Area skiers qualify for national competition

U16 skiers, left to right, Casey Van Hefty (Lakeland Nordic), Kaden Hacker (Peak Nordic) and third-place finisher Grant Rocheleau from the Ashwaubenon Nordic Ski Team on the podium in the 5-kilometer freestyle in Houghton, Michigan, Feb. 15. Azael Meza Photo

Posted Thursday, March 5, 2020 5:47 am

By Cathy Putman

Special to The Press Times

BROWN COUNTY – Six area high school boys and one girl recently qualified for the 2020 Cross Country Skiing Junior Nationals.

The Ashwaubenon Nordic Ski Team (ANST) will send three skiers – U18 point’s leader Ryan Thieme (Bay Port), Daniel Huhtala (Ashwaubenon) and Kevin Johnson (Ashwaubenon) – to the weeklong racing series against the best in the nation March 8-14 in Truckee, California.

Pulaski junior William Murphy from the Bay Nordic Ski Team will join the ANST trio in Truckee.

Grant Rocheleau (Bay Port) and Beckett Chambers (Notre Dame) were named to the Great Lakes team for the 2020 U16 Championships in Chittenden, Vermont.

Bay Nordic’s U18 Spirit Hess (Green Bay East) qualified for the U18 Championships at Gore Mountain in New York.

“We saw excellent efforts with local qualifiers Thieme, Murphy, Huhtala and Rocheleau,” said ANST and Great Lakes Team head coach Scott Putman. “Being able to ski at peak effort [at the last qualifier of the year in Houghton, Michigan] bodes well for nationals.”