NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's men's and women's cross country teams delivered remarkable performances at the MIAC Championships, hosted by St. Olaf. Personal bests were achieved, and both teams executed when it mattered most during their races. 

The Cardinal women opened the day, beginning their 6K at 11:00 a.m. 

Mya Slavin led the way, posting a 23:19.6, placing 17th overall and earning All-MIAC Honorable Mention. Addison Burckhardt ran 25:21.2 for 84th. Kaylie Betts followed with a 25:54.6, rounding out the top 100 of the field. Susan Bergeman finished in 26:26.5, as she finished in 111th. Izzy Dewey was the fifth runner for the Cardinals, coming in at 27:48.8, which placed 137th and completed team scoring. Lastly, Lizzy Scheid delivered with a 30:49.7 and was 158th place overall. 

The women placed 10th of 12 teams at the MIAC Championship. 

Shortly after, the Cardinal men took off for their 8K at 12:00 p.m. 

Isaiah Fitzgerald delivered a clutch performance to secure an All-MIAC award, as he placed 15th overall, running a personal best of 26:00.2. The tougher course conditions didn't stop Fitzgerald from running fast when it mattered most, with that being his last ever collegiate conference championship. He now moves up to 4th in school history of the top 50 men's 8k times. 

Yong Achuoth also competed at a high level and was very close to his personal best. He followed Fitzgerald for the Cardinals with a 27:23.7 and placed 68th. Blake Tembreull also had a similar race, finishing in 27:41.7. Sam Grywacz was one of the few athletes who ran personal bests on Saturday, surging in a strategic fashion from the 5k mark. That paid off for him as he clocked in at 28:12.1 for a 23-second PR. To round out team scoring, Liam Smith moved up late in the race and capped off one of the best team finishes in school history for the men's program, finishing in 29:12.5. Ian Atherley finished not long after, as he posted a 29:25.5 for 134th. August Koessler and Thomas Halverson came through, placing one after another. Koessler ran a personal best of 32:13.6 for 171st, and Halverson ran 32:26.5 for 172nd. Eli Lilla finished things off in his 8k debut with a personal best of 33:22.1. 

The men's program had one of their best performances at the MIAC Championship in recent years. Placing 9th overall, the best they've done since 2016.

"This has probably been one of the best races we've had as a conference team in a long time. Everybody stepped up in a big way and really gave it all they had," said head coach Darren Schneider. 

The Cardinals will conclude their cross country season with the NCAA North Regional hosted by St. Olaf on the exact same course two weeks from now in Northfield, Minn., on Saturday, Nov. 14.