Northern Michigan’s Andy Liebner and Green Bay’s Carolyn Freeman have been named the CCSA Regional Skiers of the Year for 2010-2011. The duo was selected for the honor by the CCSA coaches at their annual meeting.

Liebner wrapped up a stellar season for the Wildcats by earning double All-American honors at the NCAA Championships, taking eighth in the classic race and ninth in the freestyle event. Having finished on the CCSA podium in all but one event this season, including two wins at the CCSA Championships, Liebner earned all-conference first team honors and wrapped up the season as the conference’s second-best scoring skier.

“Andy is the type of athlete who never stops trying to improve on all of his skills and abilities,” Northern Michigan head coach Sten Fjeldheim said. “He is constantly trying to improve himself as not just an athlete but also as a person. I truly enjoyed working with Andy and I look forward to working with him again the future. “

Freeman, meanwhile, closed out her Green Bay career in style, winning five races throughout the CCSA season. Also earning all-conference first-team honors, Freeman was the region’s top finisher in the NCAA Championships 5K freestyle event, taking 15th place. She also won the NCAA Central Regional classic race, and claimed the CCSA Championships skate race title as well.

“Carolyn has been impressing our school and athletic department in Green Bay since her freshmen year,” Green Bay assistant coach Steve Teclaw said. “But I know she was never in it for the glory or the recognition. Carolyn always wanted to do her best and make every effort to promote to sport of Nordic skiing.

“However, recognitions such as the skier of the year are always nice to see. The award is well deserved: it’s a great way to give a pat on the back and show Carolyn that her devotion and selfless contributions to the sport and region were truly appreciated.”

Liebner captures second All-American title in rain-soaked NCAA classic race

Stowe, Vt. – Northern Michigan’s Andy Liebner made the most of a warm, wet day at the Trapp Family Lodge, earning his second straight All-American honor with an eighth -place finish in the NCAA Championships 20K classic race. The result earns the junior a spot on the All-American second team and one-ups his ninth-place finish in the national freestyle race on Wednesday.

Wildcat teammate Marie Helen Soderman turned in the CCSA’s top performance on the women’s side as well, taking 13th place in the 15K race and finishing just 11 seconds off of a top-ten finish herself.

“Andy’s feeling really good,” Northern Michigan head coach Sten Fjeldheim said. “He had decent skis, not great, but was able to hang with the lead pack most of the race. He didn’t use to like classic skiing, but something just clicked this fall and now he loves it. I think that’s given him a lot of confidence. His race today was awesome.”

“Marie had one of her best races of the year too. She got off to a really slow start, but just continued to pass people the whole way. If the race had been any longer, she would be an All-American too.”

Unpredictable weather conditions throughout the day made life hard on both skiers and coaches alike, as rain fell throughout most of the women’s race before stopping halfway through the men’s event.

“It was difficult to dial in the wax today,” Alaska head coach Scott Jerome said. “I think a lot of people had trouble with their skis today, and if you didn’t have the wax just right, it made for a tough day.”

Despite the weather, there was no slowing the in-form Liebner. The Alaska native hung with the lead pack much of the way, and nipped New Mexico’s Martin Kaas at the line by less than four seconds.

Alaska’s David Norris once again turned in the region’s second-best performance on the men’s side. The first-year skier turned it on over the final lap, hammering out a 14th-place finish by outsprinting Denver’s Trygve Markset to the line. Fellow Nanook Tyler Kornfield overcame a fall and a broken pole to take 17th in the race as well, a vast improvement from his 31st-place performance in the distance race a year ago.

“It was a good result for Dave,” Jerome said. “He said he felt fine physically, just had slow skis. And Tyler was able to salvage something out of the race as well.”

Michigan Tech’s Mikko Harju was the fourth CCSA skier across the line, the Finn earning a respectable 22nd-place result with his time 1:07:59.5. A pair of Central Region skiers soon followed, with Northern Michigan’s Martin Banerud and Gustavus’ Jens Brabbit taking 33rd and 34th place, respectively.

