PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – St. Scholastica sophomore #Eleanor Magnuson# (So.-Champlin Park, Minn.) nearly scored a bronze medal, finishing fourth in the 18-19 year-old “older junior” girls 10km classic at the 2010 USSA Junior Olympics on Wednesday. The Junior Olympics annually serve as the age group U.S. Junior National Championships for athletes ages 19 and under.

Kaitlynn Miller for the New England region won in a time of 33:56.5 seconds. Magnuson missed the bronze by only two-tenths of a second, finishing in a time of 34:17.1 seconds to Rebecca Konieczny from the Alaska region and the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, in third, in a time of 24:16.9 seconds. Liza Goodwin of the Intermountain region and Montana State University finished second in 33:58.2 seconds. This is Magnuson's first top-ten finish at the Junior Olympics. Magnuson is the only Saints skier attending the Junior Olympics.

“This is a huge confidence boost for Eleanor,” said Saints head coach Chad Salmela. “I never talked to her about it, but my hunch going into the JOs was that based on how she was skiing at NCAA Regionals, she could get on the podium, and even win the OJ category with a good skate race. To be almost on the podium classic only supports those initial hunches.”

Magnuson has struggled all season with a back injury sustained in a fall strength training exercise and was hampered worse today than in recent races. She led the Older Junior category in the early going, but the pain in her back began to take its toll.

“She told me she hasn't felt it this bad in a race all season,” said Salmela. “The classic technique puts a lot of strain on the lower back, right where she has struggled, but all of our college races thus far have been only 5km races, so they don't last long and her back has held up despite some pain. But with a 10km, at the end of the year and being kind of tired, it's not surprising this race was more painful. It shows you how tough a competitor Eleanor is.”

Though her results have been good all season in both techniques, skating has been Magnuson's forte and Salmela thinks that's a good omen for Friday's 5km freestyle. “If you consider she was winning early on today in a classic race, a 5km freestyle could be very good for her. It might be a tad short, but if she can get her back relaxed from now until then, ski a relaxed but aggressive race without tightening up by trying too hard, I think anything is possible on Friday. She's just got to go out and do what she can do and have fun doing it, and I think it could be great.”

The USSA Junior Olympics continue Friday with the freestyle distance events.

2010 USSA Junior Olympics
Girls 10km Classic, Older Juniors (18-19)
Presque Isle, ME
3/9/10

1* MILLER, Kaitlynn NE Craftsbury 33:56.5
2* GOODWIN, Liza IM Montana State Univ. 33:58.2
3* KONIECZNY, Rebecca AK Univ Alaska Fairbanks 34:16.9
4* MAGNUSON, Eleanor MW St. Scholastica 34:17.1
5* PREVOT, Corinne NE Middlebury Ski Team 34:27.2
6* MALCOLM, Corrine MW Montana State Univ. 34:33.0
7* GOLOVKINA, Olga NE Colby Ski Team 34:45.4
8* ATTWOOD, Emily NE Cape Nordic 34:53.4
9* YEATON, Jessie AK Alaska Nordic Racing 35:05.5
10* DANIELS, Sarah MW Minnesota Valley SC 35:11.6