By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WAVERLY, Iowa — In a season in which one of the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota cross country teams' meets was cancelled due to rain and poor trial conditions, and another was run in 80-plus degree temperatures and a heat index climbing near 100 degrees, it seemed only fitting that Mother Nature once again took center stage Saturday afternoon.
 
Despite temperatures hovering around 20 degrees, and a wind chill dropping the feel-factor into single digits — conditions more suited to January 10 than November 10 — the Cardinals were unfazed, closing out their season with a bang at the NCAA Central Regional.
 
The Saint Mary's women, led by Danielle Franke (Mounds View, Minn.), placed 24^th in the 28-team regional field, while the Cardinal men — fueled by Jordan Malikowski's (Royalton, Minn.) eight-kilometer time of 27:02.3 — posted a 23^rd-place showing among the 31 men's teams competing.
 
"Both the men's and women's teams had an outstanding day today — filled with many personal bests," said Saint Mary's coach Neils Anderson. "That was exactly how we had hoped to finish the season.
 
"Saying goodbye to seniors will be tough, but knowing we have a solid base for our future is exciting."
 
Franke was the first across the finish line for the Cardinal women, touring the six-kilometer course in 24:27.48, while Anna Marinc (Carol Stream, Ill.) — Saint Mary's top finisher at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships two weeks ago — chipped in a time of 25:09.6 and Emily Ortiz (Albert Lea, Minn.) stopped the clock in 25:59.9. Erika Thiel (Burr Ridge, Ill.) finished in 26:23.4, followed by Tabby Fabin (Elk Grove Village, Ill. / 26:28.9), Emma Ririe (Darien, Ill. / 26:44.7), and Molly Sweet (Prescott, Wis. / 28:07.1).
 
Along with Malikowski's season-best time of 27:02.3, the Cardinal men also got a 27:15.1 from Isaiah Olsem (Fulda, Minn.), followed by Ben Borash (Bowlus, Minn. / 28:12.7), Tanner Moris (Crandon, Wis. / 28:31.6), Jonathon Meaden (Rosemount, Minn. / 29:20.31), and Tyler Northey (Esko, Minn. / 29:50.7).
 
Carleton ran away with the women's team title, finishing with 64 points, well in front of runner-up Nebraska Wesleyan's 128 total. Host Wartburg was third (133), with St. Thomas (160) and St. Olaf (164) rounding out the top five.
 
Wartburg brought home the men's team title, posting 52 points to edge runner-up Carleton (88). St. Olaf placed third (138), with St. Thomas (141) and Loras (154) completing the top five.
 
Wartburg's Carina Collet won the women's individual title, breaking the tape in 21:45.9 to edge Nebraska Wesleyan's Hanna Hegemann, who stopped the clock in 21:54.0. Carleton's Emma Greenlee was third (22:04.4), followed by Kassie Rosenbum of Loras (22:12.2) and Nebraska Wesleyan's Ellie Beiermann (22:15.4).
 
Carleton posted the top two individual men's perfoarmances — getting a 24:51.2 8K time from Tris Dodge and a 24:54.9 from Lucas Mueller — with Wartburg's Sam Pinkowski (25:00.3), Andy Vasquez of Nebraska Wesleyan (25:04.8), and Wartburg's Joe Freiburger (25:06) completing the men's top five.