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Isaac Hays skiing

Westonka Nordic Ski Shines at Conference Championships

By Dan Hays, 02/03/25, 7:45PM CST

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The Westonka Nordic ski team competed in the Twin Cities Conference Championship meet at Theodore Wirth Park on Jan. 27.

Isaac Hays skiing

Senior Isaac Hays raced to seventh place, earning All-Conference honors / Photo by Joshua Kline

The Westonka Nordic ski team competed in the Twin Cities Conference Championship meet at Theodore Wirth Park on Jan. 27. The White Hawks raced to season best performances, earning third place for the boys and fourth place for the girls.  

Coach Sue Harrison shared, “We were really proud of all the skiers.  We have been missing skiers due to illness, so it was good to finally race with a full team! The team results exceeded expectations with the boys finishing third and the girls only nine points out of third! Their best results all season.”

The conditions at Wirth were ideal for this full-day event, featuring athletes racing in two categories. The first category included skiers racing in a 5K classic race in the morning, followed by a 5K skate pursuit race in the afternoon. The second category included two skiers representing their team in a relay race of four 1K laps. 

Senior Isaac Hays led the Westonka boys with a standout seventh-place finish, earning him All-Conference honors. In the skate pursuit race, he clocked the fifth-fastest time, just 19 seconds behind the top skier. After the race Hays shared, “The trails at Wirth were really fast with excellent wax on our skis. It was a fun race, and it was great to see everyone do so well.”

In next for the White Hawk boys was freshman Robbie Chilson in 18th place, showing remarkable improvement in his first season and earning All-Conference Honorable Mention. Close behind was senior Tor Erdahl in 23rd place, providing key points for the team. The White Hawks' depth was on display with strong races from senior Luke Carlson, sophomore Sawyer Bruch, senior Andrew Finley, senior Ted Owens, and junior Leon Kravchenko. 

The boys relay team of senior Miles Lund and junior Leif Hagen produced some of the wildest excitement of the entire day. Lund and Hagen were in a back-and-forth battle for fourth place throughout the four 1K laps of the relay, nudging out Scott West at the end by just one second. That one second proved crucial for the White Hawks, propelling their team to their third-place standing, just two points above fourth place Scott West. 

The Westonka girls were led by junior Ava Daum in 15th place and freshman Elise Hays in 20th place, both earning All-Conference Honorable Mention. Scoring as well for the White Hawks was freshman Stella Johnson in 28th place. Adding team depth were junior Sophia Kravchenko and eighth-grader Madison Nelson.  

The girls relay team of Louisa Johnson and Eva Savstrom raced together to a fifth-place finish. As eighth graders, Johnson and Savstrom showed exciting speed as young skiers who will be competing for many years to come.  

Coach Harrison was beaming after the meet: “Isaac skied extremely well! Ava, Robbie and Elise being honorable mention is a good sign for the future, especially as Robbie and Elise are freshmen! The relays were competitive and provided more excitement! It was a good day.” 

The White Hawks compete next in the Sections Meet at Theodore Wirth Park on Thursday, Feb. 6, as they seek to build upon their incredible improvements and momentum as a team.