By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
RIPON, Wis. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's and women's swimming and diving teams kick off the 2019 portion of their schedule on Saturday, squaring off against Ripon and St. Norbert in a pair of duals.
 
The Cardinals' Last Action:
• Dec. 8-9, 2018 * Rochester, Minn.: The Cardinals posted 25 season-best swims, seven lifetime-bests, and qualified three for the finals during the second day of the Rochester Invitational, and followed that up with 13 more season-bests, four lifetime-bests, and three more final qualifiers the following day | Rochester Recap 1 * Rochester Recap 2
 
The Cardinals vs. St. Norbert — Earlier This Year:
• November 2, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: Brooke Shefchik (Mounds View, Minn.) led the way for the Cardinal women against the Green Knights with a first-place showing in the 1,000 freestyle, stopping the clock in 11:41.46 — the third-fastest time in program history. Griffin Rades (Shawano, Wis.) and Alex Morrow (Stevens Point, Wis.) each picked up a pair of first-place showings — Morrow in the 1,000 freestyle (11:20.36) and 500 freestyle (5:30.26), and Rades in the 200 IM (2:08:16) and the 100 backstroke (57.97) — to lead the Cardinal men | Recap
 
The Cardinals vs. Ripon — A Year Ago:
• January 20, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's teams combined for 18 Top-3 finishes in their dual meets against Ripon. Unfortunately, those 18 Top 3s — including seven first-place efforts — were not enough, as Ripon dealt the Cardinal men a 116-42 setback, while beating the Saint Mary's women 128-89 at the Jul Gernes Pool | Recap
 
The Cardinals' Up Next:
• The Cardinals return home next Saturday, squaring off against Augsburg and Hamline in a pair of duals at the Jul Gernes Pool.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals: 
2018-19 Men's Roster | 2018-19 Women's Roster | 2018-19 Schedule | Record Book
• Saint Mary's combined for 38 season-best swims, as well as 11 lifetime-bests at the Rochester Invitational on Dec. 8-9. … The Cardinals qualified six swimmers into the finals at the Rochester Invitational on Dec. 8-9. Alex Morrow (Stevens Point, Wis.) placed second in the 200 butterfly C Final with a time of 2:09.35, while Cole Stepanovich (St. Francis, Wis.) added a 2:09.35 to finish third and Dylan Anes Dy Quiangco (Rochester, Minn.) added a fourth-place time of 2:19.36. … Stepanovich also reached the finals in the 200 IM and 100 butterfly — delivering a lifetime-best 2:10.90 in the 200 IM and a season-best 57.62 in the 100 butterfly. … Along with his effort in the 200 butterfly, Dy Quiangco also reached the finals in the 200 IM, posting a lifetime-best time of 2:17.54. … 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. … 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 put together 10 top-five finishes at Macalester's Roger Ahlman Invitational on Nov. 10 — with the SMU men recording six top fives, while the Saint Mary's women added four. … The Cardinals recorded a combined 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 Morrow 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.