By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The Saint Mary's University cross country teams return to action on Friday, heading to the campus of Notre Dame to take part in the National Catholic Invitational
 
The National Catholic Invitational Field:
• Ave Maria University, Benedictine University, Brescia University, Canisius College, Creighton University, Dayton, Detroit Mercy, Franciscan University, College of the Holy Cross, Loras College, Lourdes University, Marian University, Notre Dame, Ohio Dominican, Saint Mary's University, College of Saint Benedict, University of St. Francis, Saint Mary's College (Ind.), Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, St. Norbert College, St. Xavier University, Thomas More College, Walsh University
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Results
 
Saint Mary's Last Action:
• September 7, 2019 * Winona, Minn.: Isaiah Olsem (Fulda, Minn.) placed fifth overall in leading the Cardinal men to a second-place team finish at the season-opening Saint Mary's Alumni Open, while Danielle Franke (Mounds View, Minn.) was the first SMU woman across the line — seventh overall — in fueling a third-place team showing | Recap
 
Saint Mary's at National Catholic Invitational — Their Last Appearance:
• September 15, 2015 * South Bend, Ind.: Jovan Newsum (Glendale Heights, Ill.) enjoyed a banner day for the Saint Mary's men, posting a team-best five-mile time of 27.00.8 in sparking the Cardinals' ninth-place finish, while Heidi Lederman (Mahtomedi, Minn.) recorded a career-best five-kilometer time of 21.22.8 in leading the Cardinal women to an 18th-place team finish | Recap
 
Saint Mary's Up Next:
• The Cardinals are back in action on Oct. 4, when they travel to Whitetail Golf Course in Colfax, Wis., to take part in the UW-Eau Claire Invitational.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
Men's Roster * Women's Roster | Schedule | Statistics
• Isaiah Olsem (Fulda, Minn.) placed fifth overall with a four-mile time of 22:21 in leading the Cardinal men to a second-place team finish at the Saint Mary's Alumni Open on Sept. 7, while Danielle Franke (Mounds View, Minn.) was the first Saint Mary's woman across the line — seventh overall with a 5K effort of 21:43 — in fueling a third-place team showing. … Franke has now led the Cardinal women in 10 of the team's last 12 meets over the past three seasons. … Olsem has led the Cardinal men across the finish line in five of their last six meets. … Tanner Moris (Crandon, Minn.) and Jordan Malikowski (Royalton, Minn.) posted times of 22:39 and 22:41, respectively, as the season-opening Saint Mary's Alumni Open on Sept. 7, while Axel Daood (St. Charles, Minn.) finished his first collegiate race in 23:03, followed by Jon Meaden (Rosemount, Minn. / 23:07), and Caedon McCartney (Owatonna, Minn. / 23:31. … On the women's side at the Saint Mary's Alumni Open, Anna Marinc (Carol Stream, Ill.) added a 22:27 and Anna Swanson (Osceola, Wis.) finished in 23:04, with Madalyn Bollig (St. Croix Falls, Wis. / 25:21), Julia VanWatermeulen (Ellsworth, Wis. / 25:51), Emma Ririe (Darien, Ill. / 26:23), Amelia Sweet (Prescott, Wis. / 26:49), and Rachel Simon (Foley, Minn. / 29:16) rounding out the Cardinal lineup. … Franke's time of 24:27.48 at the NCAA Central Region a year ago was a season- and career-best — and the 10th fastest 6K time in program history. …  Marinc recorded a career-best 6K time of 25:02 to lead the Saint Mary's women to a 10th-place finish at last season's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships. … Jordan Malikowski (Royalton, Minn.) posted his career-best eight-kilometer time in the final meet of the 2018 season, clocking a time of 27:02.3 to pace the Cardinal men to a 23rd-place finish at the season-ending NCAA Central Regional. … Malikowski's time was not only a career-best, but also the fastest 8K time by a Cardinal in 2018. …