Siblings Tristan and Alexa Bristlin from the Detroit Lakes Lakers secured spots at the Minnesota state alpine skiing championships after strong showings at the Section 5A event. The Lakers boys team placed 10th and the girls 7th at Giants Ridge on February 3. Their performances highlight the team's depth heading into the state meet.
The Section 5A Alpine Skiing Championships took place on Tuesday, February 3, at Giants Ridge in Biwabik, Minnesota. The Detroit Lakes Lakers demonstrated resilience and skill, with the boys finishing 10th overall with 274 team points and the girls securing seventh place with 312 points.
Tristan Bristlin earned his fifth consecutive qualification to the state meet by placing 11th with a combined time of 1:03.82. He overcame a challenging first run, where a bobble left him tied for 17th. "He really battled back and put down an amazing second run to finish 11th overall," said head coach Jennifer Smith.
His sister, Alexa Bristlin, celebrated her first state trip with a fifth-place finish in 1:04.08, delivering two solid runs. Seniors Merida Jansen and Marlo Schmitz capped their high school careers strongly, with Schmitz in 22nd at 1:07.64 and Jansen in 26th at 1:09.98. Other girls included Ruby Maki (69th, 1:25.06), Ella Schuld (79th, 1:32.97), and Mari Rufer (81st, 1:35.10).
On the boys' side, Owen Anderson posted the team's second-best time of 1:09.74 for 33rd place. Lance Skalin stood out, finishing 50th in 1:15.30 after hard work in practice to earn a spot on the section team. "It didn't look like he was going to be on the section team, but he worked really hard... and then he was third for our boys team, earning points for our team," Smith noted. Beckett Anderson (60th, 1:19.09), Beau Bjerke (80th, 1:32.10), and Mason Kemper (81st, 1:32.94) completed the boys' field.
Minnetonka claimed both team titles, with 411 points for the boys and 384 for the girls. Wayzata's Sonja Pendergast won the girls' individual title in 59.66, while Minnetonka's Oscar Anderson took the boys' in 59.82. The state championships are set for February 10 at the same venue, where the Bristlins and others will compete.
