Nordic ski team finishes up regular season in 40-degree sun

Olya Wright was the lone Nordic skier to qualify for the state cross country ski meet. Photos courtesy of Baylee Johnson

Both the Sections Meet at Giants Ridge and the JV/JH Championships in Cloquet took place under sunny skies and temperatures that were a solid 40 degrees higher than they’d been the week before! It was in the mid-40s in the bright sunlight and away from the wind. Conditions were surprisingly good, considering the high temperatures, and skiers reported fast races and slick trails.

Varsity Sections Meet

Olya Wright finished 7th and was the second finisher whose team did not qualify for state, so she will be competing at the state ski meet on February 15 at Giants Ridge. Cyrus Myers was the sixth non-team finisher and missed the race by two spots (the top 4 individuals go to state). Both Ian Thorpe and Jocelyn Carr were unable to compete, but others filled their spots.

Finishers were as follows:

Girls Pursuit: Olya Wright (7th), Lamar Gordon (32nd), Valerie Hurth (36th), Martine Redshaw (41st), Ava Oswald-Swenson (45th). The team took 8th place out of ten teams. The Duluth East and Ely Girls teams will represent our section at the state meet.

With a group of skiers hot on his tail, Cyrus Myers tucks low to gain speed on a downhill.

Girls Relay: Quincy Hurth and Emma Crook took 4th place out of 5th in their heat.

Boys Pursuit: Cyrus Myers (14th), Ben Wermter (24th), Everett Hurth (25th), Keean Selin (42nd), A.J. Mattson (44th). The team took 5th place out of nine teams. The Duluth East and Mora teams will represent our section at the state meet.

Girls Relay: Ethan Fish and Eli Smith finished 4th out of 5 in their heat.

Junior High Championships

Gunny Skadberg finished first in the 7th-grade boys’ race! Maddie Linn took 6th and Winter Byrns took 18th for the 7th-grade girls.

In the 8th-grade girls’ race, Harper Smith took 13th, and Amelia Saamanen came in right behind her for 14th. For the boys’ 8th grade, the “pack” finished close together with Steiner Anderson in 11th, Mason Linn in 12th, Erik Gischia in 14th, and Eli Dean in 16th.

Keean Selin races for the finish line.