Local names & news: Figure skating, hockey polls, running

FIGURE SKATING

Baga leads short program

Duluth native Kiri Baga of Prior Lake, Minn., led a field of 12 after the Novice Ladies short program Monday afternoon at the U.S. Championships in Cleveland.

Baga, 13, had a score of 43.16 points, while Mary Beth Marley of DuPage, Ill., was second at 42.04 and Nina Jiang of Missouri City, Texas, was third at 41.86. The Novice Ladies free skate is today.

“I was nervous, but I had nothing to lose. I’m so excited to have skated well,” Baga told Ice Network.

COLLEGE HOCKEY

Saints No. 2 in Division III

After a win over previous No. 2 Wisconsin-Superior on Saturday, St. Scholastica moved up to a program-best No. 2 ranking in NCAA Division III according to a U.S. College Hockey Online poll released Monday.

Plattsburgh, N.Y., (12-1-2) is No. 1, followed by the Saints (14-3-1) and UWS (15-2-1) at No. 3.

In Division I, the Minnesota Duluth men (11-7-6) moved into the poll at No. 17 after a home sweep of Bemidji State, while the UMD women (15-6-3) remained at No. 3 after a road sweep of Minnesota State-Mankato.

ENDURANCE SPORTS

Koski, Bramante post strong finishes

Katie Koski of Duluth finished seventh in the women’s division of Sunday’s sixth Rock ’n’ Roll Arizona Marathon from Phoenix to Tempe, while Duluth native Carolyn Treacy Bramante of Minneapolis finished 20th in the women’s 10-kilometer pursuit Monday at the IBU Europa Cup biathlon championships in Nove Mesto Na Morave, Czech Republic.

Koski finished in 2 hours, 47 minutes, 20 seconds, the second American woman behind Sally Meyerhoff in 2:35:52. Olena Shurkhno of Ukraine won in 2:31:22.

Bramante was 40th after the sprint portion of the biathlon race, but shot clean in the second leg, hitting 20 of 20 targets, to move up 20 spots as the top American in 37:01.2. Natalia Sokolova of Russia won in 31:52.3.

Saints sweep skiing titles

St. Scholastica swept the men’s and women’s team titles in Sunday’s Minnesota Nordic Skiing Championships in Collegeville, Minn.

Jason Kask and Waylon Manske led the St. Scholastica men in the event, which featured two-person teams, each skier covering 10 kilometers. Julia Curry and Megan Holmes led the St. Scholastica women.

Winning the men’s individual two-person title for St. John’s were freshman Grant Cook of Duluth and Bob Gerten.

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