Josh Blankenship finished in 28th place to lead the Gustie men.

Houghton, Mich. - The Gustavus Adolphus men’s and women’s nordic skiing teams brought home a pair of sixth place finishes from the NCAA Central Region Championships, which concluded on Sunday afternoon with the freestyle races.  The men finished sixth in a field of seven teams with 46 total points while the women finished sixth of eight teams with 56 points.  With Sunday’s finish, both teams conclude their 2012-13 seasons.

On the men’s side, Josh Blankenship (So.,  Maple Grove, Minn.) bounced back from a 46th place finish on Saturday in the classic race to cross the line in 28th place with a final time of 43:10.7 to lead the Gusties in the freestyle race on Sunday.  Tony Squillace (Jr., Duluth, Minn.) followed Blankenship in 31st with a time of 43:29.6.  Zach Wagner (Sr., Marquette, Mich.) crossed the finish line directly after Squillace just :07 seconds later.  Wagner finished in 32nd place with a time of 43:36.7.

“I was proud of the way the guys raced,” said head coach Jed Friedrich.  “Some of them were battling illness, but they stuck with it and fought all the way to the finish line.  It is difficult to stay focused at the end of a long season, but they fought nonetheless.  There is a good core of young guys that have the ability to improve and that’s exciting to plan for next year, but we will definitely miss Zach, our only senior.”

Meredith Bache-Wiig finished her career with a pair of 29th place finishes.

For the women, Erica Hett (Sr., Burnsville, Minn.) led the charge one last time.  Hett finished 13th in a time of 32:16.8, which was good enough for her best career finish at the Regional meet in the freestyle technique.  Behind her came Marian Lund (Jr., Duluth, Minn.) in 21st with a final time of 33:25.9.  Meredith Bache-Wiig (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) was the third Gustie to cross the finish line.  The senior finished her career with a 29th place finish in 35:34.3 for her second straight top 30 finish.

“The women raced well and fought hard,” mentioned Friedrich.  “They kept a positive attitude and skied as hard as they could right to the end.  I was happy with their effort.  Erica had another great race with her best regional result in the freestyle technique of her career, and Marian and Meredith each had good races as well.  It was good to see Erica and Meredith go out with good showings in their last races.”

The Gustavus Athletic Department would like to extend a sincere thank you to seniors Meredith Bache-Wiig, Erica Hett, and Zach Wagner for their dedication to the Gustavus nordic skiing program over the past four years.

Zach Wagner

Erica Hett

Men Freestyle Results

Men Team Scores

Women Freestyle Results

Women Team Scores

Erica Hett led the Gustie women with a 16th place finish.

Houghton, Mich. – The Gustavus men’s and women’s nordic skiing teams competed in day one of the NCAA Central Region Championships on Saturday morning.  Both teams competed in races that featured the Classic technique.  The women landed four skiers inside the top 30 while the men saw two in the top 40.  No team scores were available.

The women got another strong performance from Erica Hett (Sr., Burnsville, Minn.).  The senior led the charge once again with a 16th place finish in a time of 19:05.2.  Marian Lund (Jr., Duluth, Minn.) followed in 22nd place after crossing the line in 20:10.9 and Mata Agre (Fy., Corcoran, Minn.) finished 25th with a final time of 20:36.1.  Meredith Bache-Wiig (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) was the fourth Gustie to cross the line inside the top 30 in 29th place with a time of 21:27.0.

“It was a challenging day in a number of ways,” stated head coach Jed Friedrich.  “The conditions were variable throughout the day both when dealing with the weather and the course.  However, the women probably benefited a little from those conditions because they did a good job of waxing this morning.  Erica and Marian both skied well and Mata had one of her better races this year.  A lot of teams are close, so it will be a fun day tomorrow.”

Zach Wagner led the way for the men with a 32nd place finish.