“It was heartbreaking to see Martin struggle today,” Fjeldheim said. “He’s been on antibiotics for a while now, and going up against 39 of the best skiers, it’s tough if you aren’t 100 percent. But he gave it his all, and I’ve never had a team captain do such an outstanding job as Martin has. Andy [Liebner] even came up to him after the race and thanked him. He said he wouldn’t be an All-American if it wasn’t for Martin’s help.”

Alaska’s third skier, Lex Treinen, battled bad skis while finishing 38th on the day, while Northern Michigan freshman Erik Soderman rounded out the CCSA field with his 39th-place finish.

On the women ‘s side, Marie Helen Soderman set the pace for the region, crossing the line in 55:20.7 for her 15K, good for a top-15 finish. Michigan Tech freshman Malin Eriksson earned the CCSA’s second-best women’s finish with a solid 21st-place result in 56:53.4: a sign of good things to come for the Huskies and the CCSA.

NMU’s Christina Turman finished 26th on the day with her time of 58:13.1, while Alaska’s Theresia Schnurr finished 31st, just ahead of the Wildcats’ Monica Markvardsen in 32nd.

Green Bay’s Carolyn Freeman and Raphaela Sieber, who led the CCSA throughout most of the season, both endured difficult races in the season finale. Freeman took 34th in 59:26.6, while Sieber was 36th in 1:00:14.6.

“Theresia and Raphaela had really slow skis today,” Jerome said. “It’s frustrating: it’s not a good feeling as a coach to know that you didn’t get the wax right. But that happens in ski racing, and everyone on the team was very professional about it.”

Colorado’s Eliska Hajkova won the women’s event, while teammate Reid Pletcher captured the men’s title.

For a complete list of results from the 2011 NCAA Championships, please visit http://www.barttiming.com/eisa/Results11/ncaa11.htm

Liebner lands All-American spot as CCSA skiers open NCAA’s

Andy Liebner opened the 2011 Championships in style for the CCSA, claiming an All-American spot with his ninth-place finish at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vt. Alaska’s David Norris just missed out on an All-American berth as well, taking 12th in the men’s 10K skate, while Green Bay’s Carolyn Freeman produced the region’s top performance on the women’s side, finishing 15th in the women’s 5K event.

“I’m very excited about the outcome of Carolyn’s race today,” Green Bay’s Steve Teclaw said afterwards. “Her goal was to grasp an All-American title, but she had a solid race regardless. She was up against the best in the country, and it’s obvious Carolyn feeds off their talent. It definitely increases her drive to ski fast.”

Liebner earned the CCSA’s top finish on the men’s side, crossing the line with a time of 26:45.1. The junior stood in 11th place halfway through the 10K race, but turned it on over the closing stages to earn second-team All-American honors with a ninth-place finish in his first NCAA Championship race.

Alaska freshman Norris wasn’t far behind, however, taking 12th place in the event with a time of 26:53.5, just over seven seconds out from 10th place finisher Torhakon Hellebostad. Teammate Lex Treinen, a former All-American himself, took 15th place in the men’s event with his 26:57.5.

“There were a couple of good things to come out of today,” Alaska coach Scott Jerome said. “Dave Norris getting 12th and being less than eight seconds out of the top ten. And Lex has been sick half of the season, so for him to come in 15th was pretty good.”

Northern Michigan freshman Erik Soderman earned a top-twenty finish in his first trip to nationals as well; his time of 27:14.1 proving good enough for 19th place overall. Alaska’s third skier, Tyler Kornfield, crossed the line in 28th place, nipping Montana State’s Ryan Scott by just two-tenths of a second.

Northern’s Martin Banerud took 33rd place, with a time of 27:54.5, while Michigan Tech’s Mikko Harju and Gustavus’ Jens Brabbit, among the first competitors out on the course in the morning, finished 35th and 36th, respectively.

On the women’s side, Freeman led the way for the CCSA, with her 15:06.8 landing a top-20 finish for the senior. Northern Michigan’s Marie Helen Soderman missed out on 20th place by just one-tenth of a second, taking 21st in 15:16.0.

Alaska’s Raphaela Sieber was next in line for the region, finishing 24th with a time of 15:23.1 in her first NCAA appearance, while Wildcat Christina Turman came in 27th in 15:26.1. Alaska’s Theresia Schurr, racing in NCAA nationals for the third straight season, placed 28th, six-tenths of a second behind Turman.

