RESULTS

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (csssaints.com) -- St. Scholastica's Paul Schommer (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly HS) finished 31st in his final freestyle start at an NCAA Skiing Championships, posting a time of 27:33.0 for the 10km freestyle course on Wednesday.

Dartmouth's Patrick Caldwell posted the Big Green's first NCAA Skiing Nordic individual title since 2008, with a winning time of 25:09.1. Denver University's top freestyler, Moritz Madlener, swapped start times with teammate Dag Frode Trolleboe, the worst seed from the Western Region, to take bib number 1 out of the gate. The strategy seemed to work as Madlener flew through the course, looking good for the win until the final starter, Caldwell, nipped him by 2.2 seconds at the finish. Rune Oedegaard of Colorado, finished third in 25:35.1, while last year's freeestyle winner, Mads Stroem, also of Colorado, finished fourth in 25:38.9.

Schommer, who has struggled in the 2015 season to find the fitness and race form he had in 2014, started under control but aggressively, but never found the pace that put him eighth last season in the 20km freestyle.

"It could've been better. It could've been worse," said Schommer of the race. As a freshman in 2012, Schommer finished 15th at the NCAA Championship in this event, and failed to qualify in 2013. due to mid-season illness.

"I think it's hard to be happy with 31st when you've been 15th and eighth in the freestyle event historically, so I think Paul has handled that obvious disappointment well," said Saints Head Coach Chad Salmela. "But I think Paul gave his best today with where he is and he should feel no remorse for doing everything he could do today. He raced smart, listened to his body, and this was what he was capable of today. He's right. With a different strategy it could've gone much worse."

After a year of impressive skiing on the national scene by NCAA Central Region skiers, the day ended flat when the results came out with Schommer posting the fifth best performance from the Central Region of nine starters.

"When this group of skiers after the year they've had puts only one skier in the top 10, I think we all absolutely feel like we under performed a bit, especially after the success of last year's NCAAs," surmised Salmela.  "We have another opportunity Friday, and we have to focus on bringing a great level of energy to that final race of the year."

Saints end their season and Schommer ends his storied collegiate skiing career as a Saint in Friday's 20km classic mass start.