On the men’s side, Zach Wagner (Sr., Marquette, Mich.) paced the Gusties with a 32nd place finish.  The senior finished in 34:42.1, and was three spots ahead of Tony Squillace (Jr., Duluth, Minn.).  Squillace crossed the line in 35th place with a time of 35:17.8.  Marcus Speca (Fy., Minnetonka, Minn.), Tyler Gustafson (So., Grand Rapids, Minn.), and Scott Williams (So., Maple Grove, Minn.) all finished within a minute of each other in 41st, 42nd, and 43rd, respectively.

“Conditions were just as challenging for the men, and it seemed to affect some more than others,” mentioned Friedrich.  “Zach skied well with the conditions and his experience on this course really showed.  He has raced on this course many times, whereas most of our guys have never skied here before.  There will be some fire in a few of our guys going into tomorrow, so it will be fun to see how we respond.”

Both squads will be back in action tomorrow with the Freestyle race in Houghton, Mich. on day two of the NCAA Central Region Championships.

Women’s Classic Results

Men’s Classic Results

Erica Hett led the Gustie women with a ninth place finish.

Grand Rapids, Minn. - The Gustavus men’s and women’s nordic skiing teams competed in the final day of the two-day CCSA Championships on Sunday afternoon.  On the women’s side, the Gusties finished in a tie for fifth place with UW-Green Bay after tallying 40 total team points.  For the men, Gustavus finished sixth with a final score of 35 team points.  Alaska Fairbanks won the women’s weekend competition with 75 total points while Northern Michigan finished first in the team standings for the men with a total of 76 points.

On the women’s side, the Gusties competed in a 15 km Freestyle race in a field of eight teams.  Erica Hett (Sr., Burnsville, Minn.) led the way for the Gustie women for the second straight day.  The senior registered a ninth-place finish in a time of 50:15.5.  Marian Lund (Jr., Duluth, Minn.) followed Hett in 24th place with a final time of 53:35.5.  Mata Agre (Fy., Corcoran, Minn.) rounded out the Gustavus top three with a 33rd place rank after crossing the finish line in 56:23.3.

“Today was a solid day for us,” remarked head coach Jed Friedrich.  ”The women skied better than yesterday, which was encouraging.  Erica led us and skied really well.  It was probably her best freestyle race of her college career which is a good sign heading into next weekend’s regionals.  We were in a tight battle with UW-Green Bay, who we ended up tying on the weekend, so it was a fun day.”

Josh Blankenship finished in 21st place to lead the Gustie men.

For the men, Gustavus was one of seven teams competing in the 20 km Freestyle race.  The Gusties were led by Josh Blankenship (So., Maple Grove, Minn.), who finished 21st with a final time of 1:00:07.9.  Tyler Gustafson (So., Grand Rapids, Minn.) was the second Gustavus skier to cross the finish line.  Gustafson finished in 33rd place in 1:02:15.3.  Tony Squillace (Jr., Duluth, Minn.) followed directly behind Gustafson in 34th place with a time of 1:02:37.3.

“Josh bounced back from yesterday’s race and skied to a solid 21st place for the men,” added Friedrich.  ”It was a very challenging course with grueling uphills and some very technical downhills.  We were a little tired today, so it was a great learning experience for them since our men’s team is so young.  Tyler also had a great race on his home course in Grand Rapids.”

Both the men’s and women’s teams will be in action next weekend when they travel to Houghton, Mich. for the NCAA Regional Qualifier on Saturday, Feb. 23rd and Sunday, Feb. 24th.

Freestyle Results

Zach Wagner led the way for the men with a 35th place finish.

Grand Rapids, Minn. - The Gustavus Adolphus men’s and women’s nordic skiing teams competed in day one of the two-day CCSA Championships on Saturday afternoon.  Both teams turned in multiple skiiers inside the top 40 in Saturday’s Classic races.  No team scores were available.  The two squads will take back to the course tomorrow afternoon for the Freestyle technique race.

On the men’s side, the Gusties competed in a 10 km race and were led by Zach Wagner (Sr., Marquette, Mich.) and Scott Williams (So., Maple Grove, Minn.), who finished one after another.  Wagner finished in 35th place with a time of 28:55.0 while Williams followed in 36th place with a final time of 29:03.4.  Tyler Gustafson (So., Grand Rapids, Minn.) was the third Gustie to finish in the top 40.  Gustafson finished 40th after crossing the line in 29:24.5.

