MT. PLEASANT, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University men's and women's cross country teams began their 2012 campaigns today (Aug. 31) at the Central Michigan University hosted Jeff Drenth Memorial held at Pleasant Hills Golf Course in Mount Pleasant.

The Cardinal men were led by senior Joseph Burelle (Sterling Heights, Mich. / Stevenson HS) who came in at 15:53.74, which was good enough for a ninth-place finish. Senior Tyler Noble (Shepherd, Mich. / Shepherd HS) posted a time of 16:03.25 to finish in 13th position, while fellow senior Gareth Gose (Leslie, Mich. / Leslie HS) recorded an 18th place finish as he crossed the finish line at 16:15.33.

Another senior, Eric Spitz (Holt, Mich. / Holt HS), ran well at the CMU-hosted event and clocked a mark of 16:33.73 to take 25th place, while sophomore Drew Meylan (Bay City, Mich. / Bay City Western HS) completed the 5k event in 16:51.08, taking 31st position. Sophomore Brandon Bishop (Burt, Mich. / Chesaning HS) finished the inaugural race of 2012 in 17:04.24 to finish in 37th place, while junior Chad Scott (Ada, Mich. / Forest Hills Eastern HS) clocked in at 17:08.81 to take 40th position.

Sophomores Tony Peel (Swartz Creek, Mich. / Swartz Creek HS) and Travis Toye (Davison, Mich. / Davison HS) rounded out the SVSU men's cross country lineup with times of 17:10.82 (41st) and 18:14.95 (56th), respectively.

On the women's side, sophomore Emily Short (Tawas, Mich. / Tawas Area HS) ran unattached for the Cardinals and finished in fifth place overall with a time of 18:36.05, while senior Lauren Hill (Flat Rock, Mich. / Flat Rock HS) finished the 5k in tenth place at 18:59.66 to lead the official SVSU runners. Tori Peet (Lapeer, Mich. / Lapeer West HS) and Taylor Stepanski (Alpena, Mich. / Alpena, Mich.) both participated unattached for Saginaw Valley and finished with marks of 19:32.40 (21st) and 19:34.52 (22nd), respectively.

Freshman Kelly Batzloff (Sterling Heights, Mich. / Utica Ford II HS) completed her first collegiate race in 30th position with a time of 20:08.35, while Amanda Paris (Hemlock, Mich. / Hemlock HS) clocked in at 20:12.69 to finish right behind Batzloff in 31st. Senior Stephanie McMall (Bay City, Mich. / Bay City Western HS) recorded a time of 21:17.30 in the warm temperatures, while freshman Rachel Cahill (Niagara Falls, Ontario / A.N. Myer High School) rounded out the women's lineup as she compiled a time of 21:20.07 in her first event as a Cardinal.

The SVSU Cross Country teams will continue their season in two weeks at the Michigan State University Spartan Invitational on Sept. 14.