Gaylord ski team sends three individuals to states after regionals at Nub's Nob

Dylan Jespersen, The Petoskey News-Review
·2 min read
Kaija Lazda races during the MHSAA Division 2 Regional races on Monday, February 13 at Nub's Nob in Harbor Springs, Mich.
Kaija Lazda races during the MHSAA Division 2 Regional races on Monday, February 13 at Nub's Nob in Harbor Springs, Mich.

HARBOR SPRINGS ― It is officially postseason time in Northern Michigan.

The long, winter sports season is finally coming to a close, with most teams around the Otsego area eyeing their final regular season games before they begin their district and regional playoff matchups begin.

The Gaylord ski team was the latest to transition into playoff mode as the Blue Devils traveled to Nub's Nob in Harbor Springs, Michigan on Monday, February 13 for the MHSAA Division 2 Regional races.

While neither the boys or girls were able to finish in the top three to qualify for states as a team, multiple Blue Devils qualified as individuals, with Kaija Lazda, Keaton Abraham and Jack Robel all finishing in the top ten of either the slalom or giant slalom races to move on to the state championships on February 27.

Lazda had the most impressive day individually, placing top ten in both the slalom and giant slalom of the girls races. In the slalom, Lazda turned in the third-fastest run of the day in her second run (41.02 seconds), finishing with a total time of 1:22.57 for a fifth-place finish overall.

Kaija Lazda races during the MHSAA Division 2 Regional races on Monday, February 13 at Nub's Nob in Harbor Springs, Mich.
Kaija Lazda races during the MHSAA Division 2 Regional races on Monday, February 13 at Nub's Nob in Harbor Springs, Mich.

Meanwhile, she did even better in the giant slalom, again improving in run two to turn in the second-best run time (27.19 seconds) while placing third overall with a combined time of 55.76 seconds, finishing just behind Petoskey's Marley Spence (53.55 seconds) and Harbor Springs's Katelyn Drayer (54.82).

The boys had two top-ten finishers in the giant slalom, With Abraham placing fourth with a combined time of 51.79 seconds and Robel finishing just behind in fifth with a time of 51.86 seconds.

Keaton Abraham races during the MHSAA Division 2 Regional races on Monday, February 13 at Nub's Nob in Harbor Springs, Mich.
Keaton Abraham races during the MHSAA Division 2 Regional races on Monday, February 13 at Nub's Nob in Harbor Springs, Mich.

The boys placed fifth overall, scoring 153 points in the slalom and 78 in the giant slalom for a combined score of 231. Petoskey took the overall team crown with 47 points, followed by Great Alpine North (84), Harbor Springs (108) and Onekama (205.5).

Meanwhile, the girls finished in sixth, combining their slalom score of 140 and giant slalom score of 84.5 of a total score of 224.5. Harbor Springs finished atop the girls teams (76), followed by Great Alpine North (103), Petoskey (119), Norway (179) and Grayling (179).

Keaton Abraham races during the MHSAA Division 2 Regional races on Monday, February 13 at Nub's Nob in Harbor Springs, Mich.
Keaton Abraham races during the MHSAA Division 2 Regional races on Monday, February 13 at Nub's Nob in Harbor Springs, Mich.

Other standouts from the day on the girls side include Rayna Robel, who finished 13th in the slalom and 22nd in the giant slalom, and Clover Hamilton, who finished 20th in the giant slalom. Kevin Zaremba stood out for the boys, finishing 13th in the slalom and 29th in the giant slalom.

The three state qualifiers will look to claim yet another individual state title for the Gaylord ski program, traveling back to Boyne Mountain in Boyne Falls on Monday, February 27.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Gaylord ski team sends three individuals to states after regionals at Nub's Nob