Complete Results
Team Scores

HOUGHTON, Mich. -- St. Scholastica freshman Paul Schommer (Appleton, Wis./Kimberly HS) notched his third straight top 10 finish in Central Collegiate Ski Association (CCSA) competition, crossing the finish line in 1:05:00.9, in the CCSA Championship 20km mass start classic on Saturday.

On a cold, snowy, blustery day, the classic tracks filled in with dry, new, cold snow, making for very slow going.  An early lead group of nine Northern Michigan University and Alaska Fairbanks skiers started to pull away from the field. 

Schommer started conservatively, content to sit behind teammate, Jeremy Hecker (Andover, Minn./Andover HS (Minnesota-Twin Cities)), but half way through the first loop it was clear Hecker and Schommer struck out ahead to make up some places.  By 8km Schommer was in 10th, skiing by himself as the first non Wildcat or Nanook to cross each subsequent checkpoint to the finish.

In an exciting final sprint, Alaska's Tyler Kornfeld won his  third CCSA race of the season, outstriding teammate, Eric Soederstroem, 1:02:36.2, to 1:02:40.2.  Northern Michigan's Kjell-Christian Markset rounded out the podium in third posting a time of 1:02:44.6.

Hecker spent the first half of the race trying to get going, outside the top twenty, but charged into 14th by the finish, in a time of 1:05:51.1.  CSS freshman Joe Dubay (Coon Rapids, Minn./Andover HS) came in 20th in a time of 1:07:23.3 to round out the Saints scoring, to take third as a team. Alaska won the team race with Northern Michigan second.

The CCSA Championships end Sunday with a 3x5km freestyle relay.  After two competitions including today's 20km and January's 1.5km sprint, the Saints are in third place.  They have never finished better than fourth in the conference championship.