RHINELANDER, Wis. – The St. Olaf College men's and women's Nordic skiing teams both qualified for the U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) National Championships with first-place finishes at the MCSA Regional Championships on Saturday and Sunday at Cedric A. Vig Outdoor Classroom.

The St. Olaf men and women placed first in both the Classic Sprint and 10K Classic races to take first in the five-team standings. The Ole women swept the top-three spots in both events to finish with a team score of 12 points, while the men compiled 13 points over the two competitions. No individual times were provided in the results.

Junior Lily Ward led St. Olaf's top-three sweep in the women's Classic Sprint, followed by sophomore Liesl Cope-Schaeffer, and junior Amae Kam-Magruder. Sophomore Lizzy Weider was the top finisher in the 10K Classic, followed by Ward and Kam-Magruder for another podium sweep.

For the weekend, the St. Olaf women accounted for the top-six finishers in the individual standings with Ward, Kam-Magruder, and Cope-Schaeffer taking the top-three spots. Weider, sophomore Annika Fuhrmann, and first year Anna Peikert finished fourth through sixth, respectively.

Sophomore Paavo Rova won both of the individual events on the men's side to top the individual standings. Sophomore Daniel Gladkov was third in both events to finish third overall. Senior Tait Myers placed sixth in the Classic Sprint, while first year Jack Aldrich was fourth in the 10K Classic for the Oles' No. 3 finishers in the two events.

Sophomore Lance Hastings finished fifth in the individual overall standings, followed closely by Aldrich and Myers in a tie for sixth to give St. Olaf five of the top-six individuals.

Before the USCSA National Championships, the Oles will race at the CCSA Regional Championships on Saturday, Feb. 28 and Sunday, March 1 at Spirit Mountain in Duluth.