BIWABIK — Showing resolve in a season where snow and training opportunities were limited, the Stillwater boys and girls Nordic skiing teams each placed in the top half of the state meet on Feb. 14-15 at Giants Ridge.
Led by all-state performer Carson Peterson, the Stillwater boys placed fifth in the final standings with 316 points. The Ponies finished comfortably ahead of sixth-place Minneapolis South/Roosevelt, but behind Wayzata (368), Duluth East (362), Hopkins (344) and Brainerd (341).
The competition was tighter among the top half of the field in the girls competition, with Duluth East defending its state championship by a 371-359 margin over runner-up Minneapolis Washburn (359). Just 16 points separated the next five teams with St. Paul Highland Park placing third with 346 points and Wayzata (340), St. Louis Park (334), St. Paul Central (333) and Stillwater (330) completing the top seven.
“In this challenging weather, we feel fortunate that we were able to have a state meet,” Ponies co-head coach Torry Kraftson said. “Even a few weeks ago, I wondered if it would be possible to hold the section and state meets. The man-made snow loop at Battle Creek suffered a lot of melting during the warm winter, particularly over the holiday break and again in late January. There were many days when other teams had meets at Battle Creek and we were not able to practice there and there were no other places for us to ski.
“It would be comparable to a basketball team holding practices, but not having access to a gym. We made the most of it by doing strength, running, and roller ski practices right up to the end of the season.”
There was snow at Giants Ridge, but competition was held on a 2.5-kilometer loop adjacent to the alpine skiing hill. The distance races consisted of two loops, which was helpful for spectators, on Day 1 and the team sprints took place on the second day.
“They did a great job grooming and setting up fair and challenging courses,” Kraftson said.
Stillwater ranked fifth after completion of the pursuit, led by Peterson’s 14th-place finish overall with a time of 25:16.6, which was sixth for purposes of team scoring.
Ethan Foote, a senior who raced in the team sprint a year ago, was next for the Ponies in 33rd place (21st for scoring) with a time of 26:14.1. Sophomore George Nelson landed 59th (38th) in the pursuit with a time of 27:04.4.
Also racing in the pursuit for the Ponies were freshman Moses Schollett (28:55.8) and sophomore Kyle McBride (29:07.4), who placed 85th and 88th overall.
Stillwater narrowly missed out on a spot in the finals of the team sprint on Feb. 15 as sophomore Talbot Ward and freshman Charlie Sanderson placed ninth overall and seventh on the team card. The duo placed second in Heat No. 2 with a time of 13:20.71 and missed a spot in the finals by less than three seconds.
The top finisher in each of the three heats and the next five fastest times advanced to the finals. Talbot and Sanderson ranked ninth after qualifying, just behind the team from Irondale (13:17.92).
“I’m very proud of our boys for working hard all season and putting their hearts into the final few races of the season,” Ponies co-head coach Ryan Jensen said. “I’m also incredibly thankful for our massive support system. The Stillwater Nordic program is a pretty incredible family.”
This marked the highest finish for the Stillwater boys in their last four appearances since placing fourth in 2019.
Logan Drevlow of Hopkins was the individual pursuit champion, crossing the line with a winning time of 23:36.2. The freshman took about a nine-second advantage into the freestyle portion and pulled away from senior and runner-up Daniel McCollor (24:03.9) of Wayzata.
In the sprint, Lance Hastings and Taite Knapp of Brainerd posted a winning time of 11:55.94, which was about 11 seconds in front of the team from Duluth East (12:06.89).
Stillwater girls place 7th
Despite placing three pursuit skiers among the top 32 overall, the Stillwater girls were unable to climb higher than seventh place in the state team standings.
The Ponies ranked seventh after the pursuit results when just 17 points separated second-place Minneapolis Washburn from the seventh-place Ponies.
Stillwater remained in the seventh spot after placing ninth overall to miss the finals in the team sprint on Day 2.
“We had some gains and losses in the pursuit and ended up even in the team scoring,” Kraftson said.
Freshman Ada Burns and sophomore Eloise Powell finished second in Heat No. 1 with a time of 15:40.75, which was just four seconds behind heat winner St. Paul Academy and Summit School (15:26.11).
The third and final heat produced four of the five fastest times among the non-automatic qualifiers, leaving the Ponies just outside the top eight — about four seconds behind St. Paul Highland Park (15:36.81) for the final spot in the finals.
“It was hard to miss out of the final heat by a narrow margin, but Ada and Eloise skied a terrific race,” Kraftson said.
Senior Bailey Holmes (29:03.7) and junior Stella Powell (29:21.8) set the pace for the Ponies in the pursuit, placing 18th and 20th overall. Senior Annika Fuhrmann followed in 32nd place with a time of 30:04.7 to complete the scoring on the opening day.
