The Gustavus men’s and women’s nordic skiing teams competed in a non-timed roller ski race Saturday against St. Olaf in Mankato, Minn. just moments before the first significant snowfall of the season. The dry run against the Oles was held on the Red Jacket Trail.
“We were able to pull off our roller ski race right before the snow started coming down,” Head coach Jed Friedrich said. “It’s kind of ironic that we were hoping for the snow to hold off for a couple of hours, but I’m glad it did. Our skiers needed a solid race effort and it was great that St. Olaf brought their team down. It definitely increased the intensity level and should benefit both teams. This was much better for us than if we woke up to only two inches of snow on ground.
“Anders Bowman and Marian Lund stood out as our top skiers today. Now we can enjoy the new fallen snow and work on technique. Our skiers will be hungry to race on snow next weekend.”
The Gustie men and women will travel to Ironwood, Mich. next Saturday and Sunday to take part in the Grandview XC Challenge for their first official competition on snow.