Hastings Raider Alpine sent an incredible five skiers to the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) State Alpine Ski Meet on Tuesday, February 14, 2023, and three of the five skiers made All-State Honors! All five skiers battled through a driving rainstorm in their second runs which made for challenging course conditions, and difficulty seeing through rain-covered ski goggles. In spite of the challenges, junior Jackson Reents earned a bronze medal, senior Aaron Herber placed 11th, and junior Abbi Pelava placed 16th out of a field of 88 of the best high school skiers in Minnesota. This was Reents’ third trip to state, Herber’s fifth, and Pelava’s third visit. The most recent all-state honors for Hastings alpine went to Jacob Peine in 2018.

Head Alpine Coach Gergen said of his skiers, “Jackson Reents has been consistently one of the top skiers in the state for the last couple of years and had an incredible season culminating in his third place today. A huge congrats also goes to All-State skier Aaron Herber and his 11th place overall finish. Aaron had the fifth fastest overall second run of the day, a mere .29 behind eventual state champion, Josh Nelson. Abbi Pelava has been a top skier for the team for several years, but recently found a little extra speed and confidence that helped propel her to this strong finish.”

Senior captain Zach Rother made his second trip to the state meet. Said Gergen of Rother, “Zach set a goal this season of qualifying for the state meet and achieved that goal. Today he started 62nd and skied up 21 places to finish 41st overall. He's been a rock-solid skier for Hastings, and his hard work and dedication was rewarded today with a great performance.”

Eighth grader Kate Nowak also participated in her second trip to the state meet. Said Coach Gergen, “Kate demonstrated strong skiing this year despite some nagging injuries. She finished her first run in 42nd place today after starting 66th. I know without a doubt that she'll be back strong for seasons to come!”

Junior Jackson Reents and senior captain Aaron Herber also qualified to represent in the first ever Team Minnesota at the Western US National High School Championship race at Mt. Hood, Oregon. Skiers needed to place in the top 12 in the state in order to qualify for this race. The national championship race will be held on March 10-11, 2023.

The state meet caps an end to an amazing 2022-23 season for Raider Alpine. The Hastings alpine team will graduate five seniors including Mallory Karnick who will attend the University of Minnesota Duluth for criminology; Eline Kirkesaether will attend NTNU Trondheim; Jacob Shield who will attend Dakota County Technical College for networking administration; Zach Rother who will attend Inver Hills Community College; and Aaron Herber who will attend the University of Wisconsin Stout for engineering technologies. Way to go, Raiders!

Editorial note: The Journal would like to thank Jennifer Herber and Tricia Pelava for their contributions in covering the Alpine Ski team this year. Herber and Pelava also covered the state meet on our behalf with a huge assist from Nick Nowak behind the lens. Thank you to all three for the help, especially since it involves travel all over the state for these wonderful kids and telling their stories.

Junio Abbi Pelava placed 16th finished third at the State Alpine Meet held at Giants Ridge in Biwabik. Her finish earned her All-State Honors. Photo by Nick Nowak


Senior Aaron Herber finished 11th at the State Alpine Meet held at Giants Ridge in Biwabik. His finish earned him All-State Honors. Photo by Nick Nowak