Complete results | Team Scores

HOUGHTON, Mich. (csssaints.com) – Led by all-region performances by Sarah Allen (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS (Northern Michigan)) in fourth and Anita Kirvesniemi (Simpele, Finland/Joensuun Yhteiskoulun Lukio (New Mexico)) in sixth, the St. Scholastica women's ski team finished second for the third straight race, and placed second as a team for the first time at the NCAA Central Regional on Saturday.
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Fresh off trips to Europe and the Junior and Under-23 World Championships, Alaska's Nichole Bathe, and Northern Michigan's Rosie Frankowski, finished first and second, with times of 17:14.4 and 17:30.0, respectively. Northern Michigan's Hannah Boyer spoiled a podium finish for Allen in a time of 17:45.3 to take the third spot.

Kirvesniemi crossed the line second, the only person at the time in the realm of early starter, Frankowski, posting a time of 18:01.4.  After Allen crossed the line ahead of Kirvesniemi, the Saints sat second and third until Paige Schember split them down the middle. 

Sharmila Ahmed (Savage, Minn./Burnsville HS) crossed the line in sixth, but by the time the field had all gone through, she'd dropped to 11th in a time of 18:13.8, a painful two-tenths of a second from All-Region honors of the 10th spot.

"This is huge," said Saints head coach Chad Salmela. "We had a great weekend last weekend with a few top skiers missing, but to beat Alaska with Bathe present is just totally unexpected.  I'm so proud of our women today, I just can't find the words to express how so."

The Saints have a 10km mass start freestyle Sunday standing between them and their first NCAA Central Regional podium finish. They lead Alaska by four points and Michigan Tech by 10 going into Sunday.