Viking girls one of only two non-metro Alpine teams

Molly Rider finished 23rd Wednesday, in the Minnesota State Girls High School Alpine Ski Meet at Giant’s Ridge near Biwabik. Rider’s two runs were consistent and her overall time of 1:24.00 was just 9.47 seconds behind the winner in a packed field of 83 competitors.
 
The Cook County-Silver Bay team finished eighth with 95 points, Lakeville South won the meet with 173.  The girls’ meet was dominated by Metro-area schools with Lakeville South winning its third consecutive championship. The Duluth Marshall girls were the only non-Metro team other than the Cook County-Silver Bay crew.  Marshall finished fourth with 112 points.
 
South senior Niki Larson won a state-record third consecutive championship in 1:14.53. She beat defending state champ, and teammate, Paula Moltzen who finished less than a second behind in 1:14.92.
 
The remaining Cook County-Silver Bay finishers were Katie Smedstad in 1:29.0; Ali Boettcher in 1:30.9, Rose Ingebrigtsen in 1:38.4; Megan Lehto in 1:40 and Signe Larson in 1:40.4.

Dylan Thomas came in first in the boys’ meet to lead his St. Thomas Academy team to the championship. Duluth East was the only Arrowhead team in the Metro-dominated boys meet. East finished sixth.