PETOSKEY – February 23, 2023 – St. Michael High School (SMHS), Northern Michigan’s only Classical Catholic high school, is pleased to announce that senior Wyatt Kolka is the school’s first-ever qualifier for the MHSAA Skiing State Finals! Kolka qualified with top ten finishes in both the Slalom (SL) and Giant Slalom (GS) events at last week’s Division-2 Regional, held at nearby Nubs Nob.
“It’s been a fantastic third season for our Boys Varsity Ski team,” proclaimed Guardians Coach David Kolka. “Wyatt’s individual qualification for the State Finals is a huge accomplishment for him, the team, and the school.”
The D-2 Skiing State Finals are Monday, February 27, at Boyne Mountain.
Overall, the St. Michael team finished eighth with 257 points, just two points out of seventh, and 26 points out of fifth. Petoskey HS won the Regional handily, scoring just 47 points. Following Wyatt, the team’s next-best finishers were Josie Kolka (30th in SL) and Matthew Cesario (34th in GS). Mac Moore and Gabby Cesario also competed for the Guardians.
Coach Kolka continued, “The squad worked hard this year. I’m proud of their eighth place finish – which included eighth in Giant Slalom and sixth in Slalom. All five of our athletes finished all of their runs. Finally, a big ‘thank you!’ to Nubs for a great Regional and to the host ski teams, Harbor Springs and Petoskey, for their hospitality and support!”
Following last week’s Regional, St. Michael competed in Tuesday’s Lake Michigan Conference Championships at Boyne Mountain. Although the Guardians weren’t scored in the event (as SMHS is not a conference member), competing only as individuals, Wyatt again delivered, winning GS and taking third in SL. Matthew placed 11th in GS and Mac was 14th in SL. In the Ladies races, Josie was 9th in GS and 12th in SL, and Gabby was 18th in GS.
Regional & LMC results can be viewed on the SMHS Skiing page at www.stmichaelchesterton.org/skiing/.
St. Michael High School is High School with a Higher Purpose and a proud member of the Chesterton Schools Network, the largest and fastest-growing network of its kind in the country. Established in 2013, the St. Michael mission is to nurture and elevate a new generation of joyful leaders educated in the Classical tradition and truth of the Catholic faith. For information on SMHS, visit the school website at www.stmichaelchesterton.org.