DULUTH, Minn. – Competing on their home snow at Spirit Mountain, the College of St. Scholastica women's nordic ski team delivered a strong two-day showing at the 2026 NCAA Central Regional Skiing Championships, highlighted by a runner-up finish from Della Bettendorf (Proctor, MN/Proctor HS) in the freestyle mass start, an NCAA Championships qualification, and a third-place team finish overall.
As a team, the Saints placed third in the Central Region with 91 points. Northern Michigan claimed the regional title with 135 points, followed by Michigan Tech with 128. St. Olaf finished fourth with 67 points, and UW-Green Bay rounded out the standings with 63.
Freestyle Mass Start – 20K
Bettendorf turned in one of the top performances in program history at regionals, finishing second overall in the 20-kilometer freestyle mass start with a time of 52:34.0, just two-tenths of a second off the winning pace. The result placed her ahead of multiple nationally-ranked competitors and firmly among the Central Region's elite.
With her performance over the weekend, Bettendorf has officially qualified for the NCAA Nordic Skiing Championships, which will be held later this month in Utah.
Jazlyn Gunderson (Wrenshall, MN/) added a 14th-place finish in 56:17.3, while Sophia Bertonneau (Leadville, CO/) crossed in 16th at 57:22.5. Lily Schaeffer (Brainard, MN/Brainard HS) placed 18th in 57:41.1, Belle Spets () finished 23rd in 58:49.0, and Madeline Gray rounded out the Saints' lineup in 26th with a time of 59:28.3.
Racing on a demanding six-lap course that tested both endurance and tactical awareness, the Saints skied confidently in a tightly packed lead group for much of the race, with Bettendorf battling stride-for-stride down the final stretch.
Classic Individual Start – 7.5K
In Friday's 7.5-kilometer classic individual start, Bettendorf once again led the way for St. Scholastica, finishing fifth overall in 23:08.9 against a stacked regional field.
Bertonneau followed with a 19th-place finish in 25:19.1, while Spets placed 22nd in 25:33.4. Schaeffer crossed 23rd in 25:40.6, Gunderson was 28th in 26:40.8, and Gray finished 29th in 26:54.7.
