Skillicorn pleased with performances
as SMU finally gets meet under belts

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University nordic ski coach Kelly Skillicorn wasn’t quite sure what to expect from her teams when they unloaded the van for their first meet of the season last weekend in Marquette, Mich.

“Being a first-year coach, I really didn’t know what to expect from our teams,” admitted Skillicorn. “I had an idea where I hoped we’d be, but I really didn’t have any type of barometer to gauge from.”

Now she does.

Garrick Holey (Mounds View, Minn.) and Mike Uffenbeck (Cable, Wis.) led the Cardinal men to an eighth-place showing in the 10-kilometer classic race and a ninth-place showing in the 20K freestyle race.

Uffenbeck was the first SMU skier across the finish line in the 10K race, stopping the clock in 36:41.7, while Holey was close behind in 36:51.5. Pete Schweich (Red Wing, Minn.) added a time of 38:00.7 to round out the SMU lineup.

Holey and Uffenbeck swapped places in the 20K freestyle race, as Holey posted SMU’s best time (59:09.1), while Uffenbeck finished in 1:02:38.7 and Schweich was another minute back at 1:03:37.7.

On the women’s side, Amy Henjum (Woodbury, Minn.) was the SMU women’s top skier in both the 5K classic and 15K freestyle. Henjum clocked a time of 19:41.0 in the 5K, while adding a time of 51:28.9 in the freestyle. The only other SMU skier competing was Missy Mollick (Hastings, Minn.) who recorded times of 20:50.7 and 53:00.7 in the 5K and 15K, respectively.

“Overall, I was very happy with the way everyone raced,” admitted Skillicorn. “It’s nice to finally get that first meet under their belts. Obviously we’ve still got a lot to work on, but it’s a start.”