Norway girls finish 3rd in state ski finals

From left are Norway ski team coach Ted Fornetti, Abby Hoy, Ingrid Holt, Sophia Fornetti, Sofia Wentarmini, Arianna Fornetti, Annika Hill, coach John Bittinger and coach Paul Fornetti. The team finished third in the MHSAA Division 2 finals at Schuss Mountain in Bellaire. (Courtesy photos)
BELLAIRE – The Norway girls ski team completed a memorable season by racing to a third-place finish this week in the MHSAA Division 2 finals at Schuss Mountain.
The Knights finished with a combined score of 114, trailing just team champion Detroit Country Day (91) and runner-up Harbor Springs (111). The scores of both the slalom and the giant slalom went into the combined final result.
Rounding out the field Monday were East Grand Rapids (128), Great North Alpine (139), Cadillac (163), Clare (216), Bloomfield Hills Marian (229.5) and Grand Rapids Christian (230.5).
“Our third-place finish overall was the best our area has had in 15 years,” said Norway coach John Bittinger. “We came in as a young and inexperienced team, but the pressure of the finals never fazed any of the girls. We had planned to gain the experience of the race this year to be competitive in the future and we left with a great result.”
Freshman Abby Hoy and junior Sophia Fornetti earned all-state honors with their performances. Hoy was named to the first team, while Fornetti was named to the second team.

Norway's Ingrid Holt competes in the slalom.
The slalom races led the day and the Knights (57 points) started with a bang, finishing in second behind Detroit Country Day (38 points).
Fornetti led Norway with a 13th-place finish, while Ingrid Holt took 27th, Hoy finished 29th and Sofia Wentarimi wound up 30th.
Bittinger called the runner-up finish shocking based on the inexperience of his squad, which included four freshmen.
“This was our top (state finals) result in a single event in a long time,” he said. “Sophia was so solid on her skis and never even had a wobble. Then Ingrid, Abby and Sofia putting down runs like they did makes coaching at states fun instead of stressful. We skied our best at the best time.”
The giant slalom followed with the Knights taking fourth with 57 points. Harbor Springs won with 40 points followed by Great North Alpine (45) and Detroit Country Day (53).
Holt paced the Knights in the GS with a sixth-place finish. Fornetti raced to a 21st-place result followed by Holt in 30th and Annika Hill in 33rd.
“We had another excellent showing in the GS. Abby, one of our freshmen, was exciting to watch. Ingrid and Annika came through for us with their best GS skiing we have seen,” Bittinger said.
He also complemented the effort of Holt.
“She ended both races in the top 30,” he said of the senior. “She is also the first racer we have had with a 100 percent finish rate for two straight years. She finished all 32 races while contributing to our team scoring in every event.”
—
Compiled by Daily News sports correspondent Jerry DeRoche.
- From left are Norway ski team coach Ted Fornetti, Abby Hoy, Ingrid Holt, Sophia Fornetti, Sofia Wentarmini, Arianna Fornetti, Annika Hill, coach John Bittinger and coach Paul Fornetti. The team finished third in the MHSAA Division 2 finals at Schuss Mountain in Bellaire. (Courtesy photos)
- Norway’s Ingrid Holt competes in the slalom.




