DULUTH, Minn. – Racing on their home trails at Spirit Mountain, the College of St. Scholastica men's nordic ski team turned in a strong overall performance at the 2026 NCAA Central Regional Skiing Championships, finishing third in the team standings against one of the nation's deepest regions.

The Saints totaled 94 team points to place third overall. Northern Michigan captured the regional title with 134 points, narrowly edging Michigan Tech at 133. UW-Green Bay finished fourth with 76 points, followed by St. Olaf with 10.

Although the Saints did not have an individual qualify for the NCAA Championships, the weekend showcased the program's depth and competitiveness at the highest regional level.

Classic Individual Start – 7.5K

In Friday's 7.5-kilometer classic individual start, Alexander Bertonneau (Frisco, CO/Summit HS) led the way for St. Scholastica with an 11th-place finish in 23:12.8, just over two minutes off the winning pace.

Max Rogers (Moorhead, MN/Moorhead HS) followed in 13th place with a time of 23:54.0, while Jakob Craig (Tomahawk, WI/Lakeland Union High School) finished 16th in 24:40.1. Jack Malec (Minnetonka, MN/Minnetonka HS) crossed in 17th at 24:41.8, Jonathan Saldin placed 22nd in 25:10.4, and Kaden Hacker (Sussex, WI/Home School) finished 23rd in 25:13.8.

Freestyle Mass Start – 20K

Bertonneau again paced the Saints in Saturday's 20-kilometer freestyle mass start, finishing seventh overall in 47:53.1, competing within a tightly contested lead pack through much of the race.

Rogers added a ninth-place finish in 48:20.9, while Craig placed 10th in 48:35.8. Hacker finished 19th in 50:00.3, Saldin crossed 22nd in 51:09.6, and Malec rounded out the Saints' lineup in 23rd with a time of 51:31.7.