Second-place finishes for both Alaska’s Max Olex and Northern Michigan’s Rosie Frankowski in the mass start freestyle races wrapped up a banner week for the CCSA at the NCAA Championships at Soldier Hollow Resort in Utah. In addition to the pair of silver medals, the region’s skiers also collected six more All-American places to bring its total to 11 for the championships. Olex, NMU’s Fredrik Schwencke (sixth) and St. Scholastica’s Paul Schommer (eighth) all cracked the top 10 on the men’s side while Frankowski, St. Olaf’s Paige Schember (seventh) and Michigan Tech’s Alice Flanders (10th) earned All-American status for the women.

Olex and Frankowski’s performances were especially poignant. Both seniors, the two skiers were in essence competing in their final collegiate event, and each marked the occasion with arguably the finest race of their careers.

On the bubble headed into regionals, Olex needed a big performance in Houghton to even make it to the NCAAs, and, having accomplished that goal, made the most of his chance Saturday. Around 15th place heading into the final lap of the 20K race, Olex refused to let a pair of Colorado skiers pull away from the lead pack, nailing the final downhill section to slingshot his way up to the top before hammering through the final uphill.

“Max didn’t just have the race of the day for our team, he had the race of his life,” Alaska head coach Scott Jerome joked afterwards. “On that last uphill, he was just out of his mind. It was an incredible finish.”

Schwencke and Schommer, meanwhile, helped make up a massive pack of skiers finishing just behind Olex, as less than three seconds separated third place from 12th. Schwencke worked his way through the traffic to claim sixth place, while Schommer ended in eighth, just two-tenths of a second behind. Both emerged from the melee with second-team All-American honors, the first such award for St. Scholastica’s young program.

“Even though we felt [Thursday’s] classic race was a bit of a missed opportunity because of some waxing decisions, Paul told me he felt as good physically as he has all year, so we were confident going into today,” St. Scholastica head coach Chad Salmela said. “Mentally, Paul’s one of the strongest athletes I’ve ever worked with, so it’s really awesome to see him get to be an All-American. We’re really excited.”

Northern Michigan’s Kyle Bratrud turned in a solid race as well, finishing well within the top half of the competitive field with his 14th place finish. Likewise, Alaska’s Michael Fehrenbach and Logan Hanneman ended their days in the top 30 as well, at 23rd and 26th place, respectively.

Frankowski, meanwhile, ended her collegiate career in style as well. Described by her head coach, Sten Fjeldheim, as one of the fittest skiers he’s ever seen, Frankowski used that engine to her advantage, taking charge and setting a blistering pace early in the final lap to tire out the rest of the lead pack. Though New Mexico’s Eva Severrus would keep pace and eventually take the win, Frankowski finished comfortably in second place – an impressive final performance for the one-time walk-on.

“At one point in her freshman season, Rosie came in, looked me in the eye and told me I would be making a mistake if I didn’t keep her on the team – turns out she was right,” Fjeldheim laughed. “She skied a really smart race today and put the hammer down when she needed to. It was incredible to watch.”

After an impressive 15th place finish in the classic race earlier this week, St. Olaf skier Paige Schember did even better in the skate event, finishing her 15K in 41:23.1 to grab seventh place and second-team All-American status. So too did Michigan Tech’s Alice Flanders – one of the region’s best freestyle skiers, Flanders’ time of 41:40.2 earned her 10th place overall and the final All-American position on the women’s side.

Alaska’s Nichole Bathe, who earned first-team All-American accolades with her fourth-place finish on Thursday, was next across the line for the CCSA, taking 13th to wrap up a fantastic first season for the freshman. Northern Michigan’s Hannah Boyer and Mary Kate Cirelli turned in solid performances for the Wildcats as well, taking 16th and 22nd place, respectively.

Saturday’s outstanding results close the book on a satisfying 2014 season for the CCSA, and leaves the coaches proud of the region’s showing at this year’s national championships.

“I think we sent a message to the other regions with our performances this week,” Salmela said. “I think we’re showing everyone that our programs are getting good development out of our skiers. We are going to get more NCAA spots back now for our region, and we deserve it.”

“It was absolutely essential that we did well this week,” Jerome said. “We absolutely had to have a good NCAAs, and I’m really pleased and proud of this group.”

For full results, please visit http://www.barttiming.com/eisa/Results14/ncaa14.htm.

The CCSA skiers opened up the NCAA Championships in style, as the region’s athletes earned five All-American finishes in the interval start classic races at Soldier Hollow Resort in Midway, Utah. Alaska’s Nichole Bathe turned in a region-best fourth-place finish to collect first-team All-American honors, while Northern Michigan skiers landed a pair of second-team All-American spots in both the men’s 10K (Kyle Bratrud and Fredrik Schwencke) and the women’s 5K (Rosie Frankowski and Mary Kate Cirelli) events.

All told, CCSA skiers accounted for eight top-15 finishes and 10 top-20 spots in the two events — an important performance as the region looks to reclaim additional qualifying spots for its student-athletes in the future.

