WINONA, Minn. — With the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships looming right around the corner, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota swimming and diving teams got another chance to fine-tune things a bit Saturday afternoon.
And fine-tune they did—much to the delight of the home crowd.
The Cardinal women picked up eight top-3 finishes in placing second in a triangular with Augsburg and Hamline, while the Saint Mary's men chipped in six top-3s in its dual against Hamline.
Grace VanBeest (Flossmoor, Ill.) led the charge for the Cardinal women, placing first in the 200 IM (2:29.09) and the 100 breaststroke (1:12.28)—and adding a second in the 100 butterfly (1:07.61)—while
Kizzy Bell (St. Paul, Minn.) gave the Cardinals a 1-2 finish in the 100 breaststroke, finishing second to VanBeest with a time of 1:13.87.
Belll also added a pair of thirds in the 200 IM (2:34.77_ and 100 backstroke (1:13.54), with
Zoe Schaetz (Winona, Minn.) chipping in a third-place finish in the 1,000 freestyle (12:54.56), and
Hannah Emeott (Chisago City, Minn.) tallying in a third in the 500 freestyle (6:18.27).
On the men's side, Joe Tonda (St. Paul, Minn.) led the Cardinal charge, placing first in the 200 IM and second in the 100 backstroke with times of 2:08.30 and 59.35, respectively. Nicholas Sawchuk (Rochester, Minn.) and Lucas Gerads (St. Cloud, Minn.) each added a pair of third-place finishes—Sawchuk's in the 100 freestyle (56.40) and 200 freestyle (2:05.57), and Gerads' in the 100 butterfly (58.57) and 1,000 freestyle (11:49.47).
The Cardinals hit the pool next Friday and Saturday, heading to the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center for the two-day Minnesota Challenge.
