BIWABIK — As the sun shone brightly on the Lodge at Giants Ridge Wednesday, Feb. 8, water dripped off the entrance roof like summer rain, but the source wasn’t the sky but the snow melting rapidly above it.
What a far cry from last year’s season-ending meets at Giants Ridge, to the point where the state meet schedule had to be adjusted as the temperature topped out at about 2 degrees. Wedneday’s Section 7 Cross Country Ski Championships were anything but cold and dreary but warm and sunny, and you could tell in people’s moods.
Winter has already gone on long enough.
“It’s a spring carnival,” said race coordinator Deb Maki, the sunlight adding to her smile. “This is a blessing. Last year everybody was just so cold.”
The pace of Wednesday’s skiing appeared to heat up with the 40-degree temperature, as racing was fast and furious.
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“There were a few spots that were a little slow, just because of the sun hitting the snow, but otherwise I’d say it was really fast,” said Duluth East senior Oliver Miatke.
Miatke defended his boys pursuit title by winning in 28 minutes, 33 seconds, outpacing teammates Aiden Van Straten (29:37), Carl Morse (29:40) and Paavo Rova (30:22) as the Greyhounds swept the top four spots to easily win their third straight section title.
Ely senior Zoe Devine won the girls pursuit, which combines a five-kilometer classic and five-kilometer freestyle, in 32:39. East took the next four spots — Rowan Bixler (32:52), Lydia Kraker (33:22), Anna-Britta Helmer (33:58) and Jenna Johnson (34:32) — to win its sixth straight section championship.
“Both the Duluth East girls and boys Nordic teams have worked hard year-round to keep up their winning tradition,” Greyhounds coach Bonnie Fuller-Kask said. “They work hard and have fun skiing together.”
Devine, who takes off like a rocket sled at the start of her races, improved on her third-place finish from last year’s section meet. Like Miatke, Devine will ski at St. Michael’s University in Colchester, Vermont (Miatke will also run cross country). St. Michael’s Nordic ski team already includes freshman Ian Morse of Duluth East and sophomore Declan Hutchinson of Duluth Marshall.
The state meet is Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 15-16, at Giants Ridge.
“Last one, fast one. You just want to do your best,” Devine said. “It depends on the course, but we know this course pretty well, but I don’t like to hold anything back. When I cross the finish line, I want to know that I gave it my all, so from the start I pretty much went my hardest.”
This is the second year of sprint relays returning as part the section and state meet lineups, and Wednesday, East swept both of them.
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Colin Willemsen and James Kyes won in 14:03, 45 seconds ahead of Mora’s Alex Williams and Tanner Berry, while the Greyhounds’ Liesl Cope-Schaeffer and Greta Hendrickson finished ini 16:05, 1:06 ahead of Cloquet/Esko/Carlton’s Megan Chopskie and Charlotte Ripp.
The competitors enjoyed the 40-degree day with hardly any wind or clouds in the sky.
“You have to make sure to smile and have fun the whole time,” Kyes said. “Smiling and having fun is the best way to go fast.”
Section 7 Cross Country Ski Championships
At Giants Ridge, Biwabik
Wednesday’s Results
Boys
Teams
1. Duluth East, 396; 2. Mora, 367; 3. Ely, 357; 4. Mesabi East, 347; 5. North Shore, 321; 6. Proctor/Hermantown, 321; 7. Duluth Marshall, 320; 8. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton, 318; 9. Duluth Denfeld, 286.
Individual State Qualifiers
(Top Two Teams Plus Next Four)
Pursuit
(Includes 5K Classical and 5K Freestyle)
1. Oliver Miatke, DE, 14:25-14:08—28:33; 2. Aiden Van Straten, DE, 14:57-14:40—29:37; 3. Carl Morse, DE, 15:19-14:21—29:40; 4. Paavo Rova, DE, 15:24-14:58—30:22; 5. Connor Matschiner, ME, 15:14-15:44—30:58; 6. Riley Hutchinson, DM, 15:57-15:46—31:43; 7. Dylan Durkin, Ely, 16:12-15:45—31:57; 8. Elijah Wozniak, PH, 16:11-16:01—32:12; 9. Ted Anderson, Mora, 16:13-16:17—32:30; 11. Zethan Schultz, Mora, 16:37-16:03—32:40; 12. August Capps, DE, 16:44-15:57—32:41; 13. Ben Mulford, Mora, 16:55-15:47—32:42; 26. Own Zoka, Mora, 17:54-17:42—35:36; 27. Dakota Sand, Mora, 17:56-17:42—35:38.
5.2K Sprint Relay
(Four Alternating Loops of 1.3K Each)
*1. Colin Willemsen-James Kyes, DE, 14:03; *2. Alex Williams-Tanner Berry, Mora, 14:48; *3. William Bauer-Hunter Williams, CEC, 15:54; 4. Aksel Skustad-Caleb Larson, Ely, 16:00; 5. Derek Mayne Derek-Williams Foldesi, DD, 16:03; 6. Noah Markfort-Ben Gornik, ME, 16:43.
*state relay qualifiers
Girls
Teams
1. Duluth East, 393; 2. Ely, 374; 3. Proctor/Hermantown, 344; 4. Grand Rapids, 339; 5. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton, 332; 6. Duluth Marshall, 329; 7. Mora, 324; 8. North Shore, 306; 9. Mesabi East, 282; 10. Duluth Denfeld, 269.
Individual State Qualifiers
(Top Two Teams Plus Next Four)
Pursuit
(Includes 5K Classical and 5K Freestyle)
1. Zoe Devine, Ely, 16:02-16:37—32:39; 2. Rowan Bixler, DE, 16:53-15:59—32:52; 3. Lydia Kraker, DE, 16:45-16:37—33:22; 4. Anna-Britta Helmer, DE, 16:42-17:16—33:58; 5. Jenna Johnson, DE, 17:19-17:13—34:32; 6. Della Bettendorf, PH, 16:58-18:10—35:08; 7. Olya Wright, NS, 17:53-17:35—35:28; 8. Phoebe Helms, Ely, 17:54-17:38—35:32; 9. Leah Coleman, DE, 18:35-17:21—35:56; 10. Claire Blauch, Ely, 18:16-17:44—36:00; 11. Sanny Gangi, GR, 18:06-18:21—36:27; 12. Naida Hutchinson, DM, 18:12-19:03—37:15; 13. Ava Skustad, Ely, 19:19-18:16—37:35; 17. Anna Dunn, Ely, 19:16-19:34—38:50.
Sprint Relay
*1. Liesl Cope-Schaeffer-Greta Hendrickson, DE, 16:05; *2. Megan Chopskie-Charlotte Ripp, CEC, 17:11; 3. Ada Halverson-Nora Kerr, Mora, 17:27; *4. Kelly Thompson-Sydney Durkin, Ely, 17:36; 5. Elaine Jackson-Abigail Birkey, GR, 18:22; 6. Paisley Kleiman-Campbell Amundson Camp, PH, 18:28.
*state relay qualifiers
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