Erica Hett led the Gustie women with an 18th place finish.

For the women, Erica Hett (Sr., Burnsville, Minn.) led the way in the 5 km race with an 18th-place finish in a time of 15:56.9.  Marian Lund (Jr., Duluth, Minn.) was the second Gustie to cross the line.  Lund finished 23rd in a time of 16:08.4.  The third Gustavus skiier to finish in the top 40 was Mata Agre (Fy., Corcoran, Minn.).  The first-year finished in 37th with a time of 17:10.7 to round out the Gustavus top three.

“Overall, today went okay,” said head coach Jed Friedrich.  ”I don’t think we had our best performance, but we showed good effort on the course today.  Both the skiers and myself are excited for the Freestyle race tomorrow, as it has commonly been our stronger technique.  It should be a lot of fun.”

Both the men’s and the women’s nordic skiing teams will be back on the course tomorrow in the Freestyle technique race of the CCSA Championships.

Men’s Classic Results

Women’s Classic Results

Mata Agre anchored the Gustie women with a split of 14:03.9.

Marquette, Mich. - The Gustavus Adolphus men’s and women’s nordic skiing teams participated in the CCSA Championships relay event on Sunday afternoon in which three members of each team combined for a 15 km race for the women and 30 km race on the men’s side.  The Gustie women finished eighth while the men finished in 11th place.

Marian Lund (Jr., Duluth, Minn.), Erica Hett (Sr., Burnsville, Minn.), and Mata Agre (Fy., Corcoran, Minn.) teamed up for the women.  Lund started things off with a 15:29.6 opening leg.  Hett followed her up with a 13:19.2 split and Agre finished things off with a time of 14:03.9 in the final 5 km for an overall time of 42:52.8 and an eighth place finish.

“Our women skied hard and had a tight battle with St. Olaf and UW-Green Bay, said head coach Jed Friedrich.  ”It was a back-and-forth battle between both teams mostly because we took different approaches in our line-ups.  Erica skied a strong leg right in the middle that gave us a good chance to compete and Mata skied as hard as she could to hold off Green Bay’s top skier.  I was proud of the way all three women competed.”

Zach Wagner skied the anchor leg in a time of 23:54.8 for the men.

On the men’s side, the Gusties sent Josh Blankenship (So., Maple Grove, Minn.), Scott Williams (So., Maple Grove, Minn.), and Zach Wagner (Sr., Marquette, Mich.) to the starting line.  Blankenship opened with a 25:31.1 first leg followed by a 23:56.5 second leg from Williams.  Wagner anchored the Gusties with a time of 23:54.8 for a total time of 1:13:22.6 and an 11th place finish for the Gustie men.

“The men did a good job and fought hard throughout all three legs,” mentioned Friedrich of the men’s performance.  ”They were really gunning for UW-Green Bay and set themselves up for a good chance at the end.  After the first leg, they had a sizable lead on us, but Scott skied really tough on the second leg to close the gap.  Zach had a great race keeping in contact with one of the better skiers in the whole region.”

The Gusties will be back in action Feb. 16th and 17th when they compete in the second weekend of the CCSA Championships in Grand Rapids, Minn.

“We’re looking forward to a break and a chance to get some good skiing in before we finish the season with the last two weekends at the CCSA Championships and the NCAA Regions,” finished Friedrich.

Men’s Relay Results

Women’s Relay Results

Marian Lund finished 16th and advanced in the sprint heats to lead the women.

Marquette, Mich. - The Gustavus Adolphus men’s and women’s nordic skiing teams competed in the first part of the two-weekend CCSA Championships on Saturday afternoon.  Saturday’s races featured a sprint format in the freestyle technique.  Both the men’s and the women’s races measured a 1.6 km course.  The two teams will compete again tomorrow in a three-skiier relay.

