MNHSNSCA Spring Meeting Minutes
April 10, 2025The annual Spring meeting of the Minnesota High School Nordic Skiing Coaches Association met last weekend in Mora. One of the bigger topics was several new state meet proposals (with a common theme of dropping the team sprints) and an update on current proposals. Fall meeting is scheduled for Oct 11th.
Moose Valuable Skier Award: Nominations Now Open
April 1, 2025Nominations are open for the Moose Valuable Skier (MVS) Award, celebrating Minnesota high school Nordic skiers. The award recognizes athletes who embody sportsmanship, humility, empowerment, and integrity. Two winners will receive (to their team) Madshus skis, poles, boots, and Julbo glasses. Nominations due by April 8th!
US Nationals/SuperTour Spring Series Mixed Relay Results
March 29, 2025Relay racing was on the docket for Saturday in Lake Placid, NY as part of the third day of competitions at the US Nationals/SuperTour Spring Series. A big day for clubs, the competition was fierce through the first leg of the race, but the pack quickly broke apart as the race went on and as some of the favorites made their moves. By the time the finish was in sight it was the SMS T2 team that had a clear advantage, taking the win with over a minute advantage on the rest of the field. Crossing the line in second was the team representing the University of Utah who themselves held a roughly 10 second gap on the third place Alberta World Cup Academy I team, and rounding out the US podium was the Team Birkie team consisting of Zak Ketterson, Alayna Sonnesyn, Kalev Christopher, and Luci Anderson who finished just seconds behind their Canadian counterparts on the overall podium. The US Nationals/SuperTour Spring Series will wrap up on Sunday with a title on the line for the final event: a 40K marathon.
US Nationals/SuperTour Spring Series Freestyle Sprints Results
March 28, 2025The second of four days of racing at the US Nationals/SuperTour Spring Series took place in Lake Placid, NY on Friday, and national titles were on the line for the day's freestyle sprint competition. Flying in from Finland, a handful of World Cup athletes made an appearance including Julia Kern and Jessie Diggins who were in a league of their own in the women's final. The pair would go one-two with Kern taking the title, while Erica Laven of Sweden was the third to finish several seconds later, with Kate Oldham just behind her as the third American. World Cup athletes made up the majority of the men's podium as well with Ben Ogden edging out Gus Schumacher for the national title, while Xavier McKeever of Canada out sprinted Jack Young for third. Young would still reach a podium however, as the third all-American. A mixed relay event breaks up the individual competition tomorrow with athletes competing for club and country in Lake Placid.
US Nationals/SuperTour Spring Series Freestyle Results
March 26, 2025While international racing has largely wound down, domestic racing still had a stop to make in Lake Placid, NY for the US Nationals/SuperTour Spring Series. Getting underway on Wednesday, the first competition of the Series was a 10K freestyle event that had athletes starting in an interval-start fashion. Hailing from Minnesota, the women's race was won by none other than Team Birkie's Luci Anderson who finish first 22 seconds ahead Erica Laven in second, with Liliane Gagnon just under 10 seconds back from Laven in third. John Steele Hagenbuch, a perennial favorite from the collegiate circuit, decisively won the men's race with over 30 seconds to spare, while Joe Davies, a Brit and chief competitor to Hagenbuch, took second, followed closely by the third place finisher, Graham Houtsma. Full results can be found via the link.
MNHSNSCA Awards Announced
March 20, 2025The Minnesota High School Nordic Ski Coaches Association has announced the awardees for the coach of the year: Josh Scharnberg, Fergus Falls girls and Andrew Hansen, Wayzata boys. Plus check out assistant coaches of the year, as well as volunteer (group) of the year!
Junior Nationals Mixed Relays Results
March 15, 2025Junior Nationals wrapped up at Soldier Hollow on Saturday morning with the popular mixed relay races. The Midwest just missed the podium in the U20 race, finishing 18 seconds back in 4th. Other top 10 results: U16 Midwest 6th, Great Lakes 7th; U18 Midwest 8th, Midwest #2 10th.
