in the pole vault (14th, 11-9 3/4), Todd Yankowski (Chicago, Ill.) in the long jump (23rd, 18-2),and the shot put (28th, 35-9 1/4), and Chris Beach (Maple Grove, Minn.) the 110 hurdles (14th, 17.14) and the discus (95-2).

“Overall, I thought it was a very good meet,” said Thornton. “To set four school records in conditions like that, that’s encouraging. I can’t wait to see what they can do under more favorable conditions.”