MANKATO, Minn. — In their first two meets of the season, Austin O'Hare (Rushford, Minn.) and Danielle Franke (Mounds View, Minn.) have been the top finishers for the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota cross country teams.
 
Friday afternoon, the Cardinal duo not only led their teams, but they led the entire fields.
 
Franke took home individual honors in the women's race, outkicking UM-Morris' Katherine Novak to win the six-kilometer race in 25:01 and lead the Cardinals to a second-place team finish. O'Hare, meanwhile, had a little "easier" time in the men's race, clocking an 8K time of 27:14—more than 33 seconds faster than runner-up Tyler Sassenberg of UM-Morris—as the Cardinals claimed the team title.
 
Along with O'Hare's first-place effort, the Cardinal en also received a fourth-place time of 28:00 from Brandon Krogman (Owatonna, Minn.), while Jordan Malikowski (Royalton, Minn.) finished seventh (28:30), Jonathon Meaden (Rosemount, Minn.) placed 10^th (28:51), Ben Borash (Bowlus, Minn.) was 11^th (28:51), and Isaiah Olsem (Fulda, Minn. / 29:14) and Tanner Moris (Crandon, Wis. / 29:23) added 15^th- and 16^th-place showings, respectively.
 
Alyssa Thiel (Berlin, Wis.) was the second Cardinal female across the finish line, clocking a time of 25:43 to place seventh, while Erika Theil (Burr Ridge, Ill. / 27:12), Emily Ortiz (Albert Lea, Minn. / 27:19), Alicia Berkenes (Buffalo, Minn./ 28:20), and Maddie Bollig (St. Croix Falls, Wis. / 30:21) rounded out the Cardinals' lineup.
 
The Saint Mary's men—with their first-, fourth-, seventh-, ninth-, and 10^th-place performances— finished the six-team meet with 31 points, seven in front of runner-up UM-Morris. The Cougars got the better of the Cardinals in the women's standings, totaling 35 points, 15 in front of Saint Mary's.
 
The Cardinals are back in action on Oct. 14, heading to Ettrick Golf Course in Ettrick, Wis., to take part in the UW-La Crosse Jim Drews and Tori Neubauer Invitationals.