Women's Freestyle Results
Team Scores

COLERAINE, Minn. (csssaints.com) -- The day started fast for the Central Collegiate Ski Association (CCSA) Women's 15km freestyle mass start at Mt. Itasca, catching St. Scholastica sophomore Sharmila Ahmed (Savage, Minn./Burnsville HS) on her heels in the early going, but a charge back in the final five kilometers claimed her a sixth consecutive top-10 finish in NCAA qualifying events this season.

Rosie Frankowski of Northern Michigan tried the same tactics that gave her a huge win in the same event at Giants Ridge three weeks early, pushing the pace and breaking apart the field.  Only this time she had company.  Alyson McPhetres of Alaska Fairbanks wasn't in the Giants Ridge 15km field, but McPhetres already posted a win and a second place finish at the SuperTour in Minneapolis in mid-January, so Frankowski's company was nobody to be taken lightly.

The pace set by the two at the front left the rest of the field scrambling to keep up, though nobody could, including Ahmed.  At one point, skiing as far back as 17th place, Ahmed persevered the lack of response in the opening kilometers, and slowly clawed her way back into the race in the final five kilometers.

Meanwhile, at the front, Frankowski led most of the race with McPhetres in tow.  On the final downhill before entering the stadium, Frankowski lost her footing and fell, giving McPhetres her second win of the season by a comfortable 8.6 seconds in winning time of 48:19.7 to Frankowski's 48:28.3.  Alaska's Crystal Pitney crossed the line 1:10 later in 49:37.8 to claim the final podium spot.

Ahmed clearly loosened up and found her rhythm and form in the final loop, making time back on the second chase pack of skiers just behind Pitney.  A charge for the line moved Ahmed into 10th with a time of 50:24.0.  Senior Sarah Allen (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS (Northern Michigan)) crossed the line just over a minute later in 15th place in a time of 51:26.3.  The race of the day for the Saints was that of freshman Chelsey Youngberg (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS), in her first 15km, posting her first CCSA top 20 in 19th, with a time of 52:14.5 to round out scoring for the Saints.

“The women skied well today with everyone digging deep to fight on a very, very difficult course,” said Saints head coach Chad Salmela.  “Chelsey really showed what she can do and that this is probably her best event, while Sarah just skied really strong.  Sharmila had a great learning experience today.  I think the race yesterday and the nerves of competing for and NCAA berth start to weigh on an athlete in the position, and she just plain had a flat start to the race.  But she loosened up, took time back on people she needed to, and that is mature racing.  She stuck with it because she kind of had to.  Those are the days you learn the most from as an athlete.”

Alaska won the day with 79 points to Northern Michigan's 72.  Michigan Tech took revenge on the Saints from Saturday, edging them off the podium for the day with 51 points to the Saints' 49.  The Saints tied the Huskies on the weekend for third, each with 102 points, while NMU won by four points over Alaska, 147 to 143, respectively.

The day was a culmination of a four-event CCSA Championship combining team scores from the individual sprint and relay from two weeks prior, with the classic and freestyle distance events from this weekend.  Northern Michigan won the overall CCSA Championships with 292 points, Alaska finished second with 143, and the Huskies of Michigan Tech took the final podium spot with 225.  The Saints finished fourth with 201 points, equaling their program-best finish in a CCSA Championship from the 2012 season.

“I'm very proud of the team's conference performance both in the CCSA Championships and in the season overall.  I couldn't have asked for a better effort from the team,” said Salmela.

The Saints wind up the regular season February 23 and 24 at the NCAA Central Regional Championships in Houghton, Mich.