The StormHawks will be represented at the Minnesota State Alpine and Nordic Ski Meets this week.
The alpine team is sending three skiers to the meet on Feb. 11 in Biwibak. With strong showings at sectionals, Ava Lappi (10th place, Chanhassen), Freddy Stolz (9th place, Chaska), and Gavin Shannon (14th place, Chanhassen) will be racing with Minnesota’s best. This is the most alpine skiers that the StormHawks have sent to state, a true indication of the growing stature of the program.
Head Coach Chris Lappi provided this perspective on this accomplishment for the skiers: “I’m very proud of these athletes and their accomplishments. They’ve worked very hard to compete at this level, yet they strike a balance with also doing well in school. It’s a tough balancing act that will give them the tools to continue to be successful in life.”
The state Nordic event will be this Thursday also in Biwibak. Finnian Adams, a junior from Chaska, will be skiing at the state meet this Thursday. The StormHawks participate in arguably the most difficult section in the state and every result was against top-notch teams and skiers. Finnian will represent the StormHawks who had a number of significant accomplishments this season, including:
- Having six all-conference skiers (Finnian Adams, Leah Nelson, Noella Ross, Katelyn Farm, Rebecca Ross and Mallory Romenesko) as well as two honorable mentions (Connor Heltemes and Mason Igl).
- Leah Nelson, winning the conference sprint races.
- London Thiele, finishing second in the JV championship race.
Coach Eric Adams summarized the season thus far: “The biggest success of the season would be the amount of improvement we saw from all of our skiers and the positivity they maintained during a challenging snowless winter. This year we have four graduating seniors, including our two girl captains Josie Hauck and Katelyn Farm. They have had a wonderful four (plus) years with the team, as well as Eli Frost and Charlie Wennerstrom. It will be difficult to replace their positivity and leadership.”
