COLERAINE, MN – It was a Blue and Gold second day at the Hilltop Invitational, as Alaska claimed both the men’s and overall team titles with four podium finishes (including wins by both Erik Soederstrom and Marit Rjabov) in the men’s and women’s classic sprints. Northern Michigan claimed the women’s title for the weekend, ousting the Nanooks by a slim one-point margin at Mt. Itasca.

Alaska’s Soederstrom powered his way to the top spot in the men’s A final, followed closely by teammate Logan Hanneman, who continues to impress in his freshman campaign with the Nanooks. Michigan Tech’s Mikko Harju rounded out the podium spots on the men’s side; the sophomore landing two top five finishes in his first two races of the year.

Alaska’s third scoring skier, Jonas Loeffler, took fourth in the final, while St. Scholastica, the event’s host, saw its own Jeremy Hecker take fifth. Northern Michigan’s Kevin Cutts rounded out the A final with his sixth place finish.

Another Northern skier, Kjell-Christian Markset, won the B final to claim seventh place, holding off teammate Chris Bowler.

In the women’s event, Rjabov continued what’s been an excellent third season for the Nanooks, claiming her first win of the young CCSA campaign. Northern Michigan’s Monica Markvardsen took second, continuing her impressive string of results after a pair of CCSA top spots at U.S. Nationals a week ago.

Another Nanook, Rebecca Konieczny, placed third in the women’s A final, followed by a pair of Michigan Tech skiers – Deedra Irwin placing fourth and Malin Eriksson taking fifth. Northern Michigan’s Rosie Frankowski rounded out the top six. Alaska’s Crystal Pitney earned seventh place, winning the B final.

With Sunday’s results, Alaska finished the weekend with 286 total points, six more than second-place Northern Michigan. Michigan Tech rounded out the top three with 242 points, with hosts Saint Scholastica fourth on 211 points.

The full points standings for the weekend are as follows:
Men’s:
Alaska 144
Northern Michigan 137
Saint Scholastica 116
Michigan Tech 113
Gustavus Adolphus 70
Green Bay 69
St. Olaf’s 59

Women’s:
Northern Michigan 143
Alaska 142
Michigan Tech 129
Saint Scholastica 95
Gustavus Adolphus 70
St. Olaf’s 55
Green Bay 54
St. Cloud State 36

Total Team Combined
Alaska 286
Northern Michigan 280
Michigan Tech 242
Saint Scholastica 211
Gustavus Adolphus 140
Green Bay 123
St. Olaf’s 114
St. Cloud State 36

COLERAINE, Minn. ­- Northern Michigan and Alaska skiers dominated the podium spots at the first day of the Hilltop Invitational, with the Wildcats’ Molly Burger claiming her first collegiate win in the women’s 5K skate and Alaska’s Tyler Kornfield taking the top spot in the men’s 10K freestyle event.

All told, the Wildcats put two skiers in the top three in both the men’s and women’s events, giving them 76 points on the day and a six point lead over Alaska (69 points) in the team standings heading into Sunday’s classic events.

Burger set the pace on the women’s side, completing her trek around the Mt. Itasca course in 11:48.5 – good enough for a comfortable three and a half second victory over Alaska’s Marit Rjabov, who followed up an impressive performance at last week’s U.S. Nationals with a silver medal finish on Saturday.

Northern’s Monica Markvardsen, an NCAA qualifier in 2011, took third place, finishing just two-tenths of a second behind Rjabov with a time of 11:52.2. Another NMU sophomore Jordyn Ross, was next across the line, nipping Michigan Tech’s Lynn Duijndam, who landed her best finish of the young season with a fifth-place result in 11:54.5.5.

Alaska freshman Aly McPhetres continued to turn heads with her sixth-place finish, followed by a pair of Northern skiers in juniors Libby Ellis and Marie Helen Soderman. Alaska’s Crystal Pitney (12:03.4) and Michigan Tech’s Deedra Irwin rounded out the top ten.

On the men’s side, Kornfield carried over his momentum after an impressive stay at U.S. Nationals, where the junior took the CCSA’s top spot in the 30K classic and earned a national championship by topping the podium in the classic sprints. On Saturday, Kornfield cruised to an 11-second win, finishing his 10K race in 20:32.9.

Northern Michigan freshman Kjell-Christian Markset continued to prove his pedigree as well, storming to a second-place finish in 20:44.3. The Wildcats Erik Soderman earned the final podium spot, showing the form that led him to a NCAA berth a year ago by taking third place in 20:55.2.

An outstanding race by St. Scholastica’s Jeremy Hecker saw the junior cross the line in fourth place, while Northern’s third-scoring skier (and third racer in the top 5), Chris Bowler, finished fifth in 21:23.6.

Michigan Tech welcomed back the returning Mikko Harju, as the Finn took sixth in 21:25.2. Alaska freshman Logan Hanneman continued to state his case for an NCAA position with a seventh-place finish, while another Husky, Michigan Tech’s Jesse Smith, took eighth in 21:30.2.

Northern Michigan’s Kevin Cutts and Alaska’s Ludwig Schott rounded out the top ten on the men’s side.

The CCSA competitors return to the Mt. Itasca course again tomorrow for a classic sprint, with the men’s individual start qualification kicking off at 10 a.m., followed by the women’s qualification at 10:30 a.m.

For more information, please visit the CCSA website at www.ccsaski.com.