Location: Marquette, Michigan
Head coach: Sten Fjeldheim (21st season)
Assistant coach: Jennifer Ryan (8th season)
Top male returners: Sr. Martin Banerud, Sr. Tim Cook, So. Kevin Cutts, Sr. Sindre Stokke
Top female returners: Sr. Laura DeWitt, Jr. Ingrid Fjeldheim, Jr. Christina Gillis, Sr. Anna Berglund
Top newcomers: George Cartwright
Web site: www.nmu.edu/sports
2008-9 standings: Central Region: 1st; NCAA: 12th

2009-10 outlook: After claiming the CCSA crown with 1st place finishes on both the men’s and women’s sides, the tradition-rich Wildcats again sent the maximum six skiers to the NCAA’s in Rumford, Maine. This year the teams hope to continue the program’s tradition of excellence with a number of strong returning skiers and improved others.
The men’s team must deal with the loss of senior NCAA qualifiers Phil Violett (#2 CCSA qualifier) and Justin Singleton (#7) but have more than enough talent to do so. Last year’s top CCSA qualifier and Central Region Athlete of the Year Martin Banerud of Oslo, Norway, is now a senior for the Wildcats, and looks to qualify for his 4th consecutive NCAA championships this season. It’s not clear who else from NMU will join him in Steamboat Springs this March, but it is likely that he will not be the only one. Seniors Tim Cook and Sindre Stokke are the next two fastest skiers from last year’s team, but may be challenged by younger Wildcats this year. Sophomore Kevin Cutts returns after a strong first year and posted impressive results at Nationals already this year. First-year George Cartwright, a top junior skier out of Lander, Wyoming, will join Cutts and Banerud in seeking to become one of the top college skiers not just in the CCSA but in the entire country.
On the women’s side, every top skier returns from last season’s first-place team. This season, in fact, the fiercest competition may come from within the team. Last year Christina Gillis missed qualifying for the NCAA’s by just one-tenth of a point because three teammates had qualified in front of her—although she was the sixth-ranked woman in CCSA competition. Gillis was among the top collegiate competitors at U.S. Nationals and in her junior season will be in the mix for a coveted NCAA spot.
Also returning to the NMU squad this year are the top two CCSA competitors from last year. Central Region Athlete of the Year Laura DeWitt and runner-up Marie Helen Soderman, a senior and a sophomore, respectively, should be among the top CCSA skiers again this year. NCAA qualifier Ingrid Fjieldheim and senior Anna Berglund should also be in contention for a top spot on a team whose sights are set high individually, regionally, and nationally.

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