The Saint Scholastica men's and women's Nordic Ski teams began their races over the weekend in the Ariens Nordic CCSA Invite, taking place at the Ariens Nordic Center. The two-day competition spanned from Saturday, January 18 to Sunday, January 19. Day one concluded with freshman Leevi Tarjanne () with a flawless race, taking first place in the Classic Individual start while Greta Leitheiser (Bend, Ore./Sun Valley Community School) led for the women's team.
 

Classic Individual Start: 15k

Male Top Performers:

The first race of the weekend in Brillion began with the Classic Individual Start 15k race. The Saints were able to build off their potential and showcased what they are capable of this past weekend. Freshman Leevi Tarjanne () led the team and placed first on the podium in the 15k, finishing his race with an impressive time of 32:20.6. Chase High (Steamboat Springs, Colo./Steamboat Springs HS) also performed swimmingly, taking eighth place with a time of 33:20.1. Not far behind was Cameron Cruickshank () finishing with his time of 33:26.7 taking tenth, and Alexander Bertonneau (Frisco, Colo./Summit HS) finishing with a time of 34:07.2 placing 15th. Benjamin Boelter squeezed in to be the fifth Saint to place in the top-20, finishing with a time of 34:34.2 in 18th place.

Head coach Jason Kask stated: "Watching the men's race you could see that Leevi was skiing fast. His tenacity throughout the course propelled him to the top spot on the podium. Chase also looked strong on each lap and that showed in the results. It's awesome seeing both the freshman and upper classmen having such a great day!" 

The men's team finished second-place out of five teams for day one. Results from day one can be found here.

Female Top Performers:

For the women, junior Greta Leitheiser (Bend, Ore./Sun Valley Community School) led the Saints taking eighth place, finishing with a time of 39:39.6. Right behind her with a time of 39:40.6 was Charlotte (Mae) Whitcomb (Holderness, N.H./Holderness School) taking ninth place. Up next for the Saints was Kelsey Johannes (Anchorage, Alaska/West Anchorage HS) coming in with a time of 40:43.7 in 16th, and freshman Josie Kwansy () in 19th with a time of 41:39.4. Emily Erickson (Anchorage, Alaska/A.J. Dimond HS) finished in 20th for the Saints with a time of 41:42.6, making her the fifth Saint to finish in the top-20 yet again. 

Kask said: "The women's team also had strong results. Greta and Mae pushed hard to get into the top ten. You could see them fighting all the way to the line. I'm excited to see what tomorrow's mixed relay brings." 

The women's team wrapped up day one by taking fourth place. Results from day one can be found here.