The SAU women got their season off to a successful start this past weekend, posting a runner-up finish at the Midwest Collegiate Championships in Wauwatosa, Wis. After qualifying in fifth place, they knocked off No. 4-seeded Saint Xavier 2-1, and then topped No. 8 seed Missouri Baptist 2-1 in the semifinals. Those wins set up a title tilt with third seed Mount Mercy. St. Ambrose fell 2-0 to complete their runner-up finish.

St. Ambrose qualified fifth (8702), with the top-three qualifiers being St. Francis (9072), Coe College (8912) and Mount Mercy (8757).

Marissa Bills began her collegiate career with an eighth-place overall finish. The freshman rolled 1234 for her six games to lead St. Ambrose. Other team members were Noelle Phillips (1136-6 games), Erin Williams (962-5 games), Amanda Bohn (890-5 games), Kayla Devine (734-4 games), Tricia Alvarado (466-3 games), Heather Motley (148-1 game) and Bailey Tripilas.

The St. Ambrose men finished 10th in their season opener. Team members included Justin Aboud (1338-6 games), Zach Greim (1284-6 games), Zack Denton (1194-6 games), Jordan Monnens (1034-5 games), William Jones (819-4 games), Ryan Speer (441-2 games), Alex Nolan (167-1 game) and Anthony Mastroianni.

Indiana Tech led qualifying with 10,173. They were followed by Calumet (10,117) and Wisconsin-Whitewater (9928).

Both teams continue their season Oct. 15-16 in Wichita, Kan., at the annual Mid-States Tournament.