WINONA, Minn.. — If there's one positive Saint Mary's University cross country skiing coach John Skemp has gotten out of this rather mild, snowless winter, it's that he has had plenty of time to think about his teams' performances.

After all, nine hours in a van to Marquette, Mich., two weeks ago, and five hours in a van this last weekend to Ironwood, Mich., tends to give a person plenty of quiet time.

And with the performances his skiers have been turning in, the thoughts have been rather pleasant.

"We skiing very well, especially considering we haven't had much snow to train on," said Skemp, whose men placed ninth and women placed 11th at last weekend's NCAA Qualifier. "Everyone's working hard. We're already gearing up for next weekend."

Missy Mollick (Hastings, Minn.) led the way for the SMU women, placing 37th in the five-kilometer classical event, clocking a time of 22:14. Mollick turned around and posted a 33rd-place effort the following day, stopping the clock in 57.20 in the 10K freestyle race. Rachel Lundell (Golden Valley, Minn.), meanwhile, was 51st in the classical race (25:31) and 47th in the freestyle (1:02.36).

On the men's side, Ben Hanson (Hastings, Minn.) was the Cardinals' lone participant, finishing 41st in the 10K classic race (40:13) and 37th in the 20K freestyle (1:09.14).