ISHPEMING, Mich. (csssaints.com) – Kelsey Dickinson (Winthrop, Wash./Liberty Bell HS) led the St. Scholastica women's ski team on Saturday with a fifth place Central Collegiate Ski Association (CCSA) finish in the 15km Freestyle of the NCAA Central Region Championships at the Al Quaal Nordic Center.
 
The Action
Dickinson finished in the top 10 overall of the SuperTour event, coming home ninth with a time of 46:26. She was fifth among CCSA skiers with four Northern Michigan University skiers placing ahead of her. She entered the weekend ranked sixth in the region and today's result moves her one step closer to qualifying for the NCAA Skiing Championships.
 
"Kelsey is back to full health and should be getting stronger each day in plenty of time for the big end of season races," said head coach Maria Stuber. "She looked really good out there and seemed to have the ability to change gears and respond to moves made by the competition."
 
Ellie Evans (New Hope, Minn./Robbinsdale Cooper HS) crashed early in the race, but according to Stuber she hung tough and worked with teammate Nicole Gilman (Manitowish Waters, Wis./Lakeland Union HS) to place 13^th (20^th) and 14^th (21^st) among CCSA racers. Evans' time was 49:55 and Gilman finished in 50:38.
 
Evans and Gilman working together helped St. Scholastica finish third out the six CCSA teams competing. Northern Michigan was first and Michigan Tech placed second.
 
Saturday's Team Point Totals
1. Northern Michigan-51, 2. Michigan Tech-39, 3. St. Scholastica-32, 4. UW-Green Bay-27, 5. St. Olaf-15, 6. St. Cloud State-7
Overall Race Winner – Julia Kern – 44:52
CSCA Race Winner – Nicole Schneider (NMU) – 44:59
 
Up Next
The NCAA Central Region Championships conclude tomorrow with the 5km classic race. Race is scheduled to begin at noon (ET).