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Four Wildcats skiers qualified for the State Alpine Ski Meet by finishing in the top ten at the Section 7 Ski Meet at Duluth's Spirit Mountain February 9 and 10.

Sarah Bottjen finished in 1:24.78 to take second in the girls' race. Teammate Simone Raedeke's 1:30.55 placed her sixth. St. Cloud's Megan Bacharach finished in 1:23.69 to lead the Section 7 contingent at the State Meet at Giants Ridge in Biwabik beginning Thursday, February 15.

Bottjen and Raedeke will be joined by Wildcat boys Dominick Raedeke and Daniel Sandgren at Giants Ridge. D. Raedeke's 1:26.78 put him in third behind two Duluth East skiers. Sandgren came in eighth in 1:28.33 to earn a trip to Biwabik.

The top two boys' and girls' teams qualified for the state meet. Both Wildcat teams finished third in the 15 team field, narrowly missing a chance to go to state.

Section 7 Alpine Skiing

Team Results (top five)

Girls

1. Duluth East 323

2. Virginia 280

3. Chisago Lakes 278

4. Cloquet-Esko-Carlton 276

5. Cook County 261

9. Forest Lake 206

Boys

1. Duluth East 338

2. Brainerd 316

3. Chisago Lakes 296

4. St. Cloud 271

5. Forest Lake 263

"We may have not have skied our best Thursday, but I am proud for the kids in how they handled themselves, win or not," said Wildcat head coach Dan Raedeke. "The kids are disappointed that they aren't going to state as a team. They had a great season, winning the conference for the fifth straight year (boys) and the seventh straight year (girls). I have enjoyed working with all the seniors and wish them the best of luck."

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