RESULTSHOUGHTON, Mich. (csssaints.com) - Junior
Jake Richards (Callaway, Minn./Detroit Lakes HS ) led the St. Scholastica men's skiing team's efforts at the Michigan Tech Junior Olympic Qualifier 1.5km Classic Sprint Saturday, finishing in 24
th in the final results after posting a the 19
th fastest qualifying time with 4:04.81. The event was won by unattached skier, Hakon Hjalstuen.
In a sprint event, each athlete starts by trying to qualify by time, racing the sprint course against the clock. The fastest 30 times in the field advance to six quarterfinals in which the first two skiers across the line advance as well as the fastest two skiers from the quarterfinals who were not in the top two. The same happens in the semifinals, whittling the field down to six athletes in the finals to determine the winner and rank order.
Richards was one of three Saints skiers to qualify for the semifinal heats, including junior,
Calvin Mehrhof (Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids HS ) (20
th, 4:04.88) and
Nick Power (Duluth, Minn./Marshall School) (28
th, 4:10.64). None of the three Saints advanced out of the quarterfinals. Richards ended the day in 23
rd, Mehrhof in 24
th, and Power in 25
th.
"The guys skied solidly today, considering none of them are categorically sprinter types," said Saints head coach
Chad Salmela. "What I like about early season sprints is they help build speed for NCAA distances, and all the guys raced the course faster the second time than the first, so despite not moving on, the data is good for priming our racing."
The Saints take to the start line again
Sunday for a 20km classic mass start.
