WINONA, Minn. — Now that's more like it.

Just a week after struggling to a 13th-place showing at the St. John's Invitational, the Saint Mary's University men's golf team showed signs of that potential that coach Tom Farren had been bragging about all season.

Led by Scott Savage's (Mahtomedi, Minn.) 77 and a 79 by Curtis Nosal (Omaha, Neb.), the Cardinals found themselves tied for third place after the opening round of the Carleton Invitational, a tournament which included every golf team that will be competing in the MIAC Championships in two weeks.

And, unlike their performances of the past, this time around, the Cardinals backed up that stellar first-round effort with an equally impressive second-round showing.

SMU posted three more rounds in the 70s — including a 77 by Jesse Polk (Hastings, Minn.) and a 78 by Savage — and held on to their third-place standing, finishing with a team total of 636, just 15 shots back of Gustavus' winning total of 621.

Savage, who finished tied for seventh with his 155 total, was the lone Cardinal to post back-to-back rounds in the 70s. Polk followed up an opening-round 83 with his team-low 77 for a 160 total, equaled by Nosal, who went 79-81. Mark Miller (Winona, Minn.) chipped in an 82-79—161, while Kyle Roark (Waterloo, Iowa) shot 83-85—168.

A WEEK AGO, Andrea Hanke (Janesville, Wis.) found herself all alone at center stage, as the Saint Mary's University junior golfer broke the school's 18-hole scoring record when she fired a two-over-par 74 to win medalist honors at the Luther Invitational.

On Sunday, Hanke was back on center stage, only this time, she wasn't alone — she was joined by the entire SMU women's golf team as the Cardinals broke the two-day scoring record with a 36-hole total of 726, earning them an eighth-place finish at the UW-Whitewater Invitational.

"I was proud of the way we played, especially on a course that we had never seen before," said SMU coach Dan Messmann. "It was great to see Andrea continue to play well (placing 11th overall), but it was also nice to see some of our other golfers step up and play two solid days.

Hanke opened with an 83, before coming back with a second-day 82 for a 165 total. Katie O'Connor (Orland Park, Ill.) added a 91-91—182, while Ashley Fosmo (Plainview, Minn. / 93-95—188), Kristi Pugal (Brookfield, WIs. / 94-97—191), Caty Beel (Tucson, Ariz. / 98-99—197) and Katie Omdahl (Algona, Iowa / 101-104—205) rounded out the SMU lineup.