The SJU Nordic ski team returns to action this Sunday, Jan. 17, by hosting the Minnesota College Relays. The men’s race is scheduled for 1 p.m. on the Collegeville Trails.
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: The Saint John’s University Nordic ski team opened its season in style by winning the five-team Saints Invitational on Sunday, Jan. 10, in Collegeville. Sophomore Grant Cook (Duluth, Minn./East), sophomore Bob Gerten (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./St. Thomas Academy) and junior Jared Sundstrom (Proctor, Minn.) led the way for SJU by finishing second (31:50), third (32:47) and fourth (32:58), respectively. Gustavus’ Anders Bowman out-sprinted Cook in the last half kilometer to win the men’s race with a time of 31:45. The Johnnies won the meet with 48 points, followed by St. Scholastica (39), Gustavus Adolphus (37), St. Olaf (26) and Bethel (11). Senior Trevor Drake (Eden Prairie, Minn.) finished seventh with a time of 33:48, followed by freshman Charlie Ward (Falcon Heights, Minn.) in 13th (36:06), freshman Ethan Evenson (Mounds View, Minn.) in 17th (37:01) and Andrew Johnson in 19th (37:32). Senior Kevin Neal (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson), junior Tony Nowak (Annandale, Minn.) and sophomore Ryan Lesch (Apple Valley, Minn.) rounded out the SJU squad in 25th (41:41), 27th (43:32) and 29th (44:01), respectively.
THE MINNESOTA COLLEGE RELAYS: The Johnnies are expected to compete against Alaska-Fairbanks, Gustavus Adolphus, St. Olaf and St. Scholastica this weekend.
LAST YEAR’S RELAYS: Saint John’s tied for second out of five teams at last year’s Minnesota College Relays on Jan. 18, 2009, in Collegeville. St. Scholastica won the men’s race with 14 team points, followed by SJU (12), St. Olaf (12), Gustavus Adolphus (11) and Wisconsin-Green Bay (5). The sophomore tandem of Cook and Rob won the men’s race with a time of 1:08.31, 17 seconds ahead of St. Olaf’s Tom Jorgensen and Brandon Pieckowski.