“Today just wasn’t our day on the women’s side.” Jerome said. “It was a pretty easy wax day, but we just didn’t ski the way we expect to. But nobody mailed it in by any stretch of the imagination. Everyone gave it their all, I know that.”

Northern Michigan’ s Monica Markvardsen and Michigan Tech’s Malin Eriksson rounded out the CCSA field, taking 36th and 37th place, respectively.

The skiers now benefit from a day off before returning to Trapp Family Lodge on Friday to close out the 2011 season with a women’s 15K classic, starting at 9:30 a.m., followed by a men’s 20K classic, beginning at 11:30 a.m.

Early forecasts call for warm temperatures and rain on Friday, making for a potentially wet and unusual race. Regardless, the CCSA coaches maintain that they will be prepared.

“Regardless of the weather, we’ll be ready to go,” Jerome said. “We look forward to getting another chance.”

“I hope the predicted rain isn’t too much of a factor,” Teclaw said. “We’re confident that we can improve, and I believe our region has the talent to meet and exceed the results of the West and Eastern regions.”

For complete results from today’s races, please visit http://www.barttiming.com/eisa/Results11/ncaa11.htm.

CCSA skiers gear up for NCAA Championships

The CCSA winds up its 2011 season this week as the region’s top athletes head to the NCAA Championships in Stowe, Vt. The centerpiece of the college skiing season, the event brings together the best skiers from across the county to compete in four days of Nordic and Alpine events.

Representing the Central Region this season will be 15 student-athletes. On the men’s side, the CCSA will be represented by Northern Michigan’s Martin Banerud, Andy Liebner, and Erik Soderman; Alaska’s Tyler Kornfield, David Norris, and Lex Treinen; Gustavus’ Jens Brabbit and Michigan Tech’s Mikko Harju.

The region’s seven-woman team, meanwhile, consists of NMU’s Marie Helen Soderman, Monica Markvardsen, and Christina Turman; Alaska’s Raphaela Sieber and Theresia Schnurr; Green Bay’s Carolyn Freeman, and Michigan Tech’s Malin Eriksson.

“We are going to be up against the best 39 skiers in the country,” Michigan Tech head coach and CCSA president Joe Haggenmiller said. “It’s going to be good competition. So we will see how things go.”

While the region may have a few less representatives than it has in years past, the skiers that did qualify represent the best of the best, as each one has a legitimate shot of making a real impact at the NCAA event this season.

On the women’s side, Sieber and Freeman have set the pace for the CCSA throughout most of the season. The two combined to take the region’s top spot in all but one event this season – Sieber topping the CCSA podium six times while Freeman did so five times. Neither one produced a finish lower than sixth in the region at any event this season.

The lone race not won by Sieber or Freeman, the classic event at the CCSA Championships, was claimed by Michigan Tech’s Eriksson; the freshman proving she is more than capable of popping a big race as well, taking two other top five finishes throughout the year as well.

Alaska’s Schnurr will make her third appearance at the NCAA Championships this season, earning first team all CCSA honors with 10 top five regional finishes this season, included a second-place CCSA finish at the U.S. National classical event.

Northern Michigan’s trio rounds out the women’s participants. Though Turman has yet to top the podium this season, she does have four silver medal finishes and eight top-fives to her credit, while Soderman and Markvardsen earned podium spots in the U.S National classic event and the MTU Supertour skate event, respectively.

“The girls have been training really well, and everyone is feeling good and ready to go,” NMU head coach Sten Fjeldheim said. “We try not to talk to much about specific outcome goals, but I think we have the talent on both sides to have a number of All-Americans.”

Indeed, few skiers finished the regular season hotter than the NMU men. Banerud, Liebner, and Soderman swept the podium spots in both the skate and classic events at regionals. Banerud has won four of the last six events he has competed in, while Liebner has finished on the CCSA podium in all but one event this season.

Soderman, though only a freshman, has enjoyed a stellar first season with the Wildcats, taking second at the CCSA skate race on his way to eight top-five finishes throughout the year.

