All pictures by Paige Wicka

On Thursday of last week, senior captain Maggie Mahota competed in the Section 2A Nordic Ski Meet, posting an impressive combined time of 37:12, good enough to qualify for the State Meet. Her time in the classic 5K was 20:18, and her time in the skate 5K was an impressive 16:54, which combined for a total of 37:12 and earned Holy Family 91 points in the competition.

The meet took place at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis, with Holy Family competing against schools like Edina, Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Chanhassen, Chaska, Bloomington Jefferson and other powerhouses. Southwest Minneapolis won the meet, but individual skiers from other schools were also able to qualify for state.

Coach Witchger said the following about Maggie, “It’s been inspiring to watch Maggie’s work ethic as part of the Nordic ski team the past five years. She’s always been one of our strongest skiers, but her commitment to training over this past summer really pushed her to another level. Maggie has really earned this opportunity to represent Holy Family with the rest of the state’s best skiers.”

Both Maggie and Megan Buelke started strong in the morning race, and kept up the pace in the afternoon pursuit race. During the afternoon race Maggie improved her place, claiming 10th place, therefore qualifying her for an individual spot at the state meet. Megan Buelke also finished with an impressive time, finishing 24th in a very competitive field.

When asked about her success this season Maggie commented, “This past summer I trained on roller skis three days a week and then when the season came along I looked for ways to challenge myself. It also helped having a great team who supported me throughout the season and kept me working hard and loving the sport.”

Maggie and Megan’s success follows their previous success where they were awarded All-Conference and Honorable Mention, respectively. In addition to very strong seasons by both Maggie and Megan, they were also named Academic All-State. The entire girls team was awarded the Academic Gold Award.

When asked about Maggie’s success, junior teammate Allie Phillips said, “She has been working so hard the past five years to get where she is today as a skier, and she has finally reached her goal. She is always so positive, does not let the stress get to her, and is very calm and cool under pressure. She deserves this so much, and I am so proud of her.”

Maggie will compete in the state meet on February 15 at Giant’s Ridge in Biwabik.