RESULTSHOUGHTON, Mich. (csssaints.com) - St. Scholastica senior
Sharmila Ahmed (Burnsville, Minn./Burnsville HS) posted a 53
rd place finish at the U.S. National Championships and an 11
th place finish in the Central Collegiate Ski Association (CCSA) in the women's 10km freestyle Sunday.
Northern Michigan's Jordyn Ross took the CCSA qualifier win by placing 16
th overall in a time of 32:06.9. Teammate Kristin Bourne was second in the CCSA and 17
th overall in 32:14.0, while Michigan Tech's Alice Flanders finished third in the CCSA and 20
th overall in 32:40.2.
Ahmed finished in 34:07.9 for a tie at that time and she finished just four seconds out of 46
th in a tight group of skiers. Senior
Anita Kirvesniemi (Simpele, Finland/Joensuun Yhteiskoulun Lukio (New Mexico)) was 60
th overall and 13
th in the CCSA in 34:25.5, while sophomore
Ellie Evans (New Hope, Minn./Robbinsdale Cooper HS) rounded out the scoring for the Saints in 86
th overall and 19
th in the CCSA in 35:45.3.
Ahmed started conservatively, but finished with a strong second half of the race, according to head coach
Chad Salmela. "She's coming off an illness over the holidays so we were kind of just planning to take what we could get. Her first lap looked like she was trying to get going but the second lap looked better."
He was pleased with the rest of the team's performance as well.
"Anita felt flat but was more competitive than in any skate race last season, and Ellie skied really well for her first U.S. Nationals with Liz just seconds behind her. I think as a team we skied solid and we're on our way to our best results coming towards us."
The Saints will compete in the 1.5km Classic Sprint, that was moved to
Tuesday because of the forecasted cold temperatures for Monday.
