Complete Results

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – In its first two seasons, the St. Scholastica women's ski team has chased the top ski colleges in the upper Midwest, but Sunday at St. John's University, the lady Saints ended up atop the heap of Minnesota's collegiate skiing hierarchy, winning the 2 x 5km x 5km Minnesota College Championships.

The event format tests team depth and technique proficiency with an ongoing, two-person team relay, in which each of the two teammates alternate successive 5 kilometer loops, first in the classic technique, followed freestyle. The championship-winning team is a combined place score of the top two teams from each school.

Saints sophomore #Julia Curry# (So.-Woodbury, Minn.) and junior teammate #Megan Holmes# (Jr.-Gilbert, Minn./Mesabi East) combined to lead the Saints to a fourth place overall finish, while sophomore #Lindsay Wallis# (So.-Woodbury, Minn.) and junior #Ellen Anderson# (Jr.-Ely, Minn.) secured the overall Minnesota Championship title by finishing 5th overall.

"I felt that this was a good goal event for the women to get their first program win as a team." according the Saints Head Coach Chad Salmela. "I looked at the depth of our team and what I expected from the other colleges, and I thought our ladies would come through with at least third place, possibly as second, and if everything went relatively right, we could be an outside chance at winning. So I guess everything went right. I think the ladies have been itching to race, and I think most wouldn't characterize this as the best they've got to give, so to win on top of that is great. I'm just really happy and excited for, as well as proud of the women to win this event. It was an unspoken goal of mine for the season."

The 2 x 5km x 5km relay was won by St. Olaf duo, Caitlin Maine and Shaina Short in a time of 1:21:01, while in the Championship scoring, Gustavus finished second and The College of St. Benedict third, respectively, behind the Saints.

MINNESOTA COLLEGE SKIING CHAMPIONSHIPS
St. John's University

WOMEN'S 2 x 5km x 5km RELAY
1. St. Olaf A (Caitlin Maine/Shaina Short) 1:21:01
2. College of St. Benedict A (Anna Roessler/Christi Nowak) 1:21:40
3. Gustavus Adolphus A (Alye Bohn/Erin Eppler) 1:21:45
4. St. Scholastica A (Julia Curry (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury HS), Megan Holmes (Gilbert, Minn./Mesabi East HS)) 1:24:33
5. St. Scholastica B (Lindsay Wallis (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury HS), Ellen Anderson (Ely, Minn./Ely HS)) 1:25:32
10. St. Scholastica C (Caroline Lund (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS)/Katherine Mueller (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd HS)) 1:30:38
16. St. Scholastica D (Nikki Duff/Mary Kallemeyn (Elk River, Minn./Elk River Senior HS)) 1:34:53

Championship Team Scores
1. St. Scholastica 13
2. Gustavus Adolphus 12
3. College of St. Benedict 11
4. St. Olaf 11
5. St. Cloud State 8