Nordic Ski Team Starts Season Strong

01/16/2007

The College of Saint Benedict nordic ski team overcame any early season jitters, and showed a lot of poise at the College Cup in Houghton, Wisc.  They placed well in their first outing of the season, placing 13th out of 24 teams overall and 5th of 9 in the Central region.  The race included many excellent teams, from as far awat as Alaska, to as close as Northern Michigan.  But the Blazers held their own at this exciting tournament, which was made even more exciting by the noticeable lack of actual snow.

The Blazers were led by a couple first years who were able to seemlessly adjust to the college level of competition.  Christi Nowak (Rogers/ Dayton, Minn)is living up to much of the hype that has preceded her.  The StarTribune's 2005-06 Scholar-Athlete of the Year is certainly living up to the Athlete billing, as she finished first on the team in the Freestyle (including 53rd overall) and second in the Classic (including 25th overall).  Another first-year, Anna Roessler (Grand Rapids/ Grand Rapids, Minn.) is also showing promise, as she finished 23rd overall in the Classic and second on the team in the Freestyle.  These two led the Blazers to their 13th place finish, by helping them to post identical scores of 72 in both events.  This enabled the team to edge out the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay by one point.  The team's finish was indeed impressive, given the quality of teams in the field, such as the University of Northern Michigan, which finished first in both the Classic and the Freestyle competitions. And because of such a lack of snow, the Blazers left Houghton a day early, to warm up and prepare for their next event.

John Buckeye, Assistant, CSB Athletic Media Relations

Athletic Department
College of Saint Benedict
37 South College Avenue
St. Joseph, MN 56374
320-363-5301
Fax 320-363-6098