Junior Nationals: Freestyle Results
March 14, 2025The third and final individual competition at Junior Nationals, a mass-start freestyle race, took place on Friday in Midway, UT. Among the U16 crowd Linnea Ousdigian took home another national title in the 7.5K girl's race, while Evie Malec finished not that long after her in 4th. The U18 boys also claimed a title in their 10K race with Logan Drevlow taking the top honors, while Eddie Snider led the Midwest men in the 15K U20 race with a 4th place finish. There was a strong showing by the U20 women in their race as well where 9 skiers made up the top-20, with the likes of Hanna Koch, Chloe Angerman, Anna Peikert sweeping the podium. Adding to the notable finishes on the day were: MU16: Oliver Hohenstein 25th; MU18: Soren Winikoff 16th; FU18: Lila Golomb 24th; MU20: Anders Westanmo 12th; FU20: Greta Hendrickson 5th, Naida Hutchinson 10th, Kaia Osmundson 12th, Anna-Britta Helmer 13th, Stella Powell 17th, Madeline Gray 19th, and Erica Kazin 23rd.
Junior Nationals Freestyle Sprint Results
March 12, 2025Junior National racing resumed Wednesday at Soldier Hollow, UT, with a long day of freestyle sprint racing. Linnea Ousdigian was crowned national champion as she won the girls U16 final! Logan Drevlow was 4th in the MU18 final, Greta Hendrickson 4th FU20 final, Onika Colassacco 5th FU16 final, Connor Reckinger 5th MU16 final. Other notables: Hanna Koch 1st FU20 B final, Lila Golomb 2nd FU18 B final, James Drenne 3rd MU16 B final, Elsa Lindfors 4th FU18 B final, Lillian Franzen 4th FU20 B final, Evie Malec 5th FU16 B final. Friday will feature mass start freestyle distance races.
Junior Nationals: Classic Results
March 10, 2025Junior Nationals competition got underway at Soldier Hollow in Utah on Monday with the individual start classic races. The Midwest put two skiers on the podium as Linnea Ousdigian (FU16) and Hanna Koch (FU20) both finished in second place. Other top results from the Midwest/Great Lakes - FU16: Eleanor Mody 13th, Evie Malec 15th; MU16: Niels Stringer 5th, Connor Reckinger 14th, James Derenne 14th MU16; FU18: Lila Golomb 13th, Helen Townley 25th; MU18: Logan Drevlow 17th, Soren Winikoff 20th, George Nelson 22nd; FU20: Chloe Angerman 4th, Greta Hendrickson 10th, Lillian Franzen 11th, Josephine Kwasny 17th, Monet Argeropoulos 23rd; MU20: Kristian Hudacek 11th, Anders Westanmo 12th, Eddie Snider 15th. Next up are the freestyle sprints on Wednesday.
Kortelopet Results
February 21, 2025The Kortelopet races on Friday proved big drama on Main Street as the men's skate race came down to a sprint finish with Eli Andre just holding off the late charge by James Kyes for the victory, Bridger Nelson coming in just a few seconds later in third. Kristen Monahan used some veteran skills to breakaway from Helen Townley to solo in for the women's title, as Anna Peikert scored third. In the classic race, Anna Gilmer pulled ahead of Claire Swanson for the women's crown, Annelise Baird rounding out the podium in third. And on the men's striding side, perennial Korte champ Murray Carter claimed another title with Hayward's own Neel Dums second and Peter Hackney in third.
