Eleven Gustavus Adolphus Nordic skiers competed in freestyle technique races Saturday at the FIS SuperTour/NCAA Qualifier at Telemark Resort near Cable, Wis. Laura Edlund (Jr., Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake) finished 28th overall (18th among collegiate skiers) to lead the Gustie women, while Scott Kyser (Sr., St. Paul, Minn./Highland Park) finished 53rd overall (28th among collegiate skiers) to lead the Gustavus men.
Edlund traversed the 4.8 kilometer course in a time of 14 minutes, 6.5 seconds, directly ahead of teammates Sarah Willis (Jr., Willmar, Minn./Willmar) and Kelly Chaudoin (So., Ely, Minn./Memorial). Willis finished with a time of 14:07.2, while Chaudoin stopped the clock in 14:09.1. Skiers from Northern Michigan University dominated the women’s race with the Wildcats taking 10 of the top 30 spots overall. All three Gustavus skiers are in the hunt for one of seven open qualifying spots for the NCAA Skiing Championships. Chaudoin entered the weekend in the 10th and final position with Edlund and Willis holding down the first two positions on the outside looking in. Another competitor on the bubble with the Gusties is St. Olaf’s Linn Dale, who entered the weekend in the third alternate spot in the CCSA/NCAA Points List. Dale finished 25th overall, 16th among collegiate skiers, with a time of 13:46.0.
Ritva Taipale (Sr., St. Paul, Minn./Central) finished 41st overall (27th among collegians) with a time of 14:31.2, just ahead of teammate Kathleen DeWahl (Jr., St. Paul, Minn./Central) in 43rd place overall (29th among collegians). DeWahl crossed the line with a time of 14:34.5. Allison Bohn (So., Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) finished 58th overall (35th among collegians; 15:11.4) and Kathryn Ladig (So., Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji) finished 61st overall (37th among collegians; 15:20.3) to round out the Gustavus women’s effort.
On the men’s side, Kyser completed the 9.6-kilometer course in a time of 25:14.6. Michael Paulson (Fr., Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) and Elias Anoszko (Jr., Dousman, Wis./Kettle Moraine) were the next Gustavus men across the line. Paulson stopped the clock in 70th place overall (35th among collegians) with a 25:40.7 clocking, while Anoszko finished 74th overall (36th among collegians) in a time of 25:52.4. Mark Hartman (Fy., White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake) rounded out the Gustavus contingent, placing 103rd with a time of 27:14.1.
The Gusties will close out the weekend by competing in Sunday’s classic races.