WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's and women's cross country teams host the first of two home meets on Saturday, as the Cardinals welcome Winona State, Luther and Carleton for the SMU Alumni Open.

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

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The Cardinals' Last Action:
The SMU teams got their seasons off and running last Saturday, as the Cardinals placed fourth in both the men's and women's races at the Augsburg Invitational at Riverside Park in Minneapolis, Minn.

The Cardinals at the SMU Alumni Open — A Year Ago:
September 1, 2012: Peter Borash (Bowlus, Minn.) and Aaron Haley (Plainview, Minn.) grabbed the top two spots and Jake Traxler (Le Center, Minn.) and John Soucheray (Woodbury, Minn.) finished fourth and fifth, as the Cardinals earned first-place honors in the SMU Alumni Open. Katie Stolz (Forest Lake, Minn.) led the way for the Cardinal women, touring the 5-kilometer course in 21:48 to finish 18th overall. Winona State claimed the top seven individual places to breeze to the team title — easily outdistancing runner-up Luther and third-place Saint Mary's.

Up Next:
The Cardinals hit the road next Saturday, traveling to Northfield, Minn., to take part in the St. Olaf Invitational.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2013 Men's Roster | 2013 Women's Roster | 2013 Statistics | 2013 Schedule
Gabe Thiel (Berlin, Wis.) led the way for the SMU men at the season-opening Augsburg Invitational last Saturday, touring the five-kilometer course in 17:43 to place 14th overall. … Jovan Newsum (Glendale Heights, Ill.) made his first collegiate race a memorable one, clocking a 5K time of 18:03 for 16th, while Alex Davis (Champaign, Ill. / 18:47), Sherman Moga (Shoreview, Minn. / 18:57) and Andrew Markert (St. Paul, Minn. / 20:14) rounded out the Cardinals' to five. … Paige Schernecker (Manawa, Wis.) led the SMU women's charge at last Saturday's Augsburg Invitational, as the Cardinal freshman posted a 10th-place time of 22:04. … Amy Spitzmueller (New Brighton, Minn.) placed 12th overall with a time of 22:23, followed by Bridget Hayes (Chicago, Ill. / 22:40), Ashley Bollig (Saint Croix Falls, Wis. / 24:32) and Jessie Burns (Chanhassen, Minn. / 25:49). … Aaron Haley (Plainview, Minn.) — who did not run in last Saturday's season-opener — set the school's eight-kilometer record with a time of 26:00 at the Jim Drews Invitational last season, while narrowly missed rewriting the record books again at the MIAC Championships, when he clocked a time of 26:03 to finish 13th overall and earn First-Team All-MIAC honors. … The SMU men posted its first-ever 1-2-3 individual finish in winning the SMU No-Limit Invitational a year ago. It was also the first time in the event's history that the Cardinals finished first as a team.