COMPLETE RESULTS

HOUGHTON, Mich. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica women's Nordic ski team took part in the 1.5km freestyle sprint on Saturday at the Michigan Tech JNQ with freshman Megan Schiferl (Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge HS) winning the junior division race for the Saints.
 
Sprint Racing
In a sprint event, each athlete starts by trying to qualify by time, racing the sprint course against the clock. The fastest 30 times in the field advanced to five quarterfinals in which the first two skiers across the line advance as well as the fastest two skiers from the quarterfinals who were not in the top two. The same happens in the semifinals, whittling the field down to six athletes in the finals to determine the winner and rank order. All skiers outside the top 30 end the day in the order they finished the qualifier.
 
Schiferl's Day
The Woodbury, Minnesota freshman posted the fifth-fastest time in qualifying at 5:07.29. In the quarterfinals, she won her heat with a time of 4:57.71. Schiferl was runner-up in her semifinal heat, but it was enough to automatically qualify for the finals. In the finals, she won the event by two seconds with a time of 5:01.68.
 
Other Notable Performances
Fellow freshman Lili Tapper (Arden Hills, Minn./Irondale HS) hung with Schiferl in the junior division. Tapper had the sixth-fastest time in the field in qualifying at 5:07.77. She then finished behind Schiferl in the quarterfinal at 4:58.85. However, she stumbled in the semifinal heat and placed 11^th overall in the field.
 
Three other Saints made it to the quarterfinal round in the junior division. Freshmen Cecelia Boyle (Oakdale, Minn./Tartan HS), Lauren Buchholz (Sartell, Minn./Sartell HS) and Kendal Hendrickson (Little Falls, Minn./Little Falls HS) all finished in the top 20 in the field.
 
Three Saints also advanced to the quarterfinal round in the senior division on Saturday. Hanna Dahlberg (Ulricehamn, Sweden/Tingsholms School) led the way in 16^th. Samantha Benzing (Boise, Idaho/Boise HS) and Greta Jenkins (Palmer, Alaska/Colony HS) placed 24^th and 25^th, respectively.
 
Up Next
The Saints are back in action tomorrow at the Michigan Tech Ski Trails when they compete in the 10km classic. Start time is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. (ET).