Four Hastings athletes are heading to the MN State High School League Alpine State Championships!! The Raiders will send senior Abbi Pelava, freshman Kate Nowak, senior Jackson Reents, and senior Cole Caturia who all punched their ticket to the big dance at the MSHSL state championship held on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at Giants Ridge in Biwabik.
Reaching this achievement was far from easy this year as all four had to first battle through the section 4 MSHSL races which held some of the most challenging conditions of their high school careers. Sections day at Wild Mountain in Taylors Falls opened with balmy conditions for the Raiders as temperatures soared to record highs the previous day and also on race day. For obvious reasons, warm temps are not ideal conditions for alpine ski racers, but this year posed particular challenges for the Raiders. Warm temps made for slushy and “sugary” snow conditions which made it difficult for racers to find an edge. In a sport where athletes win and lose by .001 seconds, this made for a nail-biting day for racers and their families.
In spite of the tough test at sections, each of the 12 Raider athletes persevered to finish their two race runs. The Raiders competed against 20 other schools in their section which is about 120 boys and girls in each race respectively. Solid, consistent skiing earned the Raiders boys a fourth place overall finish and the girls a tie in points for fifth place overall. Although neither team was able to advance to the state meet, they were able to qualify four individuals.
Leading the crew by winning the Section 4 race for an incredible third year in a row was senior Jackson Reents. Senior Cole Caturia rebounded from last season with a solid ninth place finish. Abbi Pelava also had a solid day with two consistent runs and finished in 12th place. Kate Nowak had a nervous wait for the final results. Her combined runs put her in a tie for 17th place which came down to judges looking at the .001 point to make the decision about who would advance to the state meet! Nowak ended up claiming the final spot at state with her 17th place finish.
Said coach Jason Gergen, “The rest of the Raiders did an awesome job at the section race!” All twelve boy and girl racers completed both runs and many gained valuable experience for next year’s season. This is a great achievement, especially given the racing conditions and the high stakes atmosphere of the day. Racing in their first ever section race included Finn Caturia who finished 29th with senior James Millhollin in 48th. Will Bauer finished 52nd and Axton Bauer was 59th. Alexa Loritz finished 38th with Claire Caturia in 68th. Addison Maniak and Maddie Herdt made the most of their first section race finishing 67th and 68th overall.
“It was a great day for everyone and I want to take a moment to thank assistant coach Paul Lindstrom, Adam Peine, and Tommy Karnick for keeping the athletes informed, relaxed, and skiing their best. It takes a WHOLE team effort to be successful. I know our skiers will give it 100% next week. We all wish them the best,” said Gergen
Pelava, Nowak, Reents, and Caturia will represent Hastings on Tuesday, February 13 at Giant's Ridge in Biwabik, MN. Coach Gergen continued, “Congrats, ski well, and enjoy the ride!”
Go Raiders!
