Saints Start Ski Season

WAUSAU, Wis. (csssaints.com) – Junior St. Scholastica women’s skier Sharmila Ahmed (Savage, Minn./Burnsville HS) began her 2013-14 racing season by getting to the final of the 1.5km collegiate women’s sprint event at the Aspirus Wausau Junior Olympic Qualifier on Saturday.Ahmed finished one better in the final results than her seventh fastest qualifying time. She came from behind to move on in both the quarterfinals and semifinals, but her racing form suffered in the final and she struggled to keep pace in the second half of the finals.Michigan Tech’s Lisa Koenig won comfortably over Northern Michigan’s sprinting ace, Felicia Gesior, who finished sixth in the U.S. National Championship 1.5km sprint a year ago. St. Olaf’s Paige Schember finished third.Sophomore Chelsey Youngberg (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS) finished third in the B final to finish ninth overall, while senior Sarah Allen (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS (Northern Michigan)) finished fifth in the B final for 11th place in the final results.”It was a really fun day of racing,” according to head coach Chad Salmela. The sprint event is not an NCAA event, but Salmela likes the effect a sprint race day has on his skiers early in the season.

“With Sarah and Sharmila sitting out last weekend with finals commitments, and knowing Chelsey needs a long wind up to get racing at her best, I was really happy they both got the full four starts today in the qualifier, quarters, semis, and A and B finals. They really needed it, and I think they got better all the way up the semis, but they ran out of gas a little in the finals. Overall, it’s what I wanted from the day and I’m happy with what they did today.”

The Saints finish up 2013 racing with a 5km classic Sunday to finish up the JOQ weekend in Wausau. Their next action will be Minnesota College Championships January 11th.