Coleraine JNQ Classic Interval Start Results
February 16, 2025Junior National Qualifying wrapped up Sunday with interval start classic races in some crisp temperatures at Mt. Itasca, in Coleraine, MN. In the 10K U20/U18 Men's race, Anders Westanmo (Loppet Nordic Racing, U20) won by over 30 seconds, followed by Eddie Snider (Minneapolis Ski Club, U20) in second and Peter Hackney (Loppet Nordic Racing, U18) in third. For the 10K U20/U18 Women's race, Chloe Angerman (Loppet Nordic Racing, U20) took first place, followed by U18 finishers Elsa Lindfors (Endurance United) and Avery Rich (Loppet Nordic Racing). Aksel Skustad (Ely Nordic) and Evie Malec (Loppet Nordic Racing) won the U16 5K races.
Coleraine JNQ Classic Mass Start Results
February 15, 2025The final Midwest JNQ competition started off Saturday at Mt. Itasca with exciting mass start classic races. In the 7.5KM U20/U18/U16 Girls race, Lila Golomb (Minneapolis Ski Club, U18) dominated, winning by over a minute. Evie Malec (Loppet Nordic Racing, U16) was second with Annelise Baird (North XC/DXC, U18) in third. Top U20 skier was Anna-Britta Helmer (North XC/DXC) in 5th. In the Boys race, Reid Thompson (Big Thunder Nordic, U16) took first just nine seconds ahead of Eddie Snider (Minneapolis Ski Club, U20) with Eli Andre (Loppet Nordic Racing, U18) only six seconds behind in third. Owen Kalmes (Minneapolis Ski Club) was the top U20 in 6th.
Minnesota State Meet Pursuit Coverage
February 13, 2025Another crisp start to the racing on Thursday but bright sunshine had it feeling much warmer. Living up to their top billing, Mounds Views Linnea Ousdigian and Hopkins Logan Drevlow, both repeated as champions. Ousdigian put 27 seconds in the field in the freestyle leg, with Proctor/Hermantown's Della Bettendorf eating into that lead during the classic pursuit by 12 seconds as she finished second. Wayzata's Lila Golomb posted the fastest classic time to move onto the podium in third. Drevlow used a similar formula, dominating the boys freestyle field by 40 seconds and extending it by almost another 10 in classic. Anders Westanmo, Bloomington Jefferson/Kennedy, held off a hard charging Eddie Snider, MPA - who had the fastest classic time - as they finished second and third, 6/10 of second separating them. The Washburn girls stringed together the numbers to take the team title, Minnetonka second, St. Paul Highland Park. The Wayzata boys captured the team title by over 11 points, Ely second and MPA third. Results linked in, big photosets posted, along with video recaps.
Minnesota State Meet Team Sprints Coverage
February 12, 2025While delayed slightly due to cold temperatures, the Minnesota High School Nordic Skiing Championships got underway on Wednesday with the team sprint competition. The boys final proved to be a real thriller as St. Paul Central and Ely took the race right to the line with Central's pairing of Edward Brandt and William Poppleton taking first in a photo finish, Ely settling for second, and Orono/Delano third. In the girls final, the SPA pairing of Maren Overgaard and Inga Wing broke away half way through the race and never looked back, winning by nearly 30 seconds. Proctor/Hermantown came in second, St. Paul Highland Park third. Results linked in, video recaps coming tonihgt.
Minnesota State Meet Preview
February 10, 2025The Minnesota High School Nordic Skiing Championships are this Wednesday and Thursday at Giants Ridge, in Biwabik. We've posted a quick summary of the schedule, favorites, and resources.
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Minnesota High School State Meet Schedule Update
February 10, 2025With cold weather in the forecast for Biwabik this week, organizers have revised the schedule for Wednesday sprints and Thursday individual competitions to allow for warmer temperatures.
MNHSNSCA: Final High School Rankings
February 9, 2025The Minnesota High School Nordic Ski Coaches Association (MNHSNSCA) has released their final round rankings for the Minnesota High School Nordic ski season. Last season champs Linnea Ousdigian and Logan Drevlow remain number one, with St. Paul Highland girls and Brainerd boys staying in first.
