After a top-two finish at the Section 3A Nordic championship meet on February 7, SPA’s girls’ Nordic ski team has qualified for the Minnesota State Nordic meet after finishing only 6 points behind Highland Park. At the section meet, Maren Overgaard ’26 and Helen Townley ’25 won the section sprint relay by almost 40 seconds, and individually, Inga Wing ’25 finished 5th, Taylor Barkwell ’25 finished 7th, and Paloma Good ’27 finished 9th overall. This is the third year in a row that the girls’ nordic team has qualified for the state meet, and the fourth year that SPA has had at least one Spartan skiing at the State meet. (Wing qualified for the 2020 State meet as a seventh-grader, placing 34th in her first State competition).

Skiing for the Spartans at the State meet, which will be held February 15-16 at Giants Ridge, will be Taylor Barkwell, Paloma Good, Alyda Overgaard ’28, Maren Overgaard, Eleanor Mody ’27, Helen Townley, and Inga Wing. Alternates include Sila Liljedahl ’23 and Johanna Pierach ’25.

The team goes into the meet with strong experience at the State level. At the 2022 State meet, the sprint team of Helen Townley and Maren Overgaard came in fifth, and in individual pursuit competition, finishers included Inga Wing (15th), Taylor Barkwell (50th), Eleanor Mody (100th), Marie Schumacher ’22 (104th), and Johanna Pierach (107th).

Congratulations girls’ Nordic and go Spartans!