ISHPEMING, Mich. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica men's ski team was third out of the five Central Collegiate Ski Association (CCSA) teams in attendance on Saturday in the 20km freestyle race of the NCAA Central Region Championships at the Al Quaal Nordic Center.
 
The Action
Senior Reitler Hodgert (Bend, Ore./Summit HS ) entered the weekend ranked eighth in the region and in qualifying position for the NCAA Skiing Championships. Today skate race moved him another step closer to a qualifying spot with a sixth place finish among CCSA skiers and 13^th in the overall SuperTour event with a time of 59:00.
 
"Reitler was right in the CCSA mix, skied a really smart race and had a strong finish," said head coach Maria Stuber.
 
Isaac Wieber (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Tech HS) and Ryan St. Clair (Bend, Ore./Summit HS (Walla Walla)) were the other two skiers to score for the Saints. Wieber beat out St. Clair for 12^th among CCSA skiers and 22^nd overall with a time of 59:59. St. Clair was 13^th (23rd overall) with a time of 1:00:23.
 
"Isaac had an incredible day coming in as our second skier," said Stuber. "Isaac and Ryan spent a lot of time together out there and had the best tactical race we've seen from the Saints men's team all year!"
 
It was also the final NCAA skate races for CSS seniors Gerrit Garberich (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd HS ), Chris Hecker (Ham Lake, Minn./Anoka HS ) and Steven Mueggenberg (Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids HS ). Both Garberich and Hecker finished in the top 30 overall and the top 20 in the CCSA. For Mueggenberg, it was his first regional championship race.
 
Saturday's Team Point Totals
1. Northern Michigan-50, 2. Michigan Tech-41, 3. St. Scholastica-32, 4. UW-Green Bay-20, 5. St. Olaf-18
Overall Race Winner – Evan Palmer-Charrette – 55:41.3
CCSA Race Winner – Adam Martin (NMU) – 55:41.6
 
Up Next
The NCAA Central Region Championships conclude tomorrow with the 10km classic race. Race is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. (ET).