Standout first year David Swanson’s come-from-behind victory in the 10,000 meter run was one of many highlights at the competition, held in Collegeville, Minn. and also featuring other “saintly” MIAC schools such as St. John’s and St. Thomas. Swanson deliberately lagged behind second-place finisher Mitch VanBruggen of St. John’s for the first 23 laps of the race before sprinting ahead during the final 800 meters, earning both the victory (in a time of 32:38.6) and the admiration of his teammates.

“David’s race was amazing,” fellow distance runner Karl Huemiller ‘07 said. “With so many key runners gone, he really stepped it up and inspired the rest of the team.”

The Oles were without the services of many upperclassmen athletes Saturday due to the MCAT exams, allowing some previously-unheralded runners to move to the forefront.

“We were missing a lot of guys and we still raced pretty well,” Swanson said. “We didn’t win the meet, but a lot of different guys still ran well.”

The Oles came in third with 97 points, while St. John’s finished with 169 and St. Thomas with 117.

Also turning in strong distance performances were Tony Hoff ‘07 and John Lamppa ‘07 in the 3000 meter steeplechase, as the duo finished first and third, respectively, with times of 9:52.64 and 10:23.40.

The shorter distance events also went well for St. Olaf, as Oles placed at or near the top of nearly every race. Jesse Horst ’06 took second place in the 1500 meter run with a time of 4:17.28. In the 800 meter run, Tom Cruse ‘07 captured one of St. Olaf’s three individual victories, winning in 1:56.47.

Horace Gant ‘08 was the team’s leading sprinter in the 400 meter dash, as his time of 50.58 was good enough for fifth place. Trey Williams ‘06 led the Ole charge in the 100 and 200 meter dashes, taking fourth (11.44) and third (23.04), respectively.

First years Eric Hylok and Bobby Anderson were seeing threes in the field events, as the duo captured third place finishes in the discuss throw, shot put, triple jump and high jump.

Thursday through Saturday, a portion of the Ole team will participate in the Kansas Relays, held in Lawrence, Kan. Saturday morning, St. Olaf will also travel across town to Carleton’s Laird Stadium for their first “home” action of the outdoor season. The Carleton Relays get underway at 10 a.m.

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