By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ROCHESTER, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University swim teams are back in action this weekend, taking part in the three-day, Rochester Invitational, hosted by St. Cloud State at the Rochester Rec Center.
 
The Cardinals' Last Action:
• November 22-23, 2019 * Jul Gernes Pool * Winona, Minn.: Mara Caples (Rochester, Minn.) enjoyed a banner weekend posting three first-place finishes and adding a second-place effort in Saint Mary's dual meets against UM-Morris and Ripon | UM-Morris Recap * UM-Morris/Ripon Recap
 
The Cardinals at Rochester Invitational — Their Last Appearance:
• November 30-December 2, 2018 * Rochester Rec Center * Rochester, Minn.: After putting together a memorable performance during the Rochester Invitational Saturday — including 25 season-bests, seven lifetime bests, and three finals appearances — Saint Mary's picked up right where they left off during Sunday's final day of the three-day meet. The Cardinals posted 13 more season-best performances, as well as four lifetime bests — and once again qualified for three finals | Recap 1 * Recap 2
 
The Cardinals' Up Next:
• The Cardinals are now off until Jan. 17-18, when they head to Stevens Point, Wis., to take part in the two-day UW-Stevens Point Invitational.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019-20 Men's Roster | 2019-20 Women's Roster | 2019-20 Schedule | Record Book
• Mara Caples (Rochester, Minn.) enjoyed a banner weekend for the Cardinal women in their duals against UM-Morris and Ripon on Nov. 22-23. The freshman won the 100 butterfly (1:05.42) and placed second in the 200 freestyle (2:12.71) against UM-Morris on Nov. 22, while stopping the clock in 2:25.66 to win the 200 IM and adding a first-place time of 1:06.18 in the 100 backstroke in the Cardinals' double-dual against UM-Morris and Ripon the following afternoon. … Casey Hanson (Grand Rapids, Minn.) was the top performer for the Cardinal men in their dual against Ripon on Nov. 23, stopping the clock in 6:18.44 to place second in the 500 freestyle, while adding third-place times of 25.62 in the 50 freestyle and 56.62 in the 100 freestyle. … Brenden McClay (Shakopee, Minn.) posted the Cardinals' top finishes at Saint Mary's double-dual against Macalester and Gustavus on Nov. 16, clocking second-place times of 22.96 in the 50 freestyle and 49.80 in the 100 freestyle to lead the Cardinal men, while Casey Hanson (Grand Rapids, Minn.) chipped in a fourth in the 200 backstroke (2:49.19) and a fifth in the 200 freestyle (2:13.93). … Brooke Shefchik (Stevens Point, Wis.) delivered third-place performances in the 400 IM (5:17.88) and 500 freestyle (5:49.53), while also posting a fourth in the 200 breaststroke (2:46.81) to lead the Cardinal women against Macalester and Gustavus on Nov. 16. … Mara Caples (Rochester, Minn.) and Katie Domack (Lakeville, Minn.) led the way for the Cardinal women against St. Norbert on Nov. 1. Caples posted a first-place showing in the 100 backstroke (1:06.18), while Domack won the 100 butterfly in 1:05.39. … Olivia Fleming (Hugo, Minn.) picked up Saint Mary's lone victory in its Nov. 2 dual against Southwest Minnesota State, winning the 50 freestyle in 26.87. … Brooke Shefchik (Stevens Point, Wis.) posted a combined five second-place finishes against St. Norbert and Southwest Minnesota State on Nov. 1-2. The senior finished second in both the 500 (5:53.54) and 1000 (11:59.90), while adding seconds in the 1000 freestyle (12:04.14), the 500 freestyle (6:01.75), and the 100 breaststroke (1:18.35). … McClay delivered a pair of second-place times — 1:56.43 in the 200 freestyle and 5:53.54 in the 500 freestyle — against St. Norbert on Nov. 1, with Hanson posting a third in the 100 breaststroke (1:07.59) to lead the way for the Cardinal men against St. Norbert on Nov. 1. … Shefchik won both the 500 and 1,000 for the third time in as many races at the Hamline Invitational on Oct. 26, posting winning times of 5:49.89 in the 500 and 11:49.00 in the 1000. … Shefchik picked up first-place finishes in the 1000 freestyle (11:53.49) and 500 freestyle (5:54.54) against Concordia on Oct. 18, then completed the sweep of the two events the following afternoon, touching the wall in 11:38.19 to win the 1000 freestyle and adding a first-place time of 5:46.95 in the 500 free. Domack (100 butterfly, 2:35.50) also posted a first-place finish for the Cardinal women during their season-opening duals. … McClay picked up the Cardinals' two first-place showings against Iowa Lakes CC on Oct. 19, stopping the clock in 22.87 to win the 50 freestyle and posting a time of 49.98 to win the 100 freestyle.