Race Results

IRONWOOD, Mich. – For the second day in a row, #Megan Holmes# (Jr.-Gilbert, Minn./Mesabi East) led the Saints women in the 10km classic at the Grandview XC Challenge in Ironwood, Mich., but she along with all the teammates struggled through the difficult conditions with grip wax that wasn't gripping.

Finishing 36th overall, Holmes finished in a time of 37:41.5, 4:55 behind Northern Michigan red-shirt, Marie-Helen Soderman who edged co-red-shirt teammate, Laura Dewitt by five-tenths of a second, 32:56.1 to 32:56.6.

#Lindsay Wallis# (So.-Woodbury, Minn.) came to life, finishing second for the Saints women, who along with Holmes were the only two on the team with consistent kick, likely due to their earlier start orders. Wallis finished 38th in a time of 37:53.6. #Julia Curry# (So.-Woodbury, Minn.) rounded out the Saints' top three with a 48th place finish in 38:19.9. The three finished 20th, 21st, and 26th respectively among eligible collegiate skiers.

"Today was a rough day for the women especially, from a coaching perspective," said Saints Head Coach, Chad Salmela. "With temps right around freezing and new snow with no access to the course, it was just a tough day for us to know how to wax for the ladies, especially our later starters. We simply had to put together our best guess for the ladies know the men before them had good skis, but when you can't know what's happening at 2 kilometers and further on the course with the conditions, you invariably miss, and unfortunately, that was the story for everyone but Megan and Lindsay. The track simply broke down and we needed to have kick wax further up the ski. I felt bad for our women today."

The Saints will have a competitive hiatus until the New Year. Megan Holmes (Gilbert, Minn./Mesabi East HS) will represent the Saints women in Anchorage, AK, January 3-7, at the U.S. National Skiing Championships.

Grandview XC Challenge
Ironwood Michigan
Women's 10km Classic
12/14/08

1.Marie-Helen Soderman, Unattached  32:56.1
2. Laura Dewitt, Unattached  32:56.6
3. Carolyn Freeman, UWGB  32:57.0
4. Jenna Klein, MTU  34:04.7
5. Anne Hart, MSC  34:07.0
6. Elizabeth Quinley, MTU  34:14.4
7. Jesse Diggins, Stillwater HS  34:19.1
8. Jaclyn Pribyl, MTU  34:21.5
9. Libby Ellis, Minneapolis SW  34:44.2
10. Melanie Hoffman, MTU  35:00.7
36. Megan Holmes (Gilbert, Minn./Mesabi East HS), CSS  37:41.5
38. Lindsay Wallis (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury HS), CSS  37:53.6
48. Julia Curry (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury HS), CSS  38:19.9
59. Ellen Anderson (Ely, Minn./Ely HS), CSS  40:32.4
62. Amelia Donars (Ely, Minn./Ely Memorial HS), CSS  41:41.8
63. Melissa Kempenich (Little Falls, Minn./Little Falls HS), CSS  41:50.9