COMPLETE RESULTS

HOUGHTON, Mich. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica men's Nordic ski team took part in the 1.5km freestyle sprint on Saturday at the Michigan Tech JNQ with freshman Ryan Steger (Eagan, Minn./Eagan HS) capturing the junior division title for the Saints.
 
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.
 
Steger's Day
The Eagan, Minnesota freshman began the day by making a statement and posted the fastest qualifying time in the 83-skier field at 4:06.98. Steger then won his quarterfinal race with a time of 4:12.42. He followed that with a semifinal heat victory at 4:06.03. He then finished the day unbeaten crossing the line in 4:04.00 in the finals, placing first.
 
Other Notable Performances
Fellow freshman McEwan Rodefeld (Blaine, Minn./Irondale HS) was another freshman skier that advanced to the finals in the junior division. Rodefeld had the fourth-fastest qualifying time at 4:08.64. He then won his quarterfinal heat with a time of 4:07.19, the fourth fastest of that round. Steger then edged him in the semifinal heat to place second, but automatically qualify for the finals. Rodefeld finished fifth in the finals with a time of 4:12.01.
 
Freshman Gabe Raguse (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd HS) advanced to the semifinal round in the junior division and ended up placing 12^th overall. Raguse also won his quarterfinal heat to become the third Saint to do so in that division.
 
Tamer Mische-Richter (Bloomington, Minn./John F. Kennedy HS) advanced to the semifinals in the senior division for the Saints. Mische-Richter had the eighth-fastest time in qualifying at 3:52.87. He then won his quarterfinal heat with a time of 4:00.97. However, he would only place fourth in the semifinal heat to place eighth overall.
 
Jack Christianson (Arden Hills, Minn./Mounds View HS) was 13^th overall and Dan DeLestry (Eau Claire, Wis./Eau Claire Memorial HS) was 18^th in the senior division on Saturday.
 
Up Next
The Saints are back in action tomorrow at the Michigan Tech Ski Trails when they compete in the 15km classic. Start time is scheduled for 9 a.m. (ET).