“Nothing seems to faze Erik at all, even though he’s a freshman,” Fjeldheim said. “He’s just a really solid racer.”

Alaska’s trio of Kornfield, Treinen and Norris all impressed at U.S. Nationals, with Treinen and Norris winning the skate race and classic race, respectively. The three then jetted off to Europe to take part in international competitions, before returning to head into the NCAA’s.

Michigan Tech’s Mikko Harju has been a revelation in his first season with the Huskies, earning seven top-five CCSA finishes.

“Mikko and Malin both seem really relaxed and really excited about the chance to compete,” Haggenmiller said.

Gustavus’ Jens Brabbit rounds out the men’s field, as he returns to the NCAA Championships for the second straight year. Brabbit took fourth in the skate event at the Hilltop Invitational, and landed a fifth-place finish in his last time out, the skate race at regionals.

A substantial Sunday night snowfall has left the course with plenty of white stuff heading into the big races.

“It was kind of tricky even getting out of our hotel and up to Stowe for training [on Monday],” Haggenmiller joked. “But having plenty of snow is good: at least we are not dealing with a shortened loop or grass and rocks and things.”

The CCSA skiers hit the course Wednesday, March 9, for the freestyle events, which will be a 10K for men at 10 a.m., and a 5K for women starting at noon. The classic events will be held on Friday, with the women’s 15K starting off at 9:30 a.m. while the men’s 20K begins at 11:30 a.m. All events can be streamed live on the NCAA website at www.ncaa.com/sports/skiing/d1.

The CCSA announced the 15 student-athletes that will represent the region in next month’s NCAA Championships in Stowe, Vt.

All told, five different CCSA programs will send skiers to nationals, as athletes from Northern Michigan, Alaska, Michigan Tech, Gustavus Adolphus, and Green Bay will all take to the trails among the nation’s best.

On the men’s side, Northern Michigan and Alaska both qualified the full allotment of three skiers each. The Wildcats’ trio of Martin Banerud, Andy Liebner and Erik Soderman make the trip to Vermont, while the Nanooks’ David Norris, Lex Treinen and Tyler Kornfield all earned automatic berths after qualifying for international competition at U.S. Nationals.

Michigan Tech’s Mikko Harju qualifies for his first NCAA Championships; the Finn proving a solid addition for Joe Haggenmiller’s men this season. Gustavus’ Jens Brabbit returns to nationals for the second straight year as well, rounding out the eight-man CCSA field.

For the women, Northern Michigan will again field a full team, as Christina Turman, Marie Helen Soderman, and Monica Markvardsen all qualify for the NCAA’s. Alaska’s Raphaela Sieber finishes the season as the women’s top scoring skier, and she will be joined by teammate and fellow German Theresia Schnurr at the national championships.

Green Bay senior Carolyn Freeman looks to end her career on a high note in Stowe, qualifying as the region’s second-best scoring woman. Michigan Tech freshman Malin Eriksson completes a seven-athlete field for the region after a promising first season with the Huskies.

To determine who will represent the central region, the CCSA scores student-athletes in each of the six NCAA qualifier races that he or she competes in over the season. The skier’s top two freestyle scores are then averaged together, as well as his or her top two classical scores. Those two numbers are then averaged together as well to create the skier’s overall score. Those athletes with the lowest overall score are then selected for the NCAA Championships, though each school is limited to a maximum of three athletes per gender.

This season, the CCSA was allotted eight men’s spots and seven women’s spots for the NCAA races. Those spots are determined by a region’s performance in previous NCAA appearances. The better a region’s athletes perform in a season, the more likely the region will be to earn more allotted spots in the following year.

For the complete 2011 CCSA Points Standings on both the men’s and women’s side, please download them below.

CCSA Points Men Final 2011
CCSA Points Women Final 2011

CCSA Announces All-Conference Teams; Jerome, Fjeldheim named Coaches of the Year

The Central Collegiate Ski Association announced its 2011 All-CCSA teams on Tuesday, with Northern Michigan the most represented team with seven honorees, followed closely by six all-conference nods for Alaska.

