With two weeks to go before the Lumberjack World championships, a strong field at the La Crosse Open battled on both the men's and women's side on Saturday, with sixth year pro Shane Burns making perhaps the biggest impact.
After numerous near misses over the past several years, Burns finally broke through with his first pro win, decisively carving though the field, including wins over third ranked Connor Birdsong (3-2) and fifth ranked Dominick Magnone (3-0). With the victory, Burns moves up to sixth among men heading into Namekagon this upcoming week. Birdsong finished second, with Rookie Jasper Priest coming in third.
On the women's side, the number one ranked woman Livi Pappadopoulos won her fourth straight La Crosse Open title. Abby Delaney pushed Pappadopoulos to the four log before the 21-year old top ranked roller won 3-0. Pappadopoulos defeated third ranked Shana Verstegen in the finals 3-1.
MEN'S PODIUM
1. Shane Burns
2. Connor Birdsong
3. Jasper Priest
WOMEN'S PODIUM
1. Livi Pappadopoulos
2. Shana Verstegen
3. Abby Delaney
AMATEUR WINNERS
Men's Sport- Paul Priem
Women's Sport- Liberty Lundstrom
U17 Boys- Sean Stafford
U17 Girls- Ella Wedul
U13 Boys- Eli Neve
U13 Girls- Aini Anderson
U10 Boys- Joel Ogiba
U10 Girls- Lynley Dunn
U7 Co-Ed- Nolan Foley
