RESULTS

MINNEAPOLIS (csssaints.com) - Senior Anita Kirvesniemi (Simpele, Finland/Joensuun Yhteiskoulun Lukio (New Mexico)) became the first St. Scholastica skier, male or female, to win their second Central Collegiate Ski Association (CCSA) individual title, winning the women's 10km classic mass start Saturday at the Twin Cities Championships at Wirth Park, crossing the line in a time of  30:29.6. 
 
On the exact same Saturday a year ago, the Saints women's ski program enjoyed its first ever CCSA individual and team win on a cold snowy day in Coleraine in the women's 5km classic. They nearly replicated the feat a year later, at double the distance, in 40-degree sun, with a show of depth at the front of a mass start field, placing five skiers in the top 13 collegiately. 
 
Northern Michigan's Felicia Gesior took an early lead and grew it to nearly 30 seconds by the halfway mark, while Kirvesniemi led the chase group with two NMU skiers in tow, Jordyn Ross, and Sophie Schimpl, along with several other non-college skiers. Senior Sharmila Ahmed (Burnsville, Minn./Burnsville HS) started slow as she has of late sitting a minute behind the leaders with teammate, freshman Allison Ternes (Vadnais Heights, Minn./White Bear Lake HS), in seventh and eighth at that point, putting the Saints behind, but within contention with the Wildcats as a team.
 
"I could see (at about 5km) on the big climb, that Felicia was looking labored," noted Saints head coach Chad Salmela. "I think most people were thinking Felicia was going to win easily, but I could see Anita had been skiing with really even efforts…no spikes in effort. So I told her right there she was 24 seconds back, but she looked better and should start to think about winning." 
 
From the 5km mark, the Saints took over. Kirvesniemi spit the chase group off her tail and chased Gesior in earnest, while Ahmed swallowed up those who had been trying to stay with Kirvesniemi. Ternes was joined by sophomore Ellie Evans (New Hope, Minn./Robbinsdale Cooper HS) moving into the college top 10, and the two of them began overtaking skiers as well. 
 
With a little more than one kilometer left, Kirvesniemi caught Gesior and went right past, finishing 10.5 seconds clear in the lead with a big smile on her face as she took her second CCSA win in the last four races. Gesior took second in 30:40.1. Jordyn Ross rounded out the CCSA in a time of 31:01.9. Meanwhile, Ahmed had moved into fourth to finish in 31:38.1, and the race for the team win suddenly became tight with CSS in first and fourth and NMU in seocnd and third.
 
"I started doing the quick math with 2km to go, and I started telling our ladies they can beat Northern (Michigan)," said Salmela. "NMU is always the biggest target in our region; always the goal."  

But Sophie Schimpl sewed things up for the Wildcats finishing sixth, with Ternes and Evans coming across seventh and eighth. The Saints would miss a repeat performance from a year ago by a single point, with NMU scoring  64 to the Saints' 63. 
 
"This was perhaps the most fun race I remember watching as a coach of this team," said Salmela.  "I think it was because of the mass start, and seeing the team performance take shape out on the course; the way Anita dramatically turned the race into a win for her, how Shar came up from behind, and how Allison and Ellie charged to their best CCSA races ever. Plus, the depth and clear presence of the team at the front of the field made it really exciting."
 
The Saints return to action Sunday in Minneapolis at the Twin Cities Championships with a 5km freestyle individual start.

Twin Cities Championship CCSA Women's 10km Classic

1. Anita Kirvesniemi (Simpele, Finland/Joensuun Yhteiskoulun Lukio (New Mexico))  CSS  30:296
2. Felicia Gesior  NMU  30:40.1
3. Jordyn Ross  NMU  31:01.9
4. Sharmila Ahmed (Burnsville, Minn./Burnsville HS)   CSS  31:38.1
5. Marit Sonnesyn   GAC  31:43.2
6. Sophie Schimpl   NMU  31:47.5
7. Allison Ternes (Vadnais Heights, Minn./White Bear Lake HS)   CSS  32:09.0
8. Ellie Evans (New Hope, Minn./Robbinsdale Cooper HS)  CSS  32:09.3
9. Megan Edic  NMU  32:13.1
10. Ulrika Axelsson  MTU  32:16.8

13.    Liz Peterson (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake HS)  CSS  32:48.8
17.    Chelsey Youngberg (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS)  CSS  34:54.1
20.    Evelyn DeLong (Calumet, Mich./Calumet HS)  CSS  35:19.6
 
Team Scores

1. NMU  64
2. CSS 63
3. MTU  39
4. UWGB  33
5. STO  32
6. GAC  31
7. SCSU  27