“It was a really good boost of confidence for everyone to have a day like today,” Northern Michigan head coach Sten Fjeldheim said. “Everyone in our region really communicates well and worked together. It’s a really unique situation – I didn’t see anyone else from the West or East regions doing that – and it paid off for us today.”

A combination of the high altitude of Soldier Hollow and warm temperatures approaching 50 degrees created a unusual scenario for coaches and athletes alike – the “complete opposite of anything we skied in this year,” as Fjeldheim put it.

None of it, however, appeared to faze Bathe. The freshman blistered through the course in 14:07.7 to capture fourth place despite drawing the No. 1 bib, meaning she wouldn’t having previous competitor’s times for motivation.

“I don’t think having splits would have mattered for her today,” Alaska head coach Scott Jerome said. “I think she was going to go out there and race the way she did no matter what. The conditions were really firm, but she has a good double pole, so that worked to her advantage.”

Northern Michigan’s Frankowski just missed out on a top-five place of her own, taking sixth in 14:23.5, while teammate Cirelli claimed her first All-American honor with a 10th-place finish, improving on her 15th-place performance in the same event a year ago.

St. Olaf’s Paige Schember turned in a solid performance in her first NCAAs as well, finishing in 15th with her time of 14:43.2. Northern Michigan’s Hannah Boyer placed 20th with her 14:48.7, while Michigan Tech’s Alice Flanders took 31st in 15:12.9.

On the men’s side, NMU’s Kyle Bratrud led the region with his sixth-place finish, collecting his second career All-American honor with his time of 25:24.4. Fellow Wildcat Fredrik Schwencke also earned second-team All-American status; the freshman taking 10th in 25:47.2.

“Kyle just skied an awesome race,” Fjeldheim said. “I think we really showed the depth of our team today – everyone was really rooting for one another, and to get four All-Americans is pretty incredible.”

Alaska’s Logan Hanneman turned in the CCSA’s fourth-best time on the men’s side – the Fairbanks native nearly cracking the top 10 himself after finishing less than three seconds behind Schwencke to place 11th. Northern Michigan’s Adam Martin took 13th overall in 25:52.3, while the Nanooks’ Michael Fehrenbach overcame a recurring illness to place 16th.

Likewise, an early fall and resulting busted knees didn’t stop Alaska’s Max Olex; the senior pressing on to take 21st in what Jerome labelled “the race of the day for our men’s team.” St. Scholastica’s Paul Schommer turned in a solid performance for the Saints as well, taking 25th overall in his return to nationals after competing in the 2012 NCAAs.

The CCSA skiers return to the Soldier Hollow course Saturday, for a men’s 20K mass start freestyle race at 10 a.m. Mountain time, followed by a women’s 15K at noon.

For complete results, please see http://www.barttiming.com/eisa/Results14/ncaa14.htm.

It was a green and gold final day of the CCSA season, as Northern Michigan not only saw two of their skiers — George Cartwright and Rosie Frankowski — top the podium in both the men’s 15K and women’s 10K mass start freestyle events, but the Wildcats also swept the men’s, women’s and overall team titles at the NCAA Central Region Championships in Houghton, Mich.

“It was a great team effort,” Northern Michigan head coach Sten Fjeldheim said. “We’ve got everyone healthy, had good skis, so everything worked out. I think it says a lot about our team depth on both sides: everyone really pushes one another to get better.”

There was plenty of pressure in the build-up to Sunday’s start, since the races represented the final chance for CCSA skiers to improve their standing in the regional points list and stake their claim for a coveted spot at the NCAA Championships next month.

Cartwright, however, refused to be rattled and skied an intelligent, composed race, sticking within the lead pack for the first couple laps before teaming with the redshirting Erik Soderman to pull away in the final 5K. Cartwright would finish as the top collegiate skier with his time of 40:57.9 to successfully defend his NCAA Central Region skate title from last year.

“It takes a lot to rattle George’s cage,” Fjeldheim said. “He’s at his best when he can sit with the pack and then take off at the end. He’s always been a good skate skier and a good sprinter, so he’s tough to beat when he does that. It was really fun, as a coach, to watch a fifth-year senior go out and win regionals today.”

Fellow Wildcat Kyle Bratrud was next across the line, the in-form skier earning his second podium spot of the weekend with a second-place finish in 41:19.7. St. Scholastica junior Paul Schommer collected the bronze podium spot, finishing third in 41:21.0. A pair of Alaska skiers, Michael Fehrenbach and Logan Hanneman, were next across the line; Fehrenbach taking fourth in 41:22.5, while Hanneman just edged the Wildcats’ Fredrik Schwencke across the line by seven-tenths of a second.

Schwencke, Northern Michigan’s third scoring skier, took sixth in 41:24.3, followed closely by teammate Adam Martin in seventh. St. Olaf’s Jake Brown produced a solid performance to take eighth and boost his chances of NCAA qualification with his time of 41:28.8, while Michigan Tech’s Matt Dugan and Kyle Hanson rounded out the top ten.

On the women’s side, the rest of the CCSA field had no answer for Frankowski. The senior from Minneapolis, Minn. set the pace early, then pulled away on the second lap before eventually cruising to a 38-second victory. Frankowski has now won back-to-back mass start skate events since returning from the U23 World Championships last month.