WNSL State Distance Championships Coverage
February 9, 2025The Wisconsin Nordic Ski League State Distance Championships (aka. Wisconsin State Meet) were held this weekend at the Birkie trailhead in Cable. Saturday was the first half: freestyle races. Bay Nordic's Connor Reckinger posted the top time (and only sub-19) with Hayward's own Neel Dums second and CVN's Jack Dahlby third. On the girls side, Rochester guest skier Anna Peikert had the fastest time with Peak Nordic's Krin Blegen and Riley Grossklaus finishing second and third. Sunday's classic pursuit provided maximum excitement as both races had their lead changes. In the girls, Blegen erased Peikert's lead and kept on going, taking the pursuit title. Bay Nordic Onika Colassacco moved up from fifth to finish 11 seconds back in second. Grossklaus held her placing to round out the podium in third. For the boys, it was Dums catching Reckinger with the pair skiing together into the second lap before Dums pulled ahead to win by just four seconds. Dahlby maintained his position to finish third. Top classic times on the day when to Blegen and ANST's Ben Buchmann (4th in pursuit). Peak Nordic girls has the top team result, while Bay Nordic was best for the boys. Results linked in, plus photos and video recaps from the pursuit races.
Wisconsin State High School Distance Championship Predictions
February 6, 2025Ken Schoville shakes his crystal ball and reveals the picks for the Wisconsin high school Nordic skiing Distance Championship contenders! The titles will be handed out this Saturday and Sunday at the Birkie Trailhead in Cable.
Minnesota Section 2 Championship Coverage
February 6, 2025Racing on Theodore Wirth's snowmaking trails Thursday, Minnesota High School Section 2 Championship titles were decided. Chloe Angerman helped lead the Minneapolis Washburn girls to the team title, taking first in the girls pursuit. Evie Malec, Minnetonka, was second, with Zoe Wagner, Washburn, third. Minnetonka girls were the second place team, just four points back. Anders Westanmo, Bloomington Jefferson, had the only sub-13 minute classic and sub-12 minute skate to take the boys pursuit victory, Jace Haerter, Edina, took second with Peter Hackney, Minnetonka, third. Washburn boys competed the sweep of the team titles with Edina in second. Team sprint titles when to the Washburn boys and Minnetonka girls, with Eden Prairie boys and Minneapolis Southwest girls, punching their ticket to State as well. Results linked in, photos from the freestyle pursuit races coming later tonight.
Minnesota Section 4 Championship Coverage
February 6, 2025Minnesota High School Section 4 Championship was held on Thursday under a bright sky and some very gusty winds at Battle Creek. Returning State champion Linnea Ousdigian, Mounds View, showcased her dominating form in winning the girls pursuit title by nearly two and half minutes. Stillwater's Stella Powell topped the rest of the field, taking second with Norah Hushagen, Forest Lake, third. On the boys side, Mounds Park Academy (MPA) snared the top two places with Eddie Snider and Eli Andre, as Stillwater's George Nelson came in third. Team sprint victories were earned by Irondale boys and Stillwater girls, with Forest Lake girls also advanced their sprint team to State. MPA boys won the team title by a single point over Stillwater, while the Stillwater girls team took first with Mounds View in second. Full results linked in, photos from the classic races posted.
Minnesota Section 7 Championship Coverage
February 5, 2025Home to the Minnesota State Meet, Section 7 skiers once again got a chance to preview the courses as they battled for Section 7 Championship titles on Wednesday at Giants Ridge. Perennial rivals Ely and Duluth East had a great showdown for the boys with Ely winning it all: team title, team sprint title, and two skiers in the top three pursuit (4 in the top 7), for a four point margin over Duluth East. Dylan Durkin won the pursuit with Duluth East's August Capps second by two seconds over Aksel Skustad. There was an even tighter battle between Duluth East and Proctor/Hermantown as Proctor/Hermantown's sprint team took the three point margin of victory over Duluth East to give them the team title by a single point. Della Bettendorf lead the way for Proctor/Hermantown, taking the girls pursuit title as Marshall's Naida Huchinson was second and Duluth East's Carolina Arvold third (Duluth East posted 5 in the top 8!). Mora team sprinters, both boys and girls, earned their place at State as the best non-advancing teams. Results linked in, plus some contributed photos by Jake Richards and Amy Broadmore.
