April 1, 2019 at 11:43 a.m.
Springer, Seefeldt named skiing MVPs
Springer, Seefeldt named skiing MVPs
Northland Pines sophomore Ty Springer and Rhinelander senior Haley Seefeldt took home MVP honors for the boys' and girls' ski teams, respectively, during the event at The Haven.
Springer won the individual Northern Conference title for the second year in a row, and led the RHS/NP boys' team to a runner-up finish in the conference. At the WIARA state meet, Springer jumped six places from 13th as a freshman to seventh in the overall final standings.
"Ty was able to capture all three individual event titles overall for our conference this year and then he also ended up seventh overall at state, basically cutting his state performance in half from last year," coach Rod Olson said during the banquet. "That's a big jump - especially when you're already coming in top 20. To cut that in half was outstanding."
Seefeldt was the only member of the RHS/NP girls' team to make it to La Crosse for the state meet, where she finished right in the middle of the pack - 74th in a field of 149 skiers. Seefeldt punched her ticket to state with a seventh-place finish in the overall Northern Conference standings. She had to sweat out some nervous moments in the final conference race of the season at Ski Brule in Iron River, Mich. to qualify for state.
"Haley was a little nervous about hanging on to her medallist position going into her final race," Olson said. "We did a lot of racing in one day, and she was concerned over the math ... I really didn't know, but I just said 'You're going to make it. You're going to be a medalist.'"
Additionally, the team handed out MVP awards to two of its snowboarders - Kylee White and Bailey Schwab.
White placed fourth in the girls' standings. She was gunning for a top-three finish in conference and a strong showing at state, but sustained a season-ending arm injury in a training crash less than two weeks before the state meet. Schwab finished fourth in the boys' snowboard standings and placed 26th out of 78 boarders in the WIARA state meet.
"Within the team this year, doing a great job and improving quite a bit, both of our snowboarders that lettered this year," Olson said. "They were able to podium most of their conference races. We had a small team, but a good team."
Three athletes earned most improved honors this season. Freshman McKenna Nash won the girls award while the boys' award was shared by sophomore Patrick Stemper and junior Luke Fritz.
"Basically, most improved, we look at how you've done statistically," Olson said. "So we look at last year's results if you were a returning athlete, compare how you did in conference and amongst the team. (Assistant) coach (Greg) McGuire looks at where you are in comparison with your teammates. Some black and white determines that, also what we see on the hill, in the weight room, mentally, what kind of leader you are on the team. There's a lot of factors that go into most improved."
Short on numbers this year, the Hodags finished second in the Northern Conference in boys' skiing and fourth in girls' skiing. Rhinelander/Northland Pines did not have enough snowboarders to fill qualifying teams in either the boys' or girls' divisions.
"We've got to rebuild and grow," Olson said. "We were short this year - definitely short on snowboarders, short because of some things that happened to the boys' varsity (ski) team, same with the girls. We only had four. Competing with four, you can get it done, but it puts a lot of strain on just finishing rather than going for it knowing that we have a strategy in place.
"You may need to recruit people who have only done it a few times. We'll take them. We'll figure it out."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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