Hodag Nordic battles attrition at WNSL state meet

Illness picked a bad time to afflict an already thin Hodag Nordic ski team at the WNSL State Distance Championships in Cable this past weekend.

A number of skiers were forced to miss one day, or the entire two-day event all together, due to illness. The Hodags were hindered in the team standings as a result. The Hodag boys were the last of 12 qualifying teams in the event while the Hodag girls were knocked down to two skiers for Sunday’s finale and were unable to register a team score.

“Unfortunately, between sprints last weekend and this weekend, we lost a few athletes. But the kids really came out and raced hard,” Hodag coach John Gillen said. 

Junior Kayla Skubal had the top individual finish for the Hodags finishing 37th in a field of 70 in the two-day pursuit. She was 43rd after Saturday’s 6.2-kilometer freestyle race (28 minutes, 17.3 seconds), but finished 35th in Sunday’s classic race (28:55.4) to pick up six spots overall. 

That performance, coupled with her 29th-place run the prior weekend at the WNSL state sprints, allowed Skubal to finish 35th in the final WNSL standings. 

“She picked up a number of spots today, was really fired up to go out and race hard today. It was nice to see her pick up a number of spots and be close to that top 30,” coach Gillen said. 

    Rhinelander’s Iain Rumney completes a lap during the WNSL State Distance Championship classic race at the American Birkebeiner Trailhead in Cable Sunday, Feb. 9. Rumney finished 42nd in Sunday’s race and 52nd overall in the distance championships. (Brett LaBore/Lakeland Times)
  

Otherwise, the weekend was for the seniors. Iain Rumney had a strong finale on Sunday, taking 42nd in the classic race (23:01.0). That allowed him to vault up 17 positions in the individual pursuit and finish 52nd overall after clocking in 69th in Saturday’s skate race (23:57.5).

“He really brought it to the table today and was ready to race,” coach Gillen said. “He really skied hard yesterday, but really put it together today in his classic race and picked up a lot of spots, which was nice to see for his final high school career race.”

    Rhinelander’s Emma Mankus stands on the podium after earning first place in the adaptive girls’ category at the WNSL State Distance Championship classic race at the American Birkebeiner Trailhead in Cable Sunday, Feb. 9. (Brett LaBore/Lakeland Times)
  

Senior Emma Mankus, who has a disability, was 70th overall on the weekend (83rd skate, 72nd classic) but stood on the podium once again as the lone adaptive skier in the field. 

“Emma really raced hard and she always has a smile on her face just like she did today,” coach Gillen said.

Elsewhere on the boys’ side, Aaron Calhoun finished 70th overall. He was 76th after Saturday race and moved up six spots overall with a 66th-place run in the classic. Jonathan Calhoun also picked up spots Sunday, finishing 68th in classic. That vaulted him to 73rd overall after an 82nd-place run in freestyle. 

Mya Gillen was 70th in Saturday’s freestyle skate race, but scratched out of Sunday’s race due to illness. Kali Skubal missed both races due to illness. 

The Hodag boys tied for 12th and the Hodag girls tied for 13th in the final overall standings, which complied results from the state distance races, plus relay finishes from the state sprints the week prior in Brillion. 

On the middle school side, the Hodag girls finished ninth out of 10 teams. Eighth-grader Noelle Mayo led the way, finishing 22nd overall in the field of 47 skiers who competed both days. She was 21st in Saturday’s 3.1-kilometer skate (14:30.8) and 22nd in Sunday’s 3.1-kilometer classic race (15:18.2). Kelsie Skubal was 24th overall after taking 24th in freestyle and 23rd in classic. Evelyn MacFarland was 31st overall, placing 34th in freestyle and 30th in classic. Pearl Calhoun was Rhinelander’s top skier in Saturday’s freestyle (20th, 14;26.5), but scratched out of Sunday’s race due to illness.

On the boys’ side, eighth-grader Samuel Loomis came out 28th overall in a field of 64. His 24th-place run on Sunday in classic (13:25.3) vaulted him six spots in the overall, after taking 34th in Saturday’s skate. Jacob MacFarland finished 38th overall with a 38th-place run in freestyle and a 40th-place showing in classic. 

Coach Gillen credited his squad for sticking together during another challenging year that saw a handful of races postponed early in the season due to a lack of snow. 

“Although thin with numbers for us this year, they’ve really stuck together as a team and supported each other right from the high school right on down to the middle school and they really put in a good effort not only this weekend, but all season,” he said. 

Gillen noted that a few team members will likely participate in a few postseason events over the next few weekends, including the Iola Norseman Challenge this Sunday, Birkie week events in the Cable and Hayward area next week and the Loopy Loppet race March 1 at Minocqua Winter Park.