WINONA, Minn. — If Saint Mary's University cross country coach John Skemp had any questions as to whether Renee Willkom (Cadott, Wis.) and Ellen Koranda (Blue Earth, Minn.) had done their homework over the summer, they were quickly answered Saturday at the SMU Invitational.

The duo passed their first test of the season with flying colors as Willkom cruised to a ninth-place finish of 20:58, while Koranda was close behind in 21:12 to finish 11th.

"You can tell that Renee and Ellen put in the miles over the summer — and that showed today," said Skemp, whose womne's team placed third overall in the three-team invitational. "They both ran phenomenal races."

Despite their efforts, the Cardinals were no match for women's champion and MIAC rival Gustavus, which cruised to the team title, sweeping the top two spots and placing their top seven runners in the top 11 overall. Nichole Petersen led the way for the Gusties, clocking a time of 19:18 across the five-kilometer course.

"Gustavus is one of the top teams in the MIAC, and they showed why today," praised Skemp, whose women finished with 72 points, well back of runner-up St. Scholsatica's 53-point total. "But for us to get two runners in the top 15, that's pretty impressive."

Gustavus also brought home the team title on the men's side, placing six runners in the top 10, including individual champion James Sorenson, who clocked an 8K time of 22:14.

Freshman Tera Bollig (Cambridge, Minn.) was the third SMU woman across the finish line, posting a time of 22:09, while Natalie Cossetta (West St. Paul, Minn.) and Jenny Folgers (McHenry, Ill.) rounded out the Cardinals' top five, posting times of 22:41 and 22:46, respectively.

James Baertsch (Winona, Minn.) led the way for the Cardinal men, placing eighth overall with a time of 24:20. Keith Pieschek (Sturgeon Bay, Wis.) and Andy Boisjolie (Austin, Minn.) were close behind in 24:45 and 24:57, respecitvely, while Karl Hatteberg (Waltham, Minn. / 25:18) and Tom Smith (Rochester, Minn. / 25:38) rounded out the Cardinals' top five.

"This was a great opening meet for us," Skemp said. "We had some outstanding individual performances — Jim Baertsch ran a solid race on the men's side, and Tera Bollig was awesome on the women's side for a first-ever collegiate race.

"Overall it was good to get that first race under our belt, and hopefully we'll continue to improve as we gear up for Nov. 1 (the MIAC Championships) and Nov. 15 (the NCAA Regionals)."