The University of Maine at Farmington women's nordic team returned back to Maine ten days ago after competing in the USCSA National Championships at Mammoth Mountain in Mammoth Lakes, California.
The National Championship event saw unprecedented amounts of snow and scheduling issues that caused numerous events to be shuffled and even several cancellations. Despite the continual battle with snowstorms, the USCSA did a great job giving the athletes a meaningful experience.
The women's nordic team qualified for the National Championships after placing 3rd in the Eastern Regionals back on February 19th. The Beavers kept the momentum rolling with outstanding results at Mammoth Mountain.
Out of all of the snowsports teams that Farmington sent out to California, the nordic team was the one that was least hindered by the snowstorms. The USCSA kicked off nordic events on Tuesday, March 7th with a 7.5k classic event. The Beavers took 10th place overall in this event with solid finishes from each of their three skiers. Ayla Bodach-Turner (East Montpelier, Vermont) took 24th place individually and was the 1st Beaver to cross the finish line, doing so with a time of 37:45.8. Jenna Badeau (Fayette, Maine) finished less than a minute behind Bodach-Turner in 30th place with a time of 38:38.5. Mullein Francis (Hinesburg, Vermont) finished with a time of 41:09.8 to come in 42nd place.
The next day, Wednesday, March 8th, the Beavers competed in the 1.5k skate sprints. This event consisted of 47 skiers, with the top-30 qualifying for the quarterfinal round. In the quarterfinal round there were five heats with six racers in each heat. Out of each quarterfinal heat, the fastest 12 skiers advanced to the semifinal round. The top-five skiers from the semifinal round advanced to the finals.
Bodach-Turner put together one of the best individual performances in UMF nordic skiing history. In the qualifying round, Bodach-Turner placed 5th overall, finishing in 3:31.2 to advance to the quarterfinals. As the event went along, the conditions continually worsened as snow began accumulating faster and winds continued to swirl.
Despite the worsening conditions, Bodach-Turner was not fazed. She won her quarterfinal race with a time of 3:59.2 to move onto the semifinals. She continued her strong performance in the semifinal round, finishing in 3:52.1 and sat in 2nd place moving into the final round. Bodach-Turner pushed hard in the final round, cutting four seconds off from her time to finish in 3:48.0 to claim the silver medal. Her silver medal marks the 1st medal in women's nordic program history.
Badeau also had a strong performance in the 1.5k sprints. She qualified for the quarterfinal round with a time of 4:08.7.
On March 9th, the nordic team competed in the 15k classic. As a team the Beavers placed inside the top-10 with an 8th place finish. Bodach-Turner continued her strong run at Nationals with another individual finish inside the top-10. She finished 8th overall this time, finishing the 15k with a time of 49:19.78. Badeau finished in 57:47.22 to place 34th. Francis was just behind her in 37th place with a time of 58:29.30.
The Classic Team Sprint was originally scheduled for Friday, March 10th. But the remainder of the USCSA National Championships was canceled due to incoming storms.
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