BIWABIK, MINN. - Duluth East's Nordic skiing teams swept the sprint races Wednesday at Giants Ridge, with Liesl Cope-Schaeffer defending her title with new teammate Greta Hendrickson and the Greyhounds boys battling through a messy finish.
Duluth East sweeps Nordic team sprints at skiing state meet
The Greyhounds girls defended their title in the 5K race, while the boys held on during a crash-filled finish.
February 16, 2023 at 2:39AM
"It's awesome," champion Colin Willemsen said of the double victories for Duluth East. "We knew we had two strong teams."
The Greyhounds girls team made winning the Minnesota State High School League title in the 5K race look easy on a 20-degree day with biting winds. The duo, wearing swatches of red glitter on their cheeks, finished in 16 minutes, 1.87 seconds, nearly 18 seconds ahead of runner-up St. Paul Academy.
Duluth East's boys finished in 14 minutes, 5.22 seconds, and Bemidji made a last-minute surge for second place.
The skiing state meet started Tuesday with Alpine races, and the final Nordic races of the event will be Thursday morning at the Iron Range hill.
Hendrickson raised her poles in jubilation after crossing the finish line, then did a little celebratory leap.
"It was such a good day," said Cope-Schaeffer, who watched her teammate finish the final stretch of the four-lap race from inside the track. "We felt great."
Cope-Schaeffer won the state title last year with teammate Rowan Bixler, who is competing in Thursday's individual pursuit. That was the first year for the two-skier team sprint.
Duluth East went into the girls finals with the fastest time by far from qualifying races held earlier in the day. The Greyhounds started fast and finished fast, only briefly challenged by St. Paul Academy's Maren Overgaard and Helen Townley.
"I like to chase," Townley said. "But when I can't see them, it's hard. I'm super proud of us."
A mind game helped Hendrickson deal with the big lead.
"You have to imagine they're right behind you," she said. "Then give it your all. It's going to hurt, but you just do it."
The Greyhounds duo was greeted by big cheers as they exited the course.
Duluth East's boys team also went into the finals with a strong qualifying time. On a course made difficult by Tuesday's rain and Wednesday's freeze, they maintained the lead, with Wayzata close behind until the final lap. The Greyhounds' James Kyes said his opponent took the lead and then wiped out — so Kyes leapt over his ski pole and kept going.
"I thought, 'If I go now, I don't think he'll be able to stay with me,'" Kyes said.
The course condition greatly impacted the race and helped Bemidji rally for second place. Reed Kuzel of Bemidji said he encountered several crashes on the course but stayed on his skis — which was enough in this competition. The trouble that struck other teams helped him and teammate Jack Mueller.
"We got really lucky at the end," Kuzel said. "We took it to our advantage."
Six players plus head coach Garrett Raboin and assistant coach Ben Gordon are from Minnesota. The tournament’s games will be televised starting Monday.
