Senior Erich Ziegler picked up the first regional win for a Gustavus Nordic skier.
The Gustavus men’s Nordic ski team capped off an exciting weekend of action at the NorAm SuperTour stop at Telemark Resort in Cable, Wis. The event served as the third of five Central Collegiate Ski Association (CCSA) qualifiers for the NCAA National Collegiate Skiing Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo. in March. Senior Erich Ziegler (Crystal Falls, Mich.) opened the weekend with a 19th-place finish (46th overall – 32:26.6) among collegiate skiers in Saturday’s 10K Classic and followed that up with a first-place finish (14th overall – 36:43.0) among collegiate skiers in Sunday’s 15K Freestyle. Ziegler’s win was the first by a Gustavus skier in a NCAA/CCSA qualifier.
Andy Rishavy (Sr., Alexandria, Minn.) was next best for the Gusties, recording a pair of top-25 collegiate finishes. Rishavy finished 21st collegiately (49th overall) in the classic in a time of 32:37.9 on Saturday. He followed that up with a 20th-place finish collegiately (55th overall) in Sunday’s freestyle race with a 39:15.4 clocking.
Scott Kyser (Jr. St. Paul, Minn.) added a 30th-place finish in the classic (65th overall – 34:04.2) and a 28th-place finish in the freestyle (80th overall – 40:31.4), while Justin Young (Fr., Roseville, Minn.) just behind in 31st place in the classic (76th overall – 34:52.5) and in 29th place in the freestyle (85th overall – 40:45.2
The Gustie skiers were challenged by a range of weather conditions at Telemark this weekend. Balmy weather on Friday forced race coordinators to close the course to try to preserve the snow. Saturday was sunny with fast, icy conditions that made the classic race a bit treacherous on the downhills and turns. It snowed Saturday night and all day on Sunday for the freestyle races.
Classic – College | Division | Overall
Freestyle – College | Division | Overall
10K Men’s Classic — Saturday, January 28
46. Erich Ziegler……….32:26.6 (19th among CCSA skiers)
49. Andy Rishavy……..32:37.9 (21st)
65. Scott Kyser………..34:04.2 (30th)
76. Justin Young……….34:52.5 (31st)
82. Jahred Stephens….35:11.7 (33rd)
111. Elias Anoszko…….37:32.5 (40th)
15K Men’s Freestyle — Sunday, January 29
14. Erich Ziegler……….36:43.0 (1st among CCSA skiers)
55. Andy Rishavy……..39:15.4 (20th)
80. Scott Kyser………..40:31.4 (28th)
85. Justin Young……….40:45.2 (29th)
101. Jahred Stephens…42:01.7 (33rd)
133. Elias Anoszko…….44:31.8 (41st)
Men………………………CL……FS……Total
Alaska-Fairbanks……..75……70……..145
Northern Michigan…….70……56……..126
Michigan Tech…………60…….66……..126
Wisconsin-Green Bay..48……54……..102
Gustavus Adolphus…..37…….51………88
St. Olaf………………….39……30……….69
Saint John’s………….26…….30………56
Macalester……………..17…….11………28
Finlandia…………………6………7………13