RESULTS

HOUGHTON, Mich. (csssaints.com) – Junior Samantha Benzing (Boise, Idaho/Boise HS) finished 12^th on Saturday to lead the St. Scholastica women's ski team in the 5km freestyle individual start at the Central Collegiate Ski Association (CCSA) Championships on the Michigan Tech Trails.
 
Top Performers
Benzing came across the finish line with the 12^th-best time among CCSA racers at 16:34. Benzing, who is chasing University of Wisconsin-Green Bay's Lara Ketterer for the final NCAA qualifying spot in the region, finished 22 seconds behind Ketterer on Saturday.
 
First-year skiers Emma Stertz (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids HS) and Mae Barnes (New Hope, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) placed 14^th and 15, respectively to complete the CSS scoring. Stertz' time was 16:42, while Barnes' time was 16:43.
 
Maja Petersson (Solleftea, Sweden/Solleftea Gymnasium) and Rana Kraftson (Bayport, Minn./Stillwater HS) also posted top-20 finishes.  
 
Team Scores
Northern Michigan University was the top team on day one with a perfect score of 111 after sweeping the top three spots. Nadine Matter won the event with a time of 15:09. Michigan Tech University was second with 87 points and the Saints third with 66 points.
 
Up Next
The Saints will compete in the 15km classic mass start tomorrow (Sunday) at the CCSA Championships on the Tech Trails. Racing begins at noon (ET).