“Having Rosie back has just given our whole team a boost of confidence — I think she decided to see just how fast she could ski in that second lap today,” Fjeldheim laughed.

St. Scholastica’s Sharmila Ahmed turned in one of her best performances of the season on Sunday, earning a regional silver medal with her time of 33:00.9 — good enough for second place. Northern Michigan’s Hannah Boyer wrapped up a solid weekend for herself as well, landing her second third place finish and second podium spot in as many days by taking third in 33:07.4.

St. Olaf’s Paige Schember strengthened her case for an NCAA berth with her fourth-place finish on Sunday, followed closely by Michigan Tech’s Alice Flanders, another skier who will be eyeing the points lists earnestly when the final standings are announced later this month. Northern Michigan’s Mary Kate Cirelli took sixth to wrap up the scoring for the Wildcats, and St. Scholastica’s Sarah Allen wrapped up a solid season for herself with a seventh-place finish. Alaska’s Nichole Bathe, Northern Michigan’s Kristen Bourne and Alaska’s Aly McPhetres complete the women’s top ten.

Sunday’s results mean that Northern Michigan successfully overturned the three-point deficit they faced on the men’s side after yesterday’s classic event. The Wildcats leapfrogged Alaska to claim the men’s team title by seven points, 129 to 122. St. Scholastica took third with 93 points.

It was a similar story on the women’s side, with the Wildcats’ women taking the crown with 128 total points for the weekend, topping second place St. Scholastica (109 points) and third-place Alaska (99 points) by a comfortable margin.

With the CCSA season now behind them, the region’s student-athletes now can do nothing but wait for the final points to be tallied and the official selections for next month’s NCAA Championships to be announced. The Central Region will send seven men and six women to this year’s national championships, to be held at Soldier Hollow Resort in Midway, Utah on March 6 and 8.

For complete results from today’s events, including team scores, please visit www.superiortiming.com.

Alaska’s Nichole Bathe and Northern Michigan’s Kyle Bratrud captured the Central Region crowns in the women’s 5K and men’s 10K individual start classic events, respectively, to kick off the regional championships in Houghton, Mich. In near perfect skiing conditions, the Nanooks and Wildcats combined to occupy all six podium spots (three apiece) on the afternoon, meaning that Alaska heads into final day of the NCAA Central Region Championships with a three-point lead on the men’s side, while the Northern Michigan women hold an eight-point edge heading into Sunday.

Having missed the CCSA Championships in order to represent the U.S. Ski Team at the World Junior Championships last month, Bathe showed her experience in Italy paid dividends, dominating the field at the Michigan Tech Nordic Training Center. Despite only seeing the course for the first time at 5 p.m. Friday evening, thanks to a cancelled flight and some misplaced equipment, the freshman kept her nerve and sailed to a 15-second victory, completing her 5K in 17:14.4.

“Nichole had a long travel day yesterday, plus she’d never even raced here before, so that would have thrown a lot of people off,” Alaska head coach Scott Jerome said. “But she took it in stride, didn’t get stressed at all and performed really well.”

Though Bathe took the top spot, the other two podium positions went to Northern Michigan, as Rosie Frankowski took second with her time of 17:30.0 and Hannah Boyer staked her claim for an NCAA berth — an increasingly competitive appointment on the women’s side of the region — with her third-place finish.

St. Scholastica’s Sarah Allen continues to find her top form at the right time, impressing with a fourth-place finish on Saturday with her time of 17:56.9. St. Olaf’s Paige Schember collected her second straight top-five finish as well, placing less than a second behind Allen.

St. Scholastica’s second scoring skier, Anita Kirvesniemi, took sixth place, helping the Saints into second on the women’s side on the day, after just edging out Northern Michigan’s Felicia Gesior by seven-tenths of a second. Alice Flanders (Michigan Tech), Mary Kate Cirelli (NMU) and Ulrika Axelsson rounded out the women’s top ten.

On the men’s side, Bratrud ended Alaska’s Logan Hanneman’s two-race winning streak by collecting his third CCSA win of the season. Bratrud, currently the top-ranked men’s skier on the CCSA points list and looking a likely shoo-in for an NCAA berth next month, bested Hanneman by just 1.9 seconds in an intriguing battle between two of the region’s most in-form skiers.

Though forced to settle for second place, Hanneman would receive some consolation in seeing a pair of teammates finishing directly behind him in the standings. Alaska’s Michael Fehrenbach battled through an illness to take the bronze position with his time of 30:02.2, leading early in the race before eventually falling behind the top two. Max Olex then turned in arguably his most impressive race of the season, taking fourth in 30:37.8 in an impressive display of depth from the Nanooks.

“I was so proud of our men’s team today,” Jerome said. “Max really stepped up today, and even though he wasn’t feeling well, Michael fought for the good of the team as well. But it was more than just them – all of our guys (Kenneth Brewer, Isaac Lammers and Jonas Loffler) gave it all they had today.”

A trio of Northern Michigan skiers posted the next fastest times, with George Cartwright (5th), Adam Martin (6th) and Fredrik Schