Team review: RHS/NPHS Alpine skiing

There was plenty of success for the Rhinelander/Northland Pines Alpine ski team during the 2025 season.

The Hodags were Northern Conference runner-ups in both boys’ and girls’ skiing and the champions in boys’ snowboarding. The Hodags had a number of all-conference athletes and even a couple of podium finishes at the WIARA state meet.

However, the most exciting thing for the Hodags might not be what they accomplished this year, rather the potential the squad has moving forward.

“I like it for me as a coach because I know what we can work on,” coach Rod Olson said. “If we had those performances and were maxed out, that’d be one feeling, but I love feeling that I can identify exactly what we need to focus on and improve on as a coach and as an athlete. That’s a pretty cool place to be in.”

Here are five storylines from the recently completed season.

Out west again

Though the winter was much more generous to the team than it was last year, the Hodags began their season the same way they did the previous, spending a handful of days in November training at Winter Park, Colo. 

Just as the trip did entering the 2024 season, coach Olson said the trip out west gave Rhinelander a leg up heading into the year. 

“We were surprised. We knew we’d have some learning and some advancement on some skills, but we had a lot of kids make a transition,” he said. “They learned a lot by just watching other racers, and the ability levels are anywhere from the beginning racer to real advanced. They learned from just watching. When they’re riding the chair, they’re watching what other athletes are doing.”

Boys’ skiing

The Hodag boys were runners-up in the Northern Conference this season. Rhinelander didn’t have the depth to keep up with the Wausau United co-op, which was in the mix for the Division 1 state title in La Crosse, but was able to fend off Ashwabay for the runner-up spot. That was a back and forth battle that came down to the final race of the final conference meet Feb. 8 at Ski Brule.

The Hodags did just enough in slalom to hang on to finish second in the conference.

“The boys knew that they were in contention and for the second place, and I think they did a good job of holding it together balancing aggression with standing up,” coach Olson said. 

Junior Ben Olson finished fourth overall in the boys’ standings while senior Jason Linn claimed the 10th and final all-conference spot, edging out freshman Wyler Koput in a tiebreaker. 

Ben Olson earned all-conference recognition in all three individual events, with the third-best point total in giant slalom, the fourth-best in slalom and the fourth-best in Super G. Jason Linn took seventh in the slalom standings while Koput was 10th in both giant slalom and Super G. 

The Hodags followed that up with a third-place finish in Division 2, and an 11th-place finish overall, at the WIARA state meet. If not for a crash in slalom, Ben Olson may have been in the hunt for a top 20 finish individually. He rebounded in his final two runs, taking 15th in giant slalom and 22nd in Super G to finish 73rd overall. 

Freshman Eli Repenshek had Rhinelander’s best performance at state, taking 38th overall, highlighted by a 29th-place run in GS. Jason Linn was 43rd, Koput finished 45th overall. Junior Holden Schmitz finished 66th and freshman Henry Schmitz placed 88th.

Girls’ skiing

    In this Feb. 8, 2025 file photo, Northland Pines freshman Jessica Linn competes in the slalom portion of a Northern Conference Alpine ski meet at Ski Brule in Iron River, Mich. Linn was the top skier for the Hodag girls this year, taking sixth in the Northern Conference. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
  

Though the season was primarily about development, the Hodag girls had a solid year taking second in the Northern Conference, highlighted by a win in the final conference race of the season at Ski Brule. 

Freshman Jessica Linn led the squad, taking seventh in the final conference standings. She was sixth in giant slalom, seventh in slalom and eighth in Super G. 

“What’s exciting is, you don’t want to say you won’t have a lot to work on with an athlete, but there’s a lot of development that we can still do,” coach Olson said. “So it’s exciting to know that you know we’re not down to splitting hairs and she’s getting fifth. We’ve got a lot of room for improvement so that’s super cool. You know great position to be in for coaching an athlete.”

Senior Callie Hoerchler, back after missing the better part of the last two seasons due to separate injuries, ended up 10th in the final conference standings, earning individual event all-conference honors in GS (ninth) and Super G (10th). Coach Olson said the goal was to get her to the state meet, even though that came with a bit of an injury scare following a hard crash in the next-to-last conference meet at Mt. Ashwabay.

“I think the theme of the season was really getting Callie to the state meet,” he said. “She’s been injured every year … You know, she tries hard, and she’s just such a good kid, so I’m glad that she’s able to compete for the whole year.”

At state the Hodag girls finished fifth out of eight teams in D2 and 19th of 22 overall. Linn led the Hodags in 68th place despite sustaining a hand injury in a training crash on the eve of the state meet. 

Callie Hoerchler suffered a disqualification in giant slalom but went out on a high note with a 45th-place finish in Super G to take 101st overall. Sophomore Lyndsey Hoerchler was 73rd overall for the Hodags, sophomore Aila Bergman finished 85th and senior Eliana Conrad was 95th. 

Snowboard

    In this Feb. 15, 2025 submitted photo, Rhinelander’s Soren Dumar, center, stands between Hartford’s Mason Weimer, left, and Aquinas co-op’s Bodie Callaway, right, on the podium for the boardercross competition at the WIARA State Championships in La Crosse. (Submitted photo)
  

The Hodags cleaned up in snowboard in the Northern Conference. They won the boys’ team title and had the individual conference champion in both the boys’ and girls’ divisions. 

The boys’ competition much of the year was a three-way battle between junior Soren Dumar, sophomore Marshal Durkee and freshman Kamden Kostrova. They finished 1-2-3 in the final overall standings with Dukree edging Dumar for the conference title. Durkee and Dumar went 1-2 in both giant slalom and boardercross. Kostrova was the tops in slalom, ahead of Durkee and Dumar. 

“Soren’s got a lot of talent and he did well for he’s been hurt and out for the last two seasons, so this is really his first season. He had a good season,” Olson said. “Marshal’s still working with that (racing) board. A ton of speed, but getting a lot better at holding it together and getting some personality on there. Kamden’s solid.”

Dumar, who missed each of the last two seasons after separate preseason injuries, had the highlight of the state meet for the Hodags. He finished tied for second in the boardercross competition to earn a spot on the podium in that event. 

Durkee had the more consistent meet, taking ninth in GS and 11th in slalom to finish eighth overall, just ahead of Dumar in ninth. Kostrova finished 24th and freshman Owen Sarkauskas rounded out the group in 39th.   

The Hodags once again had only one girls’ snowboarder, but junior Sydney Sarkauskas cleaned up this season. She won every run during the Northern Conference season and took home top honors in the overall and all three individual disciplines — slalom, giant slalom and boardercross. She followed that up with an 11th-place performance at the WIARA state meet.

“Sydney’s outstanding,” Olson said. “She’s doing well. We expected the state for her to be in the top 10 and everything as long as she finishes, so we’re looking good that way.”

What’s next

The Hodags will lose a few seniors — most notably Jason Linn, Callie Hoerchler and Conrad — but most of the squad remains intact for next year. 

Especially on the boys’ ski side, that has coach Olson optimistic about potentially vying for the D2 state title next February.

“We’re losing one (Linn) who’s, he’s kind of our anchor but, it seems like the people at the top (are losing) more than we are for sure. We’re hoping we can continue to be up in that tier.”

Otherwise, coach Olson said he’s eager to continue to see growth from the squad, like he did late in the season with the girls’ ski team.

“We have some young girls. We’ve only got two years of experience on the girls’ team and there were things,” he said. “They were making some of the same mistakes with some of the sets and some of the tricky things they do with the gates, but the girls really learned a lot.” 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at jeremy@rivernewsonline.com.