On the women’s side, Marian Lund (Jr., Duluth, Minn.) led the way with a 16th place finish.  The junior crossed the line in 4:28.8 and advanced in the sprint heats by finishing in the top 18.  Erica Hett (Sr., Burnsville, Minn.) followed Lund with a 22nd place finish in 4:31.5 and Mata Agre (Fy., Corcoran, Minn.) skied to a 29th place mark in a time of 4:44.5.

For the men, Josh Blankenship (So., Maple Grove, Minn.) finished 21st to lead the way for the Gusties.  Blankenship crossed the line with a final time of 3:48.2.  He was followed by Scott Williams (So., Maple Grove, Minn.), who was the only other Gustie to finish in the top 30.  Williams crossed the line in 3:52.4 for 28th place.

“Our skiers put forth a strong effort today,” mentioned head coach Jed Friedrich.  ”We just don’t have a lot of experience in sprint racing because we only race one sprint in a given year.  We mostly prepare for distance races, but this weekend is still a nice break from our usual race schedule.  I think everyone is looking forward to the relays tomorrow to pull out some good races.”

Women’s Sprint Results

Men’s Sprint Results

Josh Blankenship finished 8th to lead the way for the Gustie men.

Biwabik, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus men’s and women’s nordic skiing teams completed their second day of competition Sunday afternoon in the second of three NCAA qualifiers.  Both teams finished fifth in Sunday’s Freestyle race.  The men racked up 48 team points while the women tallied 47 points.

For the men, Josh Blankenship (So., Maple Grove, Minn.) led the way with an eighth place finish in a time of 55:51.8.  Tony Squillace (Jr., Duluth, Minn.) was the second Gustie to cross the finish line in 13th place with a time of 56:39.5.  Zach Wagner (Sr., Marquette, Mich.) rounded out the top three racers for Gustavus as the final Gustie skier to finish in the top 20.  Wagner placed 19th with a final time of 58:11.7.

“It was a very good day for the men,” said head coach Jed Friedrich.  “We had three racers in the top 20, led by Josh who had one of the best races of his college career.  Tony and Zach both had good races as well.  Overall, the entire team skied really well on a challenging course.”

Marian Lund recorded a top-20 finish on the afternoon.

On the women’s side, Erica Hett (Sr., Burnsville, Minn.) led the Gusties for the fourth consecutive race.  Hett finished ninth in a time of 51:01.7.  Marian Lund (Jr., Duluth, Minn.) followed Hett with a 14th place finish with a final time of 52:16.6.  The third Gustie woman to finish in the top 20 was Meredith Bache-Wiig (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.).  Bache-Wiig crossed the line in 20th place with a time of 54:26.1.

“Our women also had a solid day,” said Friedrich.  “Erica had another outstanding race with a ninth place finish.  Marian and Meredith also skied well.  We are happy with the results today and are excited heading into next weekend at Marquette.”

Both teams will compete next weekend in Marquette, Mich. for their final NCAA qualifier.

Freestyle Results

Erica Hett finished sixth the lead the Gustie women.

Biwabik, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus men’s and women’s nordic skiing teams competed in day one of their second NCAA qualifier Saturday.  No team scores were available following today’s races.  Both teams competed in the Classic technique this afternoon and will make the change to Freestyle tomorrow for day two of competition.

The Gustavus women were led by Erica Hett (Sr., Burnsville, Minn.) for the second straight weekend.  Hett put forth the strongest effort of her collegiate career and finished in sixth place with a time of 20:03.7.

“Erica was the highlight for the day,” stated head coach Jed Friedrich.  “She had one of the best results of her college career.  She was skiing really strong and you could tell she has a having a good race.  With one skier starting every 30 seconds, it was exciting seeing the splits on her during the race.”

Marian Lund (Jr., Duluth, Minn.) and Mata Agre (Fy., Corcoran, Minn.) also finished in the top 30 for the Gusties.  Lund finished in 21:16.1 for 22nd place while Agre crossed the line in 22:41.6 for a 28th place finish.

Zach Wagner finished 23rd to lead the men.

