Hodag girls’ Nordic third at Lakeland

The Hodag Nordic Ski Team traveled to Minocqua Winter Park Sunday, Jan. 4 for its second race of the 2025-26 season, taking part in the six-team Lakeland Invite.

The race marked Rhinelander’s first time at Minocqua Winter Park since December 2022, after poor early-season snow conditions forced the cancellation of the race the last two seasons. 

Rhinelander showed up with a sizable contingent on Sunday, with 19 skiers competing in either the high school or middle school races. 

“The weather is fantastic, and the course was perfect. So it was really nice to have 19 athletes come and race today and one of the bigger teams so close to home,” coach John Gillen said. 

Rhinelander’s best team finish of the day came in the varsity girls’ division, where it beat host Lakeland to finish third out of four qualifying teams behind Hayward and Spooner. Iola and Chippewa Valley Nordic were also in attendance, but neither fielded the minimum of three varsity skiers required for a team score. 

Senior Kayla Skubal paced the Hodags again, and reached the podium for the second race in a row. She completed the 6-kilometer skate course in a time of 20 minutes, 56.8 seconds to finish fourth overall in the varsity girls’ field. 

“Kayla coming in, she knew where she wanted to be, and she wanted to be in the top five,” coach Gillen said. “She placed fourth, and was chasing down a couple girls on the first lap, and knew that she just couldn’t quite get them at the end.”

Freshman Noelle Mayo was second on the team, coming home 10th (22:59.4), freshman Bekah Koch was 15th (25:10.0) and junior Mya Gillen placed 17th (27:45.4).

    Hodag Nordic’s Jonathan Calhoun (82) and Aaron Calhoun (83) race together near the end of the first lap of the Lakeland Invite Nordic Ski race at Minocqua Winter Park Sunday, Jan. 4. Jonathan and Aaron Calhoun led the Hodag boys’ in the varsity division, finishing 19th and 20th, respectively. (Contributed photograph)
  

The Hodags finished fifth in the varsity boys’ race. Junior Jonathan Calhoun edged his sophomore brother, Aaron, to be the team’s top finisher. Jonathan Calhoun was 18th overall at 19:18.8, finishing two seconds ahead of his brother. Freshman Sam Loomis rounded out the Hodag contingent in 23rd (21:22.2).

Both middle school squads finished fifth in their respective divisions. Eighth grader Pearl Calhoun led a Hodag quintet on the girls’ side, placing eighth as she covered three kilometers in 10:34.8. Sixth grader Evelyn MacFarland also cracked the top 10 for the Hodags, placing 10th at 11:40.9. 

Seventh grader Scarlet Hartmann (14th, 12:50.4), and eighth graders Helen Beuning (16th, 12:52.8) and Quinn Williams (17th, 12:53.9) rounded out the squad. 

On the boys’ side, Jacob MacFarland led the way. The eighth grader came home 11th (10:36.0). He was the first of seven Hodag boys across the line. Eighth grader Emmett Tuckey was 14th (10:41.0), followed by eighth grader Alex Rusch (18th, 12:09.3), fifth grader Sam Rusch (21st, 13:13.7), sixth grader Kenny Koch (22nd, 13:20.2), seventh grader Urban Beuning (23rd, 13:33.3) and fifth grader Samuel Beuning (25th, 15:28.1).

“A number of them (on the middle school team), it was their first race, which this venue is really nice for that. All the kids I talked to, they really had a positive experience,” coach Gillen noted.

Sunday’s race served as a handy preview for the Hodags who will return to Minocqua Winter Park Tuesday, Jan. 27 for the Northern Conference meet, though that meet will be conducted in the classic technique. 

The Hodags will have two opportunities to race this coming weekend, beginning Saturday with the team’s first classic race of the season — the Snekkevik Ski Race at Nine Mile Forest in Wausau. That will be followed by the Iola Skate Race at Iola Winter Sports Club on Sunday, Jan. 11.