ETTRICK, Wis. — Saturday afternoon's Jim Drews/Tori Neubauer Invitationals gave Saint Mary's University of Minnesota cross country coach Ward Berndt one final peek at his teams heading into the upcoming, all-important Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships.
 
And if Berndt's last peek is any indication, his Cardinals are running at their peak.
 
The Cardinal men—led by Austin O'Hare (Rushford, Minn.)—recorded eight lifetime bests en route to an 16^th-place finish in the 21-team Jim Drews field, while the Saint Mary's women, behind a season-best effort from Alyssa Thiel (Berlin, Wis.), notched a 18^th-place showing among the 21 teams in the Tori Neubauer Field.
 
"The men's team did very well—to post eight lifetime PRs among nine runners is great to see at this time of year," said Berndt. "I was also pleased with the way the women performed, they are definitely moving in the right direction with a lot of improvement."
 
O'Hare, who has been the Cardinals' leader all season, was at his best Saturday, breaking the 26-minute barrier for the first time in his collegiate career, clocking an eight-kilometer time of 25:58 to place 24^th overall. Brandon Krogman (Owatonna, Minn.) chipped in a time of 27:05 and Jordan Malikowski (Royalton, Minn.) was close behind in 27:35. Ben Borash (Bowlus, Minn. / 28:03), Jon Meaden (Rosemount, Minn. / 28:27, Isaiah Olsem (Fulda, Minn. / 28:34), and Marlon Barrett-Dwyer (34:42) rounded out the Cardinals' lineup.
 
Thiel was the first Cardinal female across finish line, posting a season-best time of 25:43, with teammate Danielle Franke (Mounds View, Minn.) right on her heels in 25:51. Alicia Berkenes (Buffalo, Minn.) chipped in a time of 26:33, followed by Emily Ortiz (Albert Lea, Minn. / 26:56), Erika Theil (Burr Ridge, Ill. / 27:38), and Maddie Bollig (St. Croix Falls, Wis. / 30:16).
 
Iowa Central Community College—fueled by a 1-2-3 individual finish—won the men's team title, edging host UW-La Crosse by 10 points. St. Olaf finished a distant third, followed by Paradise Valley and Nebraska Wesleyan.
 
Iowa Central's Karim Achengli won the men's individual title with a time of 24:36, finishing just in front of teammates Exekiel Kipchirchir (24:46) and Jhordan Ccope (24:58).
 
Iowa Central also captured the women's team title, posting a five-point win over host UW-La Crosse, with Nebraska Wesleyan, the University of Minnesota, and UW-River Falls rounding out the top five.
 
Iowa Central's Adva Cohen posted the day's best 6K time, stopping the clock in 21:24, followed by UW-La Crosse's Sadie Kroll (22:04) and Bethel's Annika Halverson (22:17).
 
The Cardinals are now off until Oct. 28, when they travel to Northfield, Minn., to take part in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships, hosted by St. Olaf.