Northern’s power trio of Martin Banerud, Andy Liebner, and Erik Soderman all earned All-CCSA first team nods on the men’s side. The three racers accounted for five wins in CCSA events this season, and accounted for back-to-back podium sweeps at the Michigan Tech SuperTour stop.

“I think it means a lot to our athletes to earn these honors,” NMU head coach Sten Fjeldheim said. “They’ve worked extremely hard in the season as well as the offseason to get better, and we are very proud of what they have accomplished.”

Alaska’s John Parry and Michigan Tech’s Mikko Harju also earned first-team honors: Parry, an NCAA competitor a year ago, made the most of his senior season by earning his first career victory in the Hilltop Invitational skate race while Finland’s Harju has been a model of consistency in a breakthrough first season with the Wildcats.

Three more Alaska skiers – Ray Sabo, Alex Morris, and Erik Soederstroem – landed All-CCSA second team honors: a testament to the depth of the Blue and Gold roster. Northern’s Chris Bowler and Saint Scholastica’s Waylon Manske and Jeremy Hecker also earn second team nods after impressive performances over the weekend. Bowler took third in the skate race at the CCSA Championships, while Hecker and Manske finished sixth and tenth, respectively.

On the women’s side, Alaska’s Raphaela Sieber and Green Bay’s Carolyn Freeman both grabbed spots on the All-CCSA first team after setting the pace in the region throughout most of the season. Sieber finished atop the CCSA podium five times this season, while Freeman won four events herself.

“Raphaela has had a very good season,” Alaska head coach Scott Jerome said. “Watching her train last year, we knew she was the real deal. She’s been very consistent for us this season.”

Alaska’s Theresia Schnurr joins teammate Sieber on the first team side, as does Northern Michigan’s Christina Turman and Marie Helen Soderman: both of whom played a key role in the Wildcats’ CCSA championship and NCAA Central Regional wins.

The women’s All-CCSA second team is filled by a pair of promising young Michigan Tech skiers. The Huskies’ Malin Eriksson claimed her first collegiate win at the CCSA Championships classical race, while fellow freshman Alice Flanders, also earning a second team nod, took third at the Mayor’s Challenge skate event.

Northern Michigan’s Monica Markvardsen also earned second-team all conference honors, as did St. Olaf’s Paige Schember and St. Cloud State’s Elizabeth Simak.

The CCSA also announced that Alaska’s Scott Jerome has been named the association’s Men’s Coach of the Year, while Northern Michigan’s Sten Fjeldheim earned the Women’s Coach of the Year honor.

Jerome kept the Nanook men within the top two of every event they competed in, despite an unusual season that saw Alaska lose three skiers to European competition soon after U.S. Nationals. That challenge allowed Jerome to demonstrate the depth of his program, as no fewer than five Alaska skiers recorded their first CCSA victory in 2011.

“I’m really humbled to win this award, but the credit should really go to the team,” Jerome said. “Everyone knew we had a strong team, but I think after U.S. Nationals, when we skied really well even without our top three guys, people saw the depth of our program here.”

Fjeldheim, meanwhile, guided the NMU women to the CCSA Championship and a second-place finish at the NCAA Central Region Championships. True to form, Fjeldheim, now in his 22nd season at the helm of the Wildcats, has his women racing their best right when it matters most.

“It’s awesome to be nominated and named Coach of the Year by your peers,” Fjeldheim said. “We had a great group of girls: they trained very hard and made my job easy. It means a lot and I’m very proud of our program.”

The complete listing of this season’s All-CCSA teams are as follow:

Women’s First Team All-CCSA:

Raphaela Sieber UAF
Carolyn Freeman UWGB
Theresia Schnurr UAF
Christina Turman NMU
Marie Helen Soderman NMU

Women’s Second Team All-CCSA:

Malin Eriksson MTU
Monica Markvardsen NMU
Alice Flanders MTU
Elizabeth Simak SCSU
Paige Schember STO

Men’s First Team All-CCSA:

Andy Liebner NMU
Martin Banerud NMU
John Parry UAF
Erik Soderman NMU
Mikko Harju MTU

Men’s Second Team All-CCSA: (includes 6 due to a tie)

