Complete Results
Team Scores

HOUGHTON, Mich. -- St. Scholastica freshman Sharmila Ahmed (Savage, Minn./Burnsville HS) posted a strong finish in the Central Collegiate Ski Association (CCSA) 15km mass start classic, crossing the finish line in 59:44.6, for 14th place.

On a cold, blustery day, heavy snow fell nearly completely filling the classic tracks with dry, new, cold snow, making for very slow going. Northern Michigan's, Monica Markvardsen lived up to her top seeding, crossing the line first in 58:36.7.   Her Wildcat teammates Rosie Frankowski and Libby Ellis rounded out a podium sweep for NMU, finishing in 58:41.6 and 58:45.4, respectively.

CSS junior Sarah Allen (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS (Northern Michigan)) had her best CCSA performance as a Saint, finishing in 27th in a time of 1:01:56.8. Sophomore Brooke Adams (Spooner, Wis./Spooner HS ) rounded out the Saints scoring in 29th in 1:02:19.8.  The Saints finished sixth on the day with NMU winning, Alaska Fairbanks second, and Michigan Tech third.

A pack of 20 skiers started to pull away early with Ahmed weaving here way through the field on the uphills, only to be frustrated with draggy skis on the downhills.  With a strong charge in the final kilometer, Ahmed overcame the challenging conditions to move soundly into the top 15.

The CCSA Championships end Sunday with a 3x5km freestyle relay.