Complete Results
Overall Team Scores

ISHPEMING, Mich. (csssaints.com) – A display of team depth with five different women scoring over two races, secured an historic weekend for the St. Scholastica women's skiing at the Central Collegiate Ski Association (CCSA) Championships.

After finishing second in day one of the conference championship in the 5km classic, the Saints held a slim one point lead over the Michigan Tech Huskies in second place over third.  The freestyle has not been the Saints' forte in recent weeks, so the Saints needed to step up their freestyle in the 15km freestyle mass start.

Sharmila Ahmed (Savage, Minn./Burnsville HS) threw her hat in the ring for the best finish of her season, crossing the line fourth in a time of 36:51.1.  Northern Michigan's All-American, Rosie Frankowski, fresh off her trip the Under 23 World Championships, edged teammate, Mary Kate Cirelli, to win by 1.9 seconds in a time of 36:15.1, to 36:17.1.  St. Olaf's Paige Schember finished third in 36:19.8.

Sarah Allen (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS (Northern Michigan)) finished 12th in 37:39.3, while Chelsey Youngberg (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS) rounded out the Saints scoring in 16th with a time of 38:15.0.

The Saints finished the day in second again with a score of 45, behind a dominant 67 points by Northern Michigan, edging Michigan Tech by a further two points as the Huskies scored 43, one better that Alaska in fourth with 42. 

The two-day championship went to Northern Michigan with 133 points.  The Saints notched a first ever podium spot in second with 95 points, while Michigan Tech nudged Alaska off the podium 92 to 83.

"It was a ripe opportunity for our women to step up and do something big," according to Saints head coach Chad Salmela. "We used five different people to score six scoring spots this weekend and it resulted in a program-best second place in the conference championship.  I'm so thrilled.  This was a dream of mine at the beginning of the season…to see our women's team succeed and set a new precedent of success.  It's an incredible feeling to realize things that just a short time ago seemed so far away." 

The CSS women's previous best finish at the CCSA Championship was fourth.

The Saints now head to Houghton, Mich. and Michigan Tech University for the NCAA Central Regional Championships next weekend to conclude the racing season.