Nordic is usually considered a team sport with an individual performance, but the competition is looked at differently when it comes to relays, a format where results are based on team performance. Relay team consisting of junior Maren Overgaard and senior Inga Wing placed first in the state meet over the days of Feb. 13-14. They competed against 23 other relay teams, and won by 28 seconds.

Overgaard explains what a typical race looks like for her and Inga. “The structure for the relay is a qualifying heat and then a finals heat, and within the race we each do two 1.2-1.5k legs depending on the course, where I race the 1st and 3rd legs and Inga does the 2nd and 4th,” she said.

Wing strives to keep a positive attitude for racing day and keeps the mood light during the race. “I always say good job to Maren during our hand-offs. I think we’re just trying to create a really supportive environment which makes us more positive, which makes it easier for us to go fast.” she said.

When preparing for state, Overgaard also strived to maintain a positive mentality “I knew that Inga and I had a winning performance in us and we just had to go out there and do what we’ve been doing all season,” she said.

Overgaard explains what went through her mind as she raced the final. “For the final, we knew we just had to stay calm and execute a nice clean race and that’s exactly what we did! We led from the start and ended up winning by a solid 28 seconds. It has been my goal since 8th grade to win the relay, so finally watching that dream come true was an amazing experience!” she said.

Along with the pair’s first place in Nordic, brothers Caden Burns and Liam Burns took first and second at the Alpine State Meet, closing the winter season on victory and starting spring sports on a good note.