By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ROCHESTER, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's and women's swimming and diving teams close out the first semester this weekend, heading to the Rochester Rec Center to take part in the Rochester Invitational, hosted by St. Cloud State.
 
The Rochester Invitational Field:
• St. Cloud State, Northern State, UW- La Crosse, UW-Eau Claire, Loras, Iowa Lakes Community College, Minnesota State-Mankato, U. of Sioux Falls, St. Catherine,  St. Thomas, Saint Mary's, Saint John's, Iowa Central Community College
 
The Cardinals' Last Action:
• Griffin Rades (Shawano, Wis.) picked up a pair of third-place finishes to lead the way for the Cardinal men at the Luther Invitational on Nov. 17, while Brooke Shefchik (Stevens Point, Wis.) recorded a fifth and Katie Beitz (Blaine, Minn.) added a sixth to pace the Saint Mary's women | Recap
 
The Cardinals at Rochester Invitational — A Year Ago:
• December 1-3, 2017 * Rochester, Minn.: Abby Hauser (Waukesha, Wis.) — a member of the recording-setting 800 freestyle relay team during the opening day of the three-day event — collected her second and third school records of the meet, clocking a time of 2:17.86 in the 200 IM to place 21^st, while leading off the 400 freestyle relay with a record-setting 100 time of 56.51. Griffin Rades (Shawano, Wis.) also reached a pair of finals during the final day of the meet, stopping the clock in 2:00.16 to place 10^th in the 200 IM and adding a 2:05.22 in the 200 backstroke to finish 18th, while Jack McCormick (Milwaukee, Wis.) — who won the 'C' Final in the 200 freestyle on Saturday—placed 12^th in the 1,650 freestyle final, touching the wall in 17:34.91 | Day 1 Recap * Day 2 Recap * Day 3 Recap
 
The Cardinals' Up Next:
• The Cardinals are now off until Jan. 19, when they head to Ripon, Wis., for a dual against Ripon.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals: 
2018-19 Men's Roster | 2018-19 Women's Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | Record Book
• The Cardinals put together 10 top-five finishes at Macalester's Roger Ahlman Invitational on Nov. 17 — with the SMU men recording six top fives, while the Saint Mary's women added four. … With his win in the 200 IM at the Macalester Roger Ahlman Invitational on Nov. 17, Griffin Rades (Shawano, Wis.) remained unbeaten in the event this season. … Rades picked up a pair of third-place finishes to lead the way for the Cardinal men at the Luther Invitational on Nov. 17, while Brooke Shefchik (Stevens Point, Wis.) recorded a fifth and Katie Beitz (Blaine, Minn.) added a sixth to pace the Saint Mary's women. … Shefchik's 1,000 freestyle time of 11:41.46 against St. Norbert on Nov. 2 was the third-fastest time in program history. … The Cardinals combined for 12 first-place finishes in their duals against St. Norbert on Nov. 2. Shefchik led the way for the Cardinal women, winning both the 500 (5:46.60) and the 1,000 (11:41.46), while Rades won the 200 IM (2:06.16) and 100 back stroke (57.97), and Alex Morrow (Stevens Point, Wis.) tallied firsts in the 500 freestyle (5:30.26) and 1,000 freestyle (11:20.36) to pace the Saint Mary's men. … Saint Mary's kicked off the season in grand fashion, collecting seven first-place finishes — not to mention 12 second-place efforts — in duals against Iowa Lakes Community College. … Rades made the most of his first MIAC Championships a year ago, breaking six school records — including the 19-year-old 200 freestyle mark — a year ago. … Rades boasted the Cardinals' best finish at the 2018 MIAC Championships, finishing fourth in the 400 IM with a school-record time of 4:11.11.