Ray Sabo UAF
Alex Morris UAF
Erik Soederstroem UAF
Chris Bowler NMU
Waylon Manske CSS
Jeremy Hecker CSS

CCSA Men’s Coach of the Year: Scott Jerome, UAF
CCSA Women’s Coach of the Year: Sten Fjeldheim, NMU

An exhausting day at the Michigan Tech Ski Trails in Houghton, Mich. ended in glory for Northern Michigan, as they capture both the men’s and overall team titles at the NCAA Central Region Championships on Saturday. The Wildcats swept the podium in the men’s 10K skate race in the morning, then scored three of the top four finishers in the afternoon’s men’s 10K classic to secure the regional title.

“I’m very proud of our team,” Northern Michigan head coach Sten Fjeldheim said afterward. “It’s really cool to win the overall title. It was a team effort all around, everyone pitched in to help with testing, waxing, and everything. And we couldn’t have done it without assistant coach Jenny Ryan. To me, she’s the Assistant Coach of the Year without a doubt.”

It wasn’t to be all NMU on the day, however, as a solid Alaska effort in the afternoon classic race broke open a tight race on the women’s side to hand the Nanooks females a regional crown as well.

Alaska clung to just a one point advantage after the morning skate, but a season-best second place finish from Rebecca Konieczny, coupled with typically consistent performances from German duo Theresia Schnurr and Raphaela Sieber, gave the Blue and Gold a six-point margin of victory.

“It was a very solid team effort today,” Alaska head coach Scott Jerome said. “The women did a great job, as did the men. They certainly have nothing to hang their heads about. It was really exciting to see some different people step up and have some good races.”

After Friday’s races were postponed due to what one coach labeled as “hurricane-force winds,” the CCSA athletes faced the daunting task of having a pair of high-profile, high-importance races contested within the span of a few hours. Despite the difficult circumstances, coaches were quick to downplay the impact of the change.

“I think the older student-athletes, the ones with a little bigger base, it wasn’t as much of a problem for them,” Fjeldheim said. “They actually were pretty excited about it, it was something different, a little bit of a challenge.”

“I just told the team that it was the same for everyone, we were all in the same boat,” Jerome said.

The grueling events did not seem to slow down the in-form Northern Michigan skiers, as the red-hot Martin Banerud and Andy Liebner raced to the top-two spots in both the freestyle and classic events. Banerud finished his skate in 26:11.3, with Liebner 10 seconds behind, and captured the classic title six seconds ahead of his teammate.

The Wildcats Erik Soderman, who has enjoyed a phenomenal freshman campaign for the team, took third in the freestyle event, followed closely by Alaska’s David Norris, who returns to CCSA action for the first time since U.S. Nationals after competing in Europe.

“Erik really came on strong in the second lap,” Fjeldheim said. “He was probably ninth or 10th going into the second 5K. He’s just really solid for a freshman.”

Gustavus’ Jens Brabbit rounded out the top five for the men’s freestyle, while Alaska Tyler Kornfield took sixth, all but securing a second straight NCAA berth for the sophomore.

In the men’s classical event, another Alaska skier, Erik Soederstroem, turned some heads with a third-place finish, just over 13 seconds behind second-placed Liebner. Northern Michigan’s Chris Bowler continued his strong finish to the second with a fourth-place finish, followed closely by Alaska’s David Norris and teammate Kevin Cutts.

On the women’s side, Alaska’s Sieber earned her sixth victory of the season in the morning’s skate race, completing her 5K in 14:44.6. Northern’s Christina Turman took second, just over seven seconds behind, and Green Bay’s Carolyn Freeman finished third.

Schnurr crossed the line in fourth-place as Alaska’s second scoring skier, while a pair of Michigan Tech’s young rising stars, Alice Flanders and Lynn Duijndam, took fifth and sixth, respectively. NMU’s Ingrid Fjeldheim finished as her team’s second scoring skier in seventh place in 15:12.8, less than a second behind Duijndam.

In the women’s classical, however, there was no catching Freeman, as the Green Bay senior cruised to a comfortable 24-second victory over the impressive Konieczny. Northern’s Monica Markvardsen and Marie Soederman took third and fifth in the afternoon session to put the pressure on Alaska, but a fourth-place finish for Schnurr and a sixth-place result for Sieber wrapped up the women’s regional title for the Nanooks.

