Nordic skiers face tough competition at Biwabik

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The Cardinal boys’ and girls’ Nordic ski teams traveled to Biwabik to battle not only the toughest competition they will face this season but also one of its toughest courses at Giants Ridge.

Almost 1,200 skiers participated in the meet, coming from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. The Cardinal boys finished 57th out of 78 teams overall, while the girls came in 68th out of 80 teams.

Austin McCoy and Mitch Evink battled a tough classic course that features an uphill climb for most of the race. McCoy finished in a time of 21:00.4, good for 117th place individually. Evink came in in a time of 22:56.7 and in 161st place.

On the skate course, it was Jimmy Lovrien who paced the Cardinals with a 117th-place finish. He crossed the finish line in a time of 19:34.5. Mike Erickson was about three seconds behind in 121st place.

Melissa Gromatka paced the girls’ team with the highest finish of the day. She ended in 131st place in the class race with a time of 25:38.2. Sarah Peper finished 148th in a time of 26:17.4.

Julia Sieling was the first Alexandria skier to cross the line in the skate race. She came in 136th overall with a time of 25:20.8, while Rachel Borden finished in 28:25.1 for a 170th-place finish.

The Cardinals will now shift their attention back to competition in the Central Lakes Conference. They will host their home meet this Saturday at Discovery Middle School. Races will start at 10 a.m.

MEET RESULTS

ALEXANDRIA BOYS – 57th place; Individual results – 5K Classic – Austin McCoy – 117th, 21:00.4; Mitch Evink – 161st, 22:56.7; 5K Skate – Jimmy Lovrien – 117th, 19:34.5; Mike Erickson – 121st, 19:37.7

ALEXANDRIA GIRLS – 68th place; Individual results – 5K Classic – Melissa Gromatka – 131st place, 25:38.2; Sarah Peper – 148th place, 26:17.4; 5K Skate – Julia Sieling – 136th, 25:20.8; Rachel Borden – 170th, 28:25.1

Tags: alexandria sports, sports, home, team, cardinals, nordic, ski