HOUGHTON, Mich. (
csssaints.com) – Freshman
Jack Christianson (Arden Hills, Minn./Mounds View HS) won the 1.5km classic sprint in the junior division on Saturday as the St. Scholastica men's nordic ski team had a solid day at the Michigan Tech Junior National Qualifier.
Sprint Racing
In a sprint event, each athlete starts by trying to qualify by time, racing the sprint course against the clock. The fastest 30 times in the field advanced to five quarterfinals in which the first two skiers across the line advance as well as the fastest two skiers from the quarterfinals who were not in the top two. The same happens in the semifinals, whittling the field down to six athletes in the finals to determine the winner and rank order. All skiers outside the top 30 end the day in the order they finished the qualifier.
Junior Division
The CSS skiers that are under the age of 20 competed in the junior division. Christianson,
Andrew Bailey (Appleton, Wis./St. Francis Xavier HS) and
Dan DeLestry (Eau Claire, Wis./Eau Claire Memorial HS) all qualified in the top 30 to make the quarterfinals.
In the quarterfinals, the Saints won two of the five heats. Christianson won the first heat with a time of 4:42.36 and Bailey took the second heat with a time of 4:38.34. DeLestry was also in the second heat and placed third with a time 4:39.57. Even though DeLestry finished outside the top two of the heat, his time was fast enough to qualify for the semifinals.
In the semifinals, Christianson won the first heat defeating Bailey by nearly three seconds with a time of 4:37.99. Both advanced to the finals. DeLestry placed fourth in the heat and did not advance.
Christianson got better as the racing continued as he had the seventh fastest time in the quarterfinals, then the third-fastest time in the semifinals. In the finals he finished with the fastest time, taking first place with a time of 4:33.66. Bailey came in fourth place with a time of 4:40.77.
Senior Division
Five of the seven St. Scholastica skiers that competed in the senior division qualified for the quarterfinals.
Sam Boardman (Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge HS) had the fastest time and placed eighth.
Ryan St. Clair (Bend, Ore./Summit HS (Walla Walla)),
Teddy Widmer (Bend, Ore./Bend HS),
Chris Hecker (Ham Lake, Minn./Anoka HS ) and
Isaac Wieber (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Tech HS) also qualified.
Boardman was the only Saint to advance to semifinals, placing second in the final heat with a time of 4:17.99. St. Clair just missed advancing.
Boardman's run ended in the semifinals, placing fifth in the second heat with a time of 4:22.70.
Up Next
The Saints are back in action tomorrow at the Michigan Tech Ski Trails when they compete in the 15km freestyle. Start time is scheduled for 10 a.m. (ET).