Saint Scholastica’s Eleanor Magnuson took seventh in the afternoon event, wrapping up an outstanding afternoon for the junior, who also finished eighth in the freestyle race.

With the grueling CCSA season now behind them, the region’s skiers now await the final tally of points to find out who qualifies for the season’s ultimate prize: a trip to next month’s NCAA Championships. This year’s event will be held in Stowe, Vt., with the Nordic races falling on March 9 and March 11.

While the final roster of skiers has yet to be announced, rest assured coaches are already getting prepared for the collegiate skiing centerpiece.

“We’ve got a few things we know we can work on to improve, both fitness-wise and a few technique things,” Fjeldheim said. “We will get together with all our skiers on Monday and get input from everyone on how to fix these things. I think we are still getting better and getting faster every weekend, and I am looking forward to the next two weeks.”

Central Regionals Results and Team Scores – DOWNLOAD

NMU on top as Liebner, Freeman win at CCSA Championships Freestyle

Northern Michigan sits atop both the men’s and women’s leaderboard after the first day of racing at the CCSA Championships in Ishpeming, Mich. The Wildcats swept the podium in the men’s 10K skate, and put each of their three scoring skiers in the top 8 in the women’s 5K event.

Andy Liebner continued his outstanding 2011 season for the Wildcats with a dominate victory at the Al Quaal Trails on Saturday. The junior crossed the line in 29:24.8 – over a minute and 20 seconds faster than his nearest competitor.

NMU freshman Erik Soderman enjoyed one of the best finishes of his young career, taking second, followed closely by teammate Chris Bowler to round out the Wildcat-heavy podium.

Alaska’s Alex Morris earned fourth place with his 31:11.3, while Michigan Tech’s Mikko Harju secured another top-five finish for himself with a 31:28.3.

Saint Scholastica also enjoyed a fine day at the trails on Saturday, led by the sixth-place finish by Jeremy Hecker. Hecker, who completed his 10K in 31:36.4, was one of the Saints two top-ten finishers on the day: Waylon Manske grabbed tenth with a 32:08.6.

Alaska’s John Parry took seventh with a 31:48.2, followed by Northern’s Martin Banerud (eighth) and Gustavus Jens Brabbit (ninth).

On the women’s side, it was the usual suspects racing for the top spot, with Green Bay’s Carolyn Freeman again showing her ability in the freestyle discipline by earning the victory in 17:23.4. Alaska’s Raphaela Sieber wasn’t far behind, taking second in 17:28.6.

Northern’s Christina Turman rounded out a tightly-contested fight for podium positions, finishing just under four seconds behind Sieber for third place.

Alaska’s Theresia Schnurr continued her push for an NCAA berth with a solid fourth-place finish, crossing the line in 17:44.8. Northern’s Marie Soderman earned 26 points for her team as the Wildcats second scoring skier, taking fifth.

A pair of Michigan Tech skiers earned spots in the top ten, as the Huskies continue to look sharper as the season progresses. Alice Flanders landed sixth-place in the event with her 18:04.7, followed by teammate Lynn Duijndam in seventh in 18:20.5.

Libby Ellis came in as Northern’s third-scoring skier, taking eighth place in 18:24.1. Teammate Monica Markvardsen and St. Olaf’s Paige Schember rounded out the top ten on the women’s side.

Behind a dominant performance on the men’s side, Northern holds a comfortable 15-point advantage over second place Alaska going into the final day of the CCSA Championships. Saint Scholastica sits third, followed by Michigan Tech, Gustavus, Green Bay, St. Olaf’s, and Saint John’s.

On the women’s side, Ellis’ finish gives the Wildcats a four-point advantage over Alaska, who themselves hold just a four-point edge over third-place Michigan Tech. Green Bay sits fourth, followed by St. Olaf’s, St. Cloud State, Saint Scholastica, Gustavus, and College of Saint Benedict.

The CCSA skiers return to action tomorrow for the mass start classic race at the Al Quaal Trails.

CCSA Championships Freestyle Results