“Another coach commented to me that he couldn’t believe we had three skiers in the top 32 in the pursuit and finished seventh,” Kraftson said. “It was the most competitive field I’ve seen as a coach. We determined before the racing that we would focus on our teamwork, hard work, and determination. In this regard, the season could not have been more successful.”
Junior Cate Koelzer (32:21.3) and sophomore Greta Widenbrant (32:46.2) placed 77th and 81st for Stillwater.
“I am proud of all of our skiers,” Kraftson said. “I am thankful for the support of the parents throughout the season. I am deeply grateful for our coaches and volunteer coaches who put in a tremendous effort waxing skis with us this week.
“We all feel a sense of relief that we made it through this tough winter.”
The coach added that many team members were planning to cheer on the program’s most prolific alum Jessie Diggins in the World Cup races in Golden Valley (on Feb. 17-18) and are expected to compete in the Kortelopet in Cable on Feb. 23.
Mounds View freshman Linnea Ousdigian claimed the individual state championship in pursuit with at ime of 27:43.8, nearly five seconds ahead of Hanna Koch (27:48.5) of St. Paul Highland Park.
Anna Britta Helmer and Greta Hendrickson of Duluth East won the girls team sprint with a time of 13:43.60, which was 21 seconds ahead of the team from St. Paul Academy and Summit School (14:04.95).
Boys team standings
1. Wayzata 368; 2. Duluth East 362; 3. Hopkins 344; 4. Brainerd 341; 5. Stillwater 316; 6. Minneapolis South/Roosevelt 299; 7. Bloomington Jefferson/Kennedy 297; 8. Ely 291; 9. Edina 289; 10. St. Paul Central 286; 11. Rogers 276; 12. Prior Lake/New Prague 274; 13. Mounds View 267; 14. Fergus Falls 257; 15. Blaine 247; 16. Winona/Cotter/Hope Lutheran 231.
Pursuit (top 5)
Classic-Freestyle—Pursuit
1. Logan Drevlow (Hop) 12:31.2-11:04.9—23:36.2; 2. Daniel McCollar (Way) 12:43.2-11:21.6—24:03.9; 3. Finn Christiansen (MA) 12:40.2-11:34.7—24:15.0; 4. Anders Westmano (BJ/K) 12:51.3-11:24.2—24:15.5; 5. Eddie Snider (MPA) 13:03.5-11:17.8—24:21.0.
Stillwater results (team scoring)
14. (6) Carson Peterson 13:30.4-11:46.3—25:16.6; 33. (21) Ethan Foote 13:57.0-12:17.8—26:14.1; 59. (38) George Nelson 14:37.3-12:27.1—27:04.4; 85. (55) Moses Schollett 15:24.4-13:31.5—28:55.8; 88. (58) Kyle McBride 15:34.6-13:33.1—29:07.4.
Team sprint
Top 3, Stillwater results
1. Brainerd 11:55.94; 2. Duluth East 12:06.89; 3. Orono/Delano 12:12.46; 9. Stillwater (Talbot Ward-Charlie Sanderson) 13:20.71.
Girls team standings
1. Duluth East 371; 2. Minnieapolis Washburn 359; 3. St. Paul Highland Park 346; 4. Wayzata 340; 5. St. Louis Park 334; 6. St. Paul Central 333; 7. Stillwater 330; 8. Minnetonka 312; 9. Brainerd 300; 10. Winona/Cotter/Hope Lutheran 281; 11. Forest Lake 278; 12. Proctor/Hermantown 271; 13. Sartell/St. Cloud Cathedral 261; 14. Elk River/Zimmerman 243; 15. Blaine 203; 16. Eastview/Rosemount 203.
Pursuit (top 5)
Classic-Freestyle—Pursuit
1. Linnea Ousdigian (MV) 14:55.3-12:48.6—27:43.8; 2. Hanna Koch (SPHP) 14:38.1-13:10.3—27:48.5; 3. Lila Golomb (Way) 14:45.4-13:11.4—27:56.6; 4. Hanna Wilsey (SLP) 14:53.6-13:13.6—28:06.8; 5. Lydia Kraker (DE) 15:00.9-13:31.3—28:31.5.
Stillwater results (team scoring)
18. (14) Bailey Holmes 15:31.8-13:32.5—29:03.7; 20. (16) Stella Powell 15:54.4-13:27.6—29:21.8; 32. (24). Annika Fuhrmann (St) 16:12.0-13:53.5—30:04.7; 77. (56) Cate Koelzer 17:16.8-15:05.1—32:21.3; 81. (60) Greta Widenbrant 17:38.5-15:08.0—32:46.2.
Team sprint
Top 3, Stillwater results
1. Duluth East 13:43.60; 2. St. Paul Academy/Summit 14:04.95; 3. Minneapolis Washburn 14:29.42; 9. Stillwater (Ada Burns-Eloise Powell) 15:40.75.
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