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Ternes, Hokanson Hope to Fill Big Ski Boots For Saints

A couple of native Minnesotans will add to the depth of the St. Scholastica Saints Ski Team in 2015. Allison Ternes of Vadnais Heights and White Bear Lake High School, who has been one of the top high school skiers in the state for several years, highlights the Saint's incoming freshmen, adding to what coach Chad Salmela sees as potentially the finest women's team the Saints will field in program history.

Ternes excelled as both a skier and runner for White Bear Lake, competing at the highest level in the state cross country running, skiing, and track and field meets while at White Bear. She finished 7th and 8th respectively in the past two seasons at the Minnesota State Ski Meet pursuit. She posted the fastest classic time of the field in the 2014 pursuit event, and also finished twice in the top 15 in the J1 category of the 2014 USSA Junior National Championships.

With the graduation of Sarah Allen, the Saints Most Valuable Skier in 2014, Salmela see's Ternes as a force who can come in and have a competitive impact, helping offset the loss of Allen. "We relied on Sarah a lot last year, setting new milestones for the program, and she led a very gifted team to the highest level in program history," says Salmela. "Allison is the kind of athlete who could, with a lot of other things going right with our women's team, fill the competitive role that will keep our women's team at the level it was last year and maybe even raise it a bit."

The Saints women come off what Salmela describes as a "Hall-of-Fame" season, winning their first race in program history, downing national DII powerhouse, Northern Michigan for the first time, who went on to finish 3rd in the nation in women's Nordic at the 2014 all-division NCAA Skiing Championships. They followed that up with back-to-back 2nd place team finishes, behind NMU, at the Central Collegiate Ski Association Championships and NCAA Central Regional Championships. It was the first time the women had ever beaten the University of Alaska, doing so at the biggest meets of the season, and it was the first time they'd finished higher than 4th in those championship events.

While Allen was integral to the success, returners, Sharmila Ahmed and Anita Kirvesniemi both scored podium finishes in those championships. They both have the ability to take their skiing and the team along with them, to a higher level. Chelsey Youngberg, Liz Peterson, and the return of Kelsey Dickinson after a year hiatus competing for the US Junior National Biathlon team internationally, combined with the arrival of Ternes has Salmela confident in his team. "It's always a what-if situation," waxes Salmela. "If we ski to our potential, this is for sure the best team this program has ever fielded. All of our returners are having great summer training markers, and that's super encouraging. Now we just have to prepare really well over the fall months and so much is possible."

North Oak's Steve Hokanson is the marque new arrival for the Saints men for 2015. Hokanson leaves a legacy of success at his alma mater, Mounds View, where he finished 6th and 7th in the Minnesota State Meet for the past two ski seasons, as well as posted All-American performances at the USSA Junior National Championships.

With 2014 graduations bleeding a portion of his varsity men's squad, Salmela thinks Hokanson is important both in adding depth to the varsity squad immediately, and long term over his time at CSS. "Steve is in really good shape, is focused and serious," says Salmela. "He has those pieces you often spend the first few years instilling in a collegiate skier. I sense he gets already what it takes, and that's huge. Steve comes here with the opportunity to positively impact the team this season, but also to be a leader into the future of this men's program."

Hokanson has freshman company in Ely standout, Erik Haaversen, and Ethan Krohn from Irondale, both motivated and excited to see what they can do in collegiate skiing after successful high school careers.

The freshmen and returners have big ski boots to fill with the loss of John Wessling and Scott Johanik to 2014 graduation, both of whom were impactful, scoring skiers for the Saints all four seasons they were in action. But he also sees the opportunity for returning athletes to step up and be key players.

"I see the hole that John and Scotty left, but I feel like we have so much depth on the men's squad that we can fill those gaps, not only with new guys like Steve, but especially skiers who just need to move a step or two in the right direction, like Jake Richards, Calvin Mehrhof, and Harris Dirnberger, or Reitler Hodgert and Nick Power, both of whom had bad physical luck last season. I feel the X factor is just how badly the guys want it and staying basically healthy. We have a very gifted crew."

Salmela sees strong leadership in his returning competitive core of 2014 NCAA All-American and team captain, Paul Schommer; 2014 All-CCSA second teamer, Chris Parr; and multi CCSA top-tener, Joe Dubay, who had his best collegiate season by a stretch in 2014. "If you look at the pieces we have, we can be as good or better as a team this year than the program has ever been. We have a wealth of talent from the top down with 8 guys who have exhibited at one time or another that they can compete at the front of a CCSA field. If these guys want to be all they can be, there isn't much they couldn't accomplish," glows Salmela.

The Saints start practice September 8th with a test week, culminating in their annual Strand Uphill Time Trial, Sunday, September 14th. 2014 and 2010 Olympians, Brian and Caitlin Gregg have confirmed their guest starts in what has become the marquee fall time trial of the Saint's 8 previous seasons. "We're tickled to have them," says Salmela. "I'm a realist. If you can go up against those two, you kind of know where you stand in the grand scheme of things, so it's great to have them want to be a part of it."