WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's and women's cross country teams kick off their 2011 seasons at home Saturday, as the Cardinals host the SMU Alumni Open.




The SMU Alumni Open Field:
Saint Mary's, Winona State, Luther

GameDay Live On The Web:
Video Preview

Last Action:
Today's meet is the season opener for Saint Mary's, Winona State and Luther.

SMU Alumni Open A Year Ago:
The Cardinal men collected four of the top six finishers en route to their first-ever first-place finish, while the women settled for a third-place showing. David Feather (Oak Creek, Wis.) led the way for the Cardinal men, clocking a four-mile time of 22:28.5 to finish third overall, while Amy Spitzmueller (New Brighton, Minn.) led the way on the women's side, finishing 18th overall with a 5K time of 21:34.8.

Cardinals Up Next:
SMU is back in action on Sept. 17, as the Cardinals travel to Northfield, Minn., to take part in the St. Olaf Invitational.

Saint Mary's Cardinals On The Trails:
2011 Roster | 2010 Meet-by-Meet Results | 2011 Schedule
SMU's David Feather (Oak Creek, Wis.) is coming off a banner 2010 season. The then-junior posted the highest individual finish in SMU men's cross country history with his 14th-place effort at the MIAC Championships, then recorded a career-best eight-kilometer time of 26:12 en route to a 27th-place finish and All-Region honors at the season-ending NCAA Central Regional. … The Cardinal men return 11 members of last year's squad, including seniors Feather, Robby McGuire (Rochester, Minn.) and Michael Mockler (Dubuque, Iowa). Juniors Peter Borash (Bowlus, Minn.), Jake Traxler (Le Center, Minn.), Ryan Winegardner (Northfield, Minn.), Colin Sheehan (Austin, Minn.) and Michael Wolter (Rushford, Minn.), and sophomores Erik Germundsen (Minneapolis, Minn.) and John Soucheray (Woodbury, Minn.) round out the Cardinal returners. … Feather was the Cardinals' top finisher in each of the team's seven meets, while Borash was second across the finish line six times. … The SMU women graduated five of their top seven runners from last year's squad, which placed 10th at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships and 16th at the NCAA Central Regional. … Amy Spitzmueller (New Brighton, Minn.) and Kristen Thelen (Rochester, Minn.) return after stellar freshman campaigns, while Lauren Baier (Mount Horeb, Wis.), Regina Quandt (Minneapolis, Minn.), Beth Scott (Rochester, Minn.), Jordan Junker (Glenwood City, Wis.), Shauna Stephens (Norwood, Minn.) and Katherine Mockler (Dubuque, Iowa) are also back.