WAVERLY, Iowa — It seemed like the odds were stacked against the Saint Mary's University women's cross country team heading into last Saturday's NCAA Central Regional.

A combination of illness and injury left the outlook for the Cardinals' season finale rather bleak.

Fortunately for SMU coach Ward Berndt, not only did the Cardinals beat the odds, but they also beat their regional finish of a year ago — by a large margin.

"It was a good way for us to end the season," said Berndt, whose team placed 14th in the 23-team field — three places higher than a year ago. "I was a little concerned coming in because we had some people a little under the weather and others battling some nagging injuries.

"Overall, I was very pleased with the way we ran."

Ellen Koranda (Blue Earth, Minn.) closed out her stellar collegiate career by placing 39th overall, clocking a six-kilometer time of 28:49. Tera Bollig (Cambridge, Minn.) chipped in a time of 24:48 to finish 66th, while Alicia Hartung (Menomonie, WIs. / 91st, 25:33), Sam Oreskovich (Prior Lake, Minn. / 107th, 26:11), Ashley Davis (Hugo, Minn. / 113th, 26:25) and Kim Koecheler (St. Paul, Minn. / 124th, 27:06) rounded out the Cardinals' top six.

Andy Boisjolie (Austin, Minn.) was the lone SMU male runner in the competition, and the Cardinal senior closed out his career with a 104th-place eight-kilometer effort of 28:49.

"It was a good meet for us," said Berndt. "Not only was it a great way for us to close out the season — but it was also a very positive springboard heading into next season."