GRAND RAPIDS— Skiing a short track on manmade snow, the Ely Nordic ski team notched some competitive times in their first two meets of the season even as Duluth East appears set to run away with the section this year.
Skiing at Mt. Itasca on Tuesday, junior Dylan Durkin proved Ely’s top finisher, coming in 11th place in a field of 53 skiers with a time of 16:42. Classmate Eli Olson wasn’t far behind, finishing 16th in a time of 16:58. Freshmen Aksel Skustad and Oliver Hohenstein finished 21st and 22nd respectively, with times of 17:31 and 17:39.
For the girls, seniors Ava Skustad and Claire Blauch finished 18th and 19th for Ely with times of 19:42 and 19:59 respectively. Junior Anna Dunn finished 23rd in a time of 21:03.
Ely’s Olson notched the Wolves’ top finish last week at the Dec. 12 Proctor Invitational with a sixth place showing in a time of 12:32 as the Wolves finished three racers in the top ten. Durkin took ninth in a field of 41 skiers, with a time of 12:44, while junior Silas Solum finished tenth. Hohenstein wasn’t far behind, in 12th place in a time of 12:55.
For the girls, Blauch, Skustand, and Dunn all finished in the top 20. Blauch finished in 15th place with a time of 15:00, while Skustad was right behind in 16th in a time of 15:09. Dunn took 19th with a time of 15:30.