Ishpeming, Mich. – The Gustavus men’s and women’s nordic skiing teams competed in the first day of the two-day CCSA Championships on Saturday afternoon. Saturday’s race featured the classic technique and saw the Gustie men to a fifth-place finish, while the women ranked seventh.
On the men’s side, Marcus Speca (So., Minnetonka, Minn.) led the way in 22nd place with a time of 22:28.9. Scott Williams (Jr., Maple Grove, Minn.) followed in 26th with a time of 22:40.3, while Tyler Gustafson (Jr., Grand Rapids, Minn.) finished 31st in 23:01.0.
“Today was a really good day for our guys, especially Marcus Speca,” commented Head Coach Jed Friedrich. “He is a strong classic skier and it showed today. I am glad to see them kick the weekend off with a very competitive first day.”
For the women, senior Marian Lund (Duluth, Minn.) continued her strong skiing with an 11th place finish in a time of 12:39.7. Mata Agre (So., Corcoran, Minn.) came next in 26th with a finishing time of 13:11.9. Marit Sonnesyn (So., Plymouth, Minn.) was the third Gustie to finish in a time of 13:20.0 to place 29th.
“The women seemed a little off today, but Marian Lund still managed to place 11th among college skiers,” said Friedrich. “For them to finish only a point behind UW-Green Bay on a day that we just didn’t have it bodes well for tomorrow. The times were really close on this course in absolutely gorgeous conditions. Hopefully we can get similar conditions tomorrow.”
Both teams will be back in action tomorrow when they take part in the freestyle technique race in Ishpeming, Mich.