By Cathy Putman
Special to The Press Times

RHINELANDER – The fortunes of the Ashwaubenon Nordic Ski Team varsity boys followed the ups and downs of the Cedric A. Vig Outdoor Classroom (CAVOC) trails at the Hodag Challenge in Rhinelander late last month.

Despite the variability of the individual efforts, the team took third in all three contests: skate, classic and pursuit.

“It was a good weekend of racing,” Notre Dame Academy’s Joe Stumpf said about the Hodag Challenge. “We’ve been working hard, so a podium finish always feels good.”

Stumpf led the team with a sixth-place finish Saturday and improved to fourth overall in Sunday’s pursuit.

Noah Jahnke’s (West De Pere) 12th place in the pursuit came from an 11th in the skate and 16th in the classic.

Grant Rocheleau (Bay Port) recouped from a 22nd in the skate with an 11th in the classic to finish 14th overall.

Ben Buchmann (Ashwaubenon) was a team scorer in the skate with an 18th and finished 25th in the pursuit.

Jon Hanson (Pulaski) raced consistently to 24th in the pursuit.

Ashwaubenon’s varsity girls claimed the sixth-place trophy.

Greta Hansen (Green Bay Southwest) had a strong skate race, finishing sixth and placed eighth in the pursuit.

Lauren Carlton (Ashwaubenon) notched a seventh in the classic and was 14th overall.

Lilly Franzen (Green Bay Southwest) finished 44th in the pursuit based on consistent times in the two-day meet.

Teams from all over the state rostered at Rhinelander, giving the skiers a preview of their competition at state in a few weeks.

Racing the CAVOC trails was also a rehearsal for the Great Lakes Team finale, the last opportunity to qualify for a Junior Nationals berth in March in Minneapolis.