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WINONA, Minn. — Heading into Friday's Saint Mary's University No-Limit Invitational, Saint Mary's University cross country coach Ward Berndt knew in his head what the perfect script would be for his Cardinals.

And, fortunately for Berndt, the Cardinals proved to be mind-readers, as they recreated that script to perfection.

“It was a good day — a very good day,” said Berndt, after watching his Cardinal men place second among the nine teams competing, while the SMU women finished fifth in the seven-team field. “The guys put together an outstanding performance, and I thought the women ran solid, as well.

“I had an idea what I was hoping for from both teams today, and they surpassed my expectations.”

Peter Borash (Bowlus, Minn.) led the Cardinal charge, placing third overall with an eight-kilometer time of 27:11, while David Feather (Oak Creek, Wis.) and Aaron Haley (Plainview, Minn.) were close behind, finishing sixth and seventh, respectively with times of 27:18 and 27:19.

Josh Kaul of UW-La Crosse blew away the men's field, winning the 8K race with a time of 26:28, nearly 40 seconds in front of teammate Brian Shonat, who placed second in 27:08.

Fueled by Kaul and Shonat's 1-2 effort, UW-La Crosse captured the team title, finishing with 20 points, outdistancing SMU (46) and third-place UW-Eau Claire (67). Wartburg was fourth (119).

“Those top three guys ran great races,” said Berndt of Borash, Feather and Haley. “David did a great job of setting a nice tempo — he kind of set the pace and Peter and Aaron just fed off that.

“Peter had a little more in the tank (to finish the race), but to have all three of those guys within 15-20 seconds, that's awesome.”

Jake Traxler (Le Center, Minn.) chipped in a time of 28:00, and John Soucheray (Woodbury, Minn.) recorded a 28:05 to round out the Cardinals' top five runners.

Kristen Thelen (Rochester, Minn.) led the way for the Cardinal women, touring the 6K course in 25:17 to finish 26th overall. Jordan Skelly of Winona State took home individual honors, winning the women's race in 23:41, while UW-Eau Claire's Alana Jenkins (23:52), Kacey Riindy (23:58), Shelby Owens (24:11) and Shaina Weatherhead 24:14) rounded out the top five.

Fueled by their 2-3-4-5 finish, the Blugolds cruised to the women's team title, finishing with 22 points, well in front of runner-up Winona State (46). Wartburg was third (104), followed by UW-La Crosse (108), Saint Mary's (148), Martin Luther (157) and UW-Superior (164).

Amy Spitzmueller (New Brighton, Minn.) was the second Cardinal across the line, stopping the clock in 25:27, with Regina Quandt (Minneapolis, Minn.) right on her heels at 25:34. Jordan Junker (Glenwood City, Wis. / 26:05) and Katie Stolz (Forest Lake, Minn. / 26:09) rounded out the Cardinals' top five.

“It's always nice to have a home meet — and I think both teams made the most of the home-course advantage today,” said Berndt. “At this stage in the season, I'm very happy with what I saw.”

The Cardinals are now off until Oct. 8, when they travel to Waverly, Iowa, to take part in the Don Huston Invitational, hosted by Wartburg College.