Minnesota Section 5 Championship Coverage
February 5, 2025Minnesota High School Section 5 Championships raced across the firmly packed snowmaking trails at Theodore Wirth on Wednesday. Elk River/Zimmerman girls had a strong performance, taking the team title and dominating the individual pursuit with three skiers in the top 5 including champion Claire Swanson and second place Mary Peterson. Rogers Cara Back held on for third. Coon Rapids Lachlan Demmer crushed the skate field by over 50 seconds enroute to the boys pursuit title, Kenton Prudhomme, Maple Grove, earning second and Osseo/PC/TG's Quinlan Rundquist striding into third. Blaine boys won the team title with Coon Rapids boys second, and Maple Grove girls team also advancing. Team Sprint champions were the Blaine boys and Coon Rapids girls, with the Coon Rapids boys pairing also heading to State. Full results linked in, plus photos from the freestyle races.
Minnesota Section 1 Championship Coverage
February 4, 2025A chilly second day of racing for Minnesota's High School Sectional week, Hyland Lake played host to another Championship on Tuesday with Section 1 taking to the course in Bloomington. On the team sprint side of the competition the Winona coop team of Winona/Cotter/Hope Lutheran secured both the boy's and girl's titles. In the individual competition Anna Gilmer, also of the Winona coop team, skied away with the girl's title after a dominant morning classic leg allowed her to finish the afternoon's freestyle race over a minute up on the rest of the field. Finishing second in that race was Faye Braun of Lakeville Nordic, the coop team of Lakeville North/Lakevile South, while Gilmer's teammate Calla Pike finished third. The boy's title went to Eric Anderson of Lake City who finished the pursuit race with 17 seconds to spare, while second and third went to a pair of Winona coop skiers, Tanner Benson and Kellen Groth. Both the boy's and girl's team titles went to the Winona coop team, sending both teams to State, while the RAVE coop team of Eastview/Rosemount secured second in the boys standings, Prior Lake second in the girls, earning State berths for both runner up teams as well. RAVE's girl's sprint team and Lakeville Coop's boy's sprint team also advanced to State as the fastest sprint teams not associated with either of the advancing teams. Results are linked in, with photos from the afternoon freestyle races.
Minnesota Section 8 Championship Coverage
February 4, 2025Jay Richards reports: A frosty morning greeted skiers and spectators alike with temperature well below 0 at Maplelag for the Section 8 Championships. But it wasn't cold weather that delayed the start -- instead, a bus getting stuck at the end of the driveway held back traffic for over 30 minutes. Dominating performances highlighted the day by both boys and girls individuals and team in the boys. Annelise Baird, Brainerd, three peated as Section champion taking a convincing win over Jackie Johnson of Moorhead and Kasey Soderholm, Alexandria. Andrew Berndt, Sartell/Cathedral, opened the boys racing with a convincing skate win by nearly 40 seconds. He held off two members of the strong Brainerd team in the classic pursuit, Gabe Hallgren and Owen Robertson. Team titles went to Brainerd for the boys and Alexandria for the girls, edging out Fergus Falls in a tie breaker. Moorhead boys took second to earn their first ever trip to state as a team. Sprint victories went to Sartell/Cathedral for girls and Brainerd for the boys; runners up were the Bemidji boys and Fergus Falls girls. Results linked in along with some photos from Jay Richards.
