Complete Results
RUMFORD, Maine – St. Scholastica's #Jeremy Hecker# became the first CSS skier to compete in the top junior final sprint race and finished seventh overall at today's 1.4km classic sprint at the U.S. National Ski Championships.
In the morning time trials, the top 30 overall qualify for five quarterfinals. No CSS skier qualified in the top of 30, but Hecker and #Kasey Bacso# finished in the top 12 juniors beyond the 30 qualifiers to reach the junior semifinals. Bacso qualified fifth and Hecker eighth out of the qualifiers.
Both Bacso and Hecker then raced in the same semifinal. Hecker finished third overall, while Bacso was fifth. With Hecker placing third, he was placed in junior A final, while Bacso was in the junior B final.
Bacso was struggling in fifth until a good downhill in the final stretch gave him third place in the B final. That placed him 14 overall in the junior category.
In the A final, Hecker took control on the final climb and had a small gap on the group with about 400 meters to go. University of Denver's Andrew Dougherty closed the gap on Hecker and thought the 50 meter line in the snow was the finish, so he threw his foot forward (toes is measure of first think across the line), acting like it was the finish. Hecker flinched at this move and slowed up too, but realized Dougherty was wrong and started sprinting again, as did Dougherty. 50 meters later, Dougherty crept back up on Hecker and announcer called it too close to call. Dougherty won in a photo finish.
“Personally, this is very cool,” head coach #Chad Salmela# said. “It was a first for the Saints program to have a junior at nationals in the junior A final, and Hecker finished seventh overall in his weakest discipline--the classic sprint. He's better at distance and skating.”
Other male Saints competing include #Mason Bacso# and #Waylon Manske# in the U23 division. Both failed to qualify for the semifinals.
#Eleanor Magnuson# and #Brooke Adams# were competing for the CSS women. Magnuson was competing in the U23 division and just missed the semifinals in 14th. Adams was 24th in the junior division, but finished with a better time than Magnuson by three seconds.
The Saints skiers are back at it again on Tuesday when they compete in the classic technique. The men's and women's races will be Central Region NCAA Qualifiers. The women's 10km race begins at 9 a.m. local time, while the men's 15km race will start at 11 a.m. local time.
