BEN SAXTON LAKEVILLE NORTH, NORDIC SKIING
After winning the boys' pursuit championship at the state meet in Biwabik last week, Saxton, a junior, had a message for other ski racers across the country.
"Minnesota is the greatest Nordic skiing state in the nation," Saxton exclaimed.
Good thing, too, because the Junior Olympic National Nordic ski racing meet will take place in March at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis. Saxton thinks the race will be the chance for Minnesota skiers to showcase their skills.
"If you look at past results, when the race is in Alaska, Alaskans win," he said. "If it's in the west, the Rocky Mountains [team] wins," he said. "Traditionally, the Midwest team has finished third or fourth. But we've kicked it up a notch this year. We're really loaded."
Saxton believes his state championship, in which he finished stronger than he started en route to a combined time of 29 minutes, 5.7 seconds, is largely because of the hard work of coaches and the presence of top-notch opponents who pushed him to victory.
"There are so many people to give a shout out to," he said. "I would go so far as to say this might have been one of the greatest [state meet] fields Minnesota high school skiing has ever had."
Saxton also had some words of warning for skiers who will be in Minnesota for the Junior Olympics meet.
"We have a lot of big guns," he said. "It will be a pleasure to represent our state. Take that, Alaska."
SHARMILA AHMED
Burnsville, Nordic skiing
The senior avoided what had become a troubling tendency to ski poorly in her second race of a pursuit competition. She had strong performances in both races to win the girls' state championship with a time of 32:01.
TED LUTTERMAN
Cambridge-Isanti, basketball
The senior guard was dialed in from long range in back-to-back losses last week. He scored 44 points in an 83-81 overtime loss to Duluth Central and 40 points in a 70-68 double-overtime loss to St. Michael-Albertville. Lutterman made 22 three-pointers in the two games.
JONNA CURTIS
Elk River, hockey
It was a quite a postseason performance for the junior forward. Last week she scored four goals in a 4-1 victory over Grand Rapids in the Class 2A, Section 7 championship game, giving her eight goals and one assists in three playoff games.
DYLAN THOMAS
St. Thomas Academy, Alpine skiing
The defending state champion shook off the pressure of being No. 1 and a rapidly melting course at Giants Ridge in Biwabik to become the first skier in nearly a decade to win back-to-back titles with combined time of 1:07.03 for two runs.
BRENNA MURRAY
Bloomington Jefferson, Alpine skiing
Murray was the beneficiary of miscues by pre-race favorites and stepped in to win her first state championship. Skiing from advantageous starting positions for both runs, she posted a combined time of 1:13.39.
JULIA STEDMAN
North St. Paul, gymnastics
A first-year high school gymnast, the junior won the Class 2A, Section 4 all-around title with a personal-best score of 38.15. She also won the floor exercise with a 9.65. "I just wanted to make the state meet in something," she said. "I had the meet of my life."
JIM PAULSEN
