Card Nordic skiers first, second

• Austin McCoy

Echo Press photo by Arlan Anderson Austin McCoy was third on Saturday at the Alexandria Invitational as he and teammate Mike Erickson paired up. The Cardinal boys’ Nordic ski team finished first ahead of Brainerd in the four-team competition.
• Sarah Peper

Echo Press photo by Arlan Anderson Sarah Peper skied to a second place finish as she and Lauren Allen teamed up in the relay, helping lead the girls’ team to a second place overall behind Brainerd.

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The Alexandria Nordic ski team hosted its annual meet this past weekend with the Cardinals’ varsity teams earning first and second-place finishes.

The Alexandria boys took first place, winning by more than a minute with their total team time of 1:23:43, while the Cardinal girls finished just behind Brainerd for second place.

Aaron Frederick and Jeremy Rapp teamed up in the mixed-technique relay to take second place in the 10K event. Frederick and Rapp finished in a time of 41:46, each racing one 2.5K lap of each technique, classic and skate.

Austin McCoy and Mike Erickson were right behind their teammates with a third-place finish in a time of 41:57.

The girls were led by Sara Peper and Lauren Allen. Their second-place finish helped secure the team’s runner-up finish in the four-team field. Peper and Allen finished in a time of 51:00.

Melissa Gromatka and Annie Trebelhorn finished in sixth place in 56:21.

“This was a fun meet for our team,” head coach Steve Devereaux said. “A few of the tougher teams from our conference opted not to race in Alexandria due to a race in St. Cloud on the same day. Their absences gave some more of our skiers a chance to take medal and ribbon honors, which was a good confidence booster for them at this point of the season.”

The Cardinal skiers will now prepare for the Central Lakes Conference meet at the Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center in Spicer. The meet takes place tomorrow, Thursday. Varsity and junior varsity skiers will race a 5K race in either skate or classic technique. The top two varsity skiers in each technique count for the team rank.

MEET RESULTS

BOYS’ TEAM RESULTS – 1. Alexandria, 1:23.43; 2. Willmar, 1:24.58; 3. Detroit Lakes, 1:30.08; 4. Brainerd, (No time, only two skiers)

GIRLS’ TEAM – 1. Brainerd, 1:46:21; 2. Alexandria, 1:47.21; 3. Willmar, 1:48:44; 4. Detroit Lakes – 1:52:50

ALEXANDRIA BOYS’ INDIVIDUAL RESULTS – 2. Aaron Frederick and Jeremy Rapp – 41:46; 3. Austin McCoy and Mike Erickson – 41:57

ALEXANDRIA GIRLS’ INDIVIDUAL RESULTS – 2. Sarah Peper and Lauren Allen – 51:00; 6. Melissa Gromatka and Annie Trebelhorn – 56:21

Tags: nordic, ski, alexandria, cardinals