CABLE, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – Last weekend, the Green Bay Nordic Ski team took to the trails in Cable, Wisconsin for the Birkie CCSA and Junior Cup races, under the historical banner "Gitchi Gami Games." On Saturday, the Phoenix competed in an Individual Start Classic, while Sunday was the Mass Start Freestyle. Full results can be found HERE.
 
In the Men and Boys Senior/U23/U20/U18 10 kilometer classic race, all six Phoenix ended up in the top 45 out of nearly 160 participants. Senior Jake Ajax came away with the highest finish, posting a final time of 27:48.9 for second place overall. Redshirt sophomore Quinn Duffy was second for the team, stopping the clock at 29:26.4 and earning 18^th overall, 16^th in CCSA. Sophomore Tom Woolhouse placed 30^th, 20^th in CCSA, with a time of 30:05.4, with sophomore Sam Myers only about ten seconds behind, coming in at 30:16.0 for 34^th. Freshman Shad Kraftson crossed the line in 39^th, posting a time of 30:39.5, while redshirt sophomore Cory Rouw rounded up the group, taking 44^th with a time of 30:50.6. The men's team finished 2^nd out of 5 schools on Saturday.
 

"This was a career best finish for Ajax and an excellent way to set the tone for his racing going forward," said head coach Steve Teclaw. "While he earned every bit of that finish the result did surprise him a bit. Our focus now is to make sure this is the new norm and something achievable each weekend. Depth is also a major focus. The remainder of the roster has the drive to bump up in placement, they just need to execute across all areas of their racing to improve our team score."
 
In the freestyle races the next day, the experienced Phoenix men battled in the Senior/U23 15K, while Kraftson was entered in the U20/U18 10K competition. For the 15K, Ajax was the top finisher yet again, coming in at 36:34.5 for 14^th place. Duffy had a strong race as well, taking 16^th with a time of 37:09.8. Woolhouse was the third teammate to finish again, putting up a time of 38:04.7 for 24^th, beating over half of those entered in the race. Myers placed 28^th with a time of 39:16.7, while Rouw was 32^nd in 40:25.8. Meanwhile, Kraftson ended up 3^rd overall in the U20 division, finishing the 10K in 24:20.8 to grab a spot on the podium. Overall, the combined team score for the weekend was 3^rd for the Phoenix.
 
Teclaw added, "Sunday was another good day for the men, with Ajax posting a career best skate race. We're looking for continued improvement in his skate racing and are excited about starting off the pace well in this discipline. Again, the focus is on depth and we will continue to push the remainder of the roster."
 
On the women's side, redshirt junior Mykaela McMullen set the pace for the Phoenix on the first day in the five kilometer classic interval start. She placed 40^th overall and 15^th in CCSA. Second for the phoenix was newcomer Oda Bekkestad, taking 43^rd overall, 16^th in CCSA. Redshirt junior Maddie McKeefry rounded out the top 3 women, finishing 49^th overall, 19^th in CCSA.
 
About the women, Teclaw said, "This is an excellent finish for McMullen who is finally healthy after a hip surgery and ankle injury this past fall. I'm very exciting to see Mykaela racing well again and confident in what she can do on the race course."
 
On Sunday, six of the women were in the Senior/U23/U20/U18 10K race. The Phoenix were led by Bekkestad, who earned 40^th out of nearly 100 competitors and finished with a time of 30:01.3. Redshirt senior Kayla Billett was not too far behind, however, coming in 46^th with a time of 30:29.6. Freshman Anna Zajakowski represented Green Bay for the first time this weekend, taking 50^th in 30:54.1. Sophomore Maria Schoening was the next teammate to complete the race, taking 64^th in 32:05.9. Redshirt junior Emily Burger was 75^th in 33:28.3, while sophomore Mina Anderberg took 83^rd in 34:33.7. Overall, the women placed 5^th out of six schools.
 
The full Nordic Ski team roster will be busy again this upcoming weekend as they travel to Minnesota to compete in the Duluth CCSA races.

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