Minneapolis, Minn. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) ---The Green Bay Nordic skiing team took on the CCSA Championships this past weekend, also known as the 2019 Mayor's XC Challenge. The Phoenix completed a classic mass start on Saturday and a freestyle interval start on Sunday. To find full results, click HERE.
 
"Our team did really well this weekend," said head coach Jeremy Hecker. "The team finished strong as a whole for one of our best performances of the season. We're definitely on the right track heading into the final race weekend of the year!"
 
Day One
The mass start was broken into different races based on age. In the 20k, for senior/masters, the men were led by redshirt senior Jacob Ajax, taking 38th with a time of 1:00:18.9. Not too far behind was a pack of three Green Bay skiers: redshirt sophomore Tom Woolhouse, redshirt junior Quinn Duffy, and sophomore Shad Kraftson, going 40-41-42. Woolhouse stopped the clock at 1:01:06.4, while Duffy came in only two seconds later. Kraftson crossed the line at 1:01:43.4. Meanwhile, in the 10k race for those in the U20/U18 category, freshman Ryan Mead placed 13th with a time of 29:39.5.
 
The women faced a 15k in the senior/masters race, and per usual, Sadie Peterson was the first Phoenix to finish. The redshirt sophomore earned 24th overall in 56:56.4. Rounding out the top three scorers included redshirt senior Maddie McKeefry, taking 33rd with a time of 58:56.7 while redshirt sophomore Maria Schoening completed the race at 1:02:38.1 for 39th.
 
Day Two
The shorter race took place on Sunday, and this time all age groups competed together. This time, it was Duffy that leapt to the front of the Green Bay skiers, taking 44th out of more than 130 participants with a time of 26:25.9. Ajax finished the race 12 seconds behind his teammate, good for 50th, while Krafton edged out another competitor for 54th by less than a second, collecting a time of 26:44.8.
 
The women had a 5k to complete, and this time around Peterson placed 21st in a 125-women field, coming in with a 15:45.9. Schoening had a respectable race as well, taking 39th with a time of 16:48.2, while McKeefry was not too far behind either. The eldest Phoenix skier recorded a time of 17:10.4 for 52nd.
 
Looking Ahead
The Phoenix have one more race set in stone: the NCAA Central Region Championships next weekend on the Tech Trails in Houghton, Michigan. Afterwards, skiers will wait for final confirmation of NCAA Championship qualifiers. Currently, Sadie Peterson is set to advance, but the results will be solidified after next weekend's competition. To view the rankings, click HERE.
 
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