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Junior duo provides key spark

Patrick Slack
Posted 2/22/17

BIWABIK - Dominant junior. Excels in three sports. Made big leap from last year’s state meet into this year’s top 20.

The description fits both Emma Terwilliger and Ryne Prigge.

Together, …

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Junior duo provides key spark

Posted

BIWABIK - Dominant junior. Excels in three sports. Made big leap from last year’s state meet into this year’s top 20.

The description fits both Emma Terwilliger and Ryne Prigge.

Together, the junior duo and Ely’s second and third skiers played a vital role in helping the Wolves secure Thursday’s girls Nordic state championship at Giants Ridge in Biwabik.

Terwilliger climbed from 29th last season to 11th this year in 33:43.1 while Prigge improved from 41st to 18th, finishing in 34:33.0.

The duo finished the morning freestyle back-to-back in 11th and 12th places, helping set the stage for the team’s dramatic afternoon chasing a team title.

“I feel like my skate race went really well,” Terwilliger said. “I was really surprised actually by how well I did. I feel like the skate race was good.

“Before the first race I didn’t think about that at all. I was just thinking about doing the best race I could. After we found out where our team was, I was like, ‘OK, I have to go do this.’ It was in the back of my mind, but I didn’t think about it too much.”

“After I found out where I was in the skate race I was just blown away,” Prigge said. “I was utterly shocked. Then I got really nervous, but still just trying to have fun. We kind of knew our team was seeded pretty well, so just going in I thought I really have to do well, just give it your all and do it for the team.”

The stellar times put both near the lead pack in the afternoon classic. It was a challenging atmosphere, lining up with the state’s elite, but both held their ground.

“I hadn’t raced with those top people so it was really intimidating,” Terwilliger said. “So I felt stressed out the whole time - I didn’t last year because I was passing people, so it was a really different atmosphere. But it was fun.

“Knowing that Ryne was right there with me was helpful and a stress-reliever. My teammates have pushed me to be the best that I can. I would not be here without them. We all train together, we all work together. It all comes down to that.”

“I knew we needed to stay up there if we were going to win,” Prigge said. “So, I guess there was a little bit of a pressure. But I just thought, my team is carrying me, too, so I just have to do the best that I can and hope they have good races too.”

As the Wolves began crossing the finish line, it became apparent that the Wolves had not just had a great day, but a championship day.

“It was just pure happiness,” Terwilliger said. “I never thought that could happen. It was just really amazing.”