RESULTS | FINAL TEAM SCORES

ISHPEMING, Mich. (csssaints.com) - Paul Schommer (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly HS) led the St. Scholastica men's skiing team on the final day of the NCAA Central Regionals, finishing 13th in a time of 54:10.1 in the NCAA Central Regional Championship 20km mass start classic on Sunday.

Northern Michigan prevailed yet again with Fredrik Schwenke out lasting Alaska's Logan Hanneman by 5.3 seconds for the win, 51:30.0 to 51:35.3 respectively. NMU claimed third with Adam Martin in 51:36.2, as well as fourth and fifth to soundly claim the regional championship team trophy.

Calvin Mehrhof (Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids HS ) continued his stellar season with a 16th place finish in 54:41.1, while Reitler Hodgert (Bend, Ore./Summit HS ) rounded out the team scoring for the Saints in 19th in a time of 55:58.0.

NMU won the weekend with 129 points total. Alaska had a stellar day with five skiers in top 10 to claim second for the weekend with 118 points. Michigan Tech flipped their one-point disadvantage to the Saints from Saturday's freestyle race, to grab the final podium spot with 93 points to the Saints 89. 

Saints head coach Chad Salmela summed up the day as a "rough one" for the Saints. "We definitely had a rougher day than we've been used to this season. Alaska really rocked today, and Tech stepped it up a notch, and they kind of left us in our afterglow of our third place finish Saturday. That's racing. Our guys tried hard and raced hard, but it just wasn't our day. You have an off day against these teams, and they will capitalize."

Schommer looks to have notched his third trip to the NCAA Skiing Championships despite struggling Sunday. "I felt great," said Schommer. "I actually felt better than Saturday, but the skis just weren't the right ones." 

Hodgert had a tall order against Jonas Loeffler, a strong classic skier and two-time NCAA qualifier for Alaska, for the ninth and final spot going into Sunday's race.  Loeffler skied to a strong sixth place finish Sunday, punching his ticket to Lake Placid at the cost of Hodgert. "I just didn't have it today," claimed Hodgert. "I felt like I was at the end of my rope."

Salmela was philosophical about the team's performance on the final day of the season. "We dropped a rung and off the podium from regionals last year, and that never feels good. But on the other hand, we've had one heck of a season. It's hard to have your worst day of a great season in the final championship race, but that's just sport. We have a lot to be proud of as a team, and this season will be remembered as very special."

The 2015 NCAA Skiing Championship qualifiers for the central region will be official at noon on Monday.