On the men’s side, Zach Wagner (Sr., Marquette, Mich.) led the way with a 23rd place finish in 37:21.8.

“Zach led our men’s team today, which was good to see,” said Friedrich.  “After not feeling great last weekend, it was encouraging to see him get back on track.”

Josh Blankenship (So., Maple Grove, Minn.) was the only other Gustie to finish in the top 30.  The sophomore crossed the finish line in 37:46.3 for 27th place.

The two squads will race again tomorrow with the Freestyle technique.

Classic Results

The men’s team is coming off a fifth place finish and the women’s team a sixth place finish from the first NCAA qualifier in the Tour de Twin Cities in Minneapolis. For the women, Erica Hett (Sr., Burnsville Minn.) broke out with her best performance of the season. She placed 18^th in the 5K Freestyle with a time of 13:33.3 and 13^th in the 15K Classic with 50:10.2. Junior Marian Lund (Duluth, Minn.) followed closely behind Hett finishing 20^th in both races.

On the men’s side, sophomore Josh Blankenship (Maple Grove, Minn.) led the team in both races, placing 26^th in the 10K Freestyle with a time of 24:00.8 and 27^th in the 15K Classic with 53:37.9. Tyler Gustafson (So., Grand Rapids, Minn.) and Scott Williams (So., Maple Grove, Minn.) were the team’s other top performers.

Marian Lund recorded a top-20 finish on the afternoon.

Minneapolis, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus men’s and women’s nordic skiing teams finished tied for fifth and sixth, respectively, at the first of three NCAA Qualifiers over the weekend at Wirth Park.  The men finished off the weekend with a 20km Classic race, while the women concluded their two-day competition with a 15km Classic technique race on Sunday afternoon.  The men’s squad finished with 71 points.  The women’s team racked up 77 total points on the weekend.

On the women’s side, the Gusties finished sixth with 77 points on the weekend.  On Sunday, the women finished with 41 points, led by Erica Hett (Sr., Burnsville, Minn.).  Hett finished in 13th with a final time of 50:10.2.  Next came Marian Lund (Jr., Duluth, Minn.) with a 20th-place finish in a time of 51:56.9.  Rounding out the top three for Gustavus was Mata Agre (Fy., Corcoran, Minn.).  Agre crossed the finish line in 55:06.5 for 31st place.

“Erica skied a strong race and moved up closer to the top skiers in our region.  She is such a strong classic skier, and this race really suits her well,” mentioned head coach Jed Friedrich.  “Marian keeps getting better in classic races as she scored a top-20 finish.  Mata skied great for us in her first 15k of her career.  It is quite an adjustment for first-year skiers because they usually ski 5k’s in high school.”

Scott Williams was the second Gustie to cross the line on Sunday.

For the men, it was a total of 71 points on the weekend, 36 of which came on Sunday.  Josh Blankenship (So., Maple Grove, Minn.) led the way for the second straight day.  Blankenship finished in 53:37.9 for 27th place.  Scott Williams (So., Maple Grove, Minn.) was the next Gustie to cross the finish line.  Williams recorded a time of 54:04.2 for 32nd place.  Gustavus owned places 35-38 as well.  Marcus Speca (Fy., Minnetonka, Minn.) captured 35th while Tyler Gustafson (So., Grand Rapids) finished 36th.  Tony Squillace (Jr., Duluth, Minn.) ranked 37th and Zach Wagner (Sr., Marquette, Mich.) crossed the finish line in 38th on the afternoon.

“Our top four skiers closed out the weekend with career best performances in the classic technique,” said Friedrich of the men’s team.  “All of them were first-years or sophomores, so it’s exciting to see them develop into stronger skiers.  It was a challenging course for our guys.  With the snow melting on Saturday and freezing hard in the morning, the course became really icy and caused a lot of crashes.  For the most part, they dealt with it well and kept charging forward.”

Both teams will be back in action next weekend, Jan. 26-27 at their second of three NCAA Qualifiers in Biwabik, Minn.

Freestyle Results

Classic Result