Nordic Ski
Nordic Ski
NORDIC SKI: 2008-09 Season Outlook
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Mariah Featherly |
At the 2008 NCAA Skiing Championships, the Central Collegiate Ski Association was represented by six schools, had a top-three Nordic team and boasted a national champion.
What will 2008-09 bring?
Most of the CCSA programs began their seasons in December, and several will be attending the U.S. National Cross Country Championships Jan. 3-8 in Anchorage, Alaska.
The most important regular-season events this year, however, are the four sets of NCAA qualifying races that will determine which 11 women and nine men will participate in the NCAA Championships March 11-14 in Rumford, Maine.
The qualifying races are Jan. 24-25 in Coleraine, Minn.; Jan. 31-Feb. 1 in Cable, Wisc.; Feb. 14-15 in Little Falls, Minn.; and Feb. 28-Mar. 1 at the Central Region Championships in Houghton, Mich.
Press releases will be distributed summarizing each of the qualifying events as well as the NCAAs.
The CCSA includes six teams from Minnesota (the College of Saint Benedict, College of Saint Scholastica, Gustavus Adolphus College, Saint John’s University, Saint Olaf College and St. Cloud State University), two from Wisconsin (Northland College and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay), two from Michigan (Michigan Tech University and Northern Michigan University) and Alaska (Fairbanks).
Below is a capsule preview for Saint Cloud State University.
For the entire conference preview, visit the Central Collegiate Ski Association’s Web site at www.ccsaski.com
ST. CLOUD STATE UNIVERSITY
Location: St. Cloud, Minn.
Head coach: Jeremy Frost, 8th season
Top returners: So. Diane Vezendy, So. Mariah Featherly, So. Jenny Beckman, So. Amy Peterson
Top newcomers: Christy Ringsmuth
Web site: www.stcloudstate.edu/athletics
2007-08 standings: Central Region: 11th (women’s standings: 9th)
2008-09 outlook: A quartert of sophomores - Diane Vezendy, Mariah Featherly, Jenny Beckman and Amy Peterson - look to move St. Cloud State up in the CCSA ranks.
“I believe the outlook for this season is very positive. We have such a great group of women who are supportive, motivated and anxious to compete,” coach Jeremy Frost said. “The learning curve was steep last season and they come into this year’s races with valuable experience. We have used those experiences to help us modify and improve our training this year, which should make for some exciting racing this season.”
The Huskies, a women’s only team, started the season in late-November in West Yellowstone, Mont., raced in Ironwood, Michigan in mid-December and will attend the U.S. Nationals in Anchorage, Alaska in early January before hosting the Minnesota College Cup Jan. 18. Then they begin the Central Region NCAA qualifying races.
Featherly had the best result in Ironwood by taking 25th in the 10-kilometer classic.
The second largest university in Minnesota, SCSU is a Division II program located on the banks of the Mississippi River.
Frost, in his eighth season, said he appreciates how the conference works together to achieve success.
“The CCSA coaches and athletes are a great group and really push all teams to improve,” he said.
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