Minnesota Section 3 Championship Coverage
February 4, 2025A cold day of racing Tuesday as temps struggled to climb past the single digits for Minnesota Section 3 racing at Battle Creek. Blake's Jack Rudolph (9th grade) used a strong classic leg to take the boys pursuit title with St. Paul Central's Peter Schulz moving up to second place and South Tigers Dylan West in third. Hanna Koch, St. Paul Highland Park, collected the girls title as Elsa Lindfors finished second and Eleanor Mody, St. Paul Academy came in third. St. Paul Academy girls edged out top ranked Highland Park for the team title by a single point, with St. Paul Central boys posting a 15 point victory for the boys title, Highland Park the runners up. Team Sprint titles went to St. Paul Central boys and SPA girls, with SPA boys and St. Paul Central girls earning a team sprint spot at State as well. Results posted, plus photos from the classic races.
Minnesota Section 6 Championship Coverage
February 3, 2025Minnesota's High School Sectional competition kicked off Monday with Section 6 Championships at Hyland Lake, utilizing their full 5K snowmaking loop with a fresh coating of snow on top. Wayzata's Lila Golomb led the way to the team title as she dominated classic and freestyle races, winning the pursuit crown by nearly two minutes. Golomb's teammate Claire Britton secured second place with Daphne Grobstein, Hopkins, taking third. Reigning State Champion Logan Drevlow, Hopkins, used a strong classic performance and posted the only sub-12 minute skate time to win the boys pursuit. Hudson McMillan, Wayzata, was second, and a tie breaking finish for third between Hopkin's Bridger Nelson and Wayzata's Charlie Gundale. Wayzata boys competed the team sweep for the titles, with Hopkins sweeping as the runner up team and earning a place at State. Team Sprint titles went to Wayzata boys and Hopkins girls, plus Orono/Delano boys and St. Louis Park girls will be headed to State. Results linked in, along with photos from the morning classic races.
Wisconsin State Sprint Championships Results
February 2, 2025The Wisconsin Nordic Ski League held their sprint championships this weekend at the Ariens Nordic Center. On Saturday, teams paired up skiers for classic team sprints. The ANST team of Ben Buchmann and Jacob Shobe won the boys title, while Peak Nordic's pairing of Krin Blegen and Sydney Loehrl won the girls. Sunday was the individual freestyle sprints. Jack Dahlby, Chippewa Valley Nordic, took first place in the boys final, followed by Connor Reckinger and Franklin Richard, both from Bay Nordic, in second and third respectively. Krin Blegen, Peak Nordic, won the girls final, followed by Stella Meza, Lakeland, second and Elsa Oestreich, Wausau Nordic United, third.
Minnesota High School Sections Preview
February 1, 2025Minnesota sections run Monday thru Thursday this week as skiers compete to earn their place at the State Meet later this month. Twin Cities skiers take note of the snowmaking venue schedules and plan your outings accordingly.
Minneapolis JNQ Freestyle Coverage
January 26, 2025The Minneapolis JNQ races wrapped up Sunday with mass start freestyle races at Theodore Wirth. The Greggs completed another family sweep as Caitlin won the women's 10K in dominating fashion while Brian had a more cagey race, marking moves in the lead pack and then pulling ahead in the final 250 meters for the victory. Chloe Angerman finished second overall in the women's race and was the top U20 finisher with Inga Wing third and top U18 while in the men's race, two Canadians rounded out the podium with Kendyn Mashinter and Adam Heale while Logan Drevlow was the top U18 in 5th and Eddie Snider U20 in 6th. In the 5K U16 races, Jack Rudolph and Linnea Ousdigian collected the titles. Results linked in, plus video recaps of the 10K races.
Minneapolis JNQ Freestyle Sprints Results
January 25, 2025A big turnout on Saturday for a long day of freestyle sprint racing at Theodore Wirth as skiers competed for Junior National Qualifying points. Minnesota high school state champions reigned in their respective divisions as Logan Drevlow won the U20/18 boys final and Linnea Ousdigian took the U16 girls final. Hanna Koch dominated the girls U20/U18 final and Jack Rudolph won the U16 boys final. Sunday will feature mass start freestyle races.