Collegiate Racing Recap: CCSA
Welcome to week six: when the West was sleeping under wandering clouds and the East eased off of racing to enjoy exceptional skiing, the Midwest slumbered not!
CCSA: NCAA Regional Championships (Ishpeming, MI - Al Quaal Recreation Area)
In the final CCSA race of the season, skiers met on NMU’s home course to race under splendid skies and quality tracks.
Day 1, 5/10k Skate Individual:
At this point in the season, these skiers aren’t strangers to the podium: Mathias Rolid (NMU, NOR) took the victory over his teammate Kjetil Banerud (NMU, NOR) by nine seconds after being essentially tied at the 5k split. Reid Goble (MTU) finished third charging strong throughout the second half of the race.
Goble, in seventh after the 5k split, said, “I started off at a comfortable pace and felt strong going into the second lap so I really focused on making up time and ended up in third place.” Goble matched the eventual winner, Rolid, for last lap time.
Patrick Acton (MTU) finished 6th, Xavier Mansfield (NMU) 8th, Mark Ousdigian (MTU) 9th, Mitchell DeLong (MTU) 10th, John Schwinghamer (CSS) 11th, Tres Green (MTU) 12th, Shad Kraftson (UWGB) 14th, Gus Schatzlein (CSS) 16th, Bjorn Larson (CSS) 18th, Tamer Mische-Richter (CSS) 19th, and David Jaszczak (MTU) was 20th.
The women’s race was tight! The top three finished within three seconds of each other: Malin Boerjesjoe (NMU, SWE) won over Molly Miller (NMU, CAN) and Sarah Goble (MTU).
Amanda Kautzer (MTU) finished the day in 5th place, with Anabel Needham (MTU) in 9th, Emma Stertz (CSS) 14th, Maria Schoening (UWGB) 16th, Emma Albrecht (MTU) 18th, and Mae Barnes (CSS) in 20th.
Day 2, 15/20k Classic Mass Start:
Emil Book Bratbak became the first St. Scholastica skier to win a CCSA Regional Championship. He won by exactly two seconds over fellow Norwegian Kjetil Banerud (NMU). Daniel Streinz (NMU) finished in third.
Reid Goble (MTU) finished fourth to round out a strong weekend. Goble broke down the race and looked forward: “The pace for the first half was relaxed and going into the third lap I decided to push it and broke away along with three others. Unfortunately I didn’t feel as good going into the finish and ended up in fourth place. Obviously it would have been great to win a race at Regionals and have our team win the overall, but I am excited for some great races out at NCAAs and I’m sure the central boys will represent our region well. Aleksi, Patrick and myself will head out to Bozeman a week early and get ourselves ready for the races.”
Fellow Huskie, Patrick Acton, finished 6th with teammate Mitchell DeLong in 8th place. DeLong started the year with some setbacks (injuries and illnesses that are all too common for collegiate athletes) and has been fighting his way back with the help of his coaches.
“The mass start this weekend went very well,” said DeLong. “It was nice to keep the lead pack in sight for most of the race, and to work with my teammates Patrick Acton, Reid Goble, and Aleksi Lieno. The pace of the race was fast but controlled near the start. I simply tried to hang on the lead pack and stay relaxed. Goble and Emil Bratbak made some very strong and impressive moves on the largest climbs of the course to break up the pack late in the race. As the pack began to spread out, I tried to work with my teammates to close gaps between ourselves and other skiers. As a result, the team was able to get four men within a minute of the winning time…. [Now] I am looking forward to a healthy summer of training and another great season with the Huskies.”
Yes, Mitch! Eyes up!
In the women’s race Hilde Eide (NMU, NOR) finished first ahead of Nadine Matter (NMU, NOR). Sarah Goble (MTU) took her second third place of the weekend.
Amanda Kautzer (MTU) finished 9th, Emma Albrecht (MTU) 10th, Anabel Needham (MTU) 12th, Emma Stertz (CSS) 16th, Mae Barnes (CSS) 17th, Rana Kraftson (CSS) 18th, Cheresa Bouley (SCSU) 19th, and Maria Schoening (UWGB) was 20th.
- Men: 1. NMU (208), 2. MTU (169), 3. CSS (158)
- Women: 1. NMU (216), 2. MTU (180), 3. CSS (130)
- Combined: 1. NMU (424), 2. MTU (349), 3. CSS (288)
Up Next: Off until the NCAA Championships, March 11-14, in Bozeman, MT.
EISA
Up Next:
- Feb 28-29: Middlebury Carnival (Hancock, VT - Rikert Nordic Center)
- Fri: 5/10k Skate Individual
- Sat: 15/20k Classic Mass
RMISA
Up Next:
- Feb 28-29: RMISA Champs/NCAA West Regional (Bozeman, MT - Crosscut Mtn. Sports Center)
- Fri: 5/10k Skate Individual
- Sat: 15/20k Classic Mass
About the author... Luke Brown, a graduate of Minnehaha Academy and Dartmouth College, is a skier and biathlete for the Crosscut Mountain Sports Center and the US Biathlon X-Team. He enjoys running in the mountains, writing, and eating cereal with whole milk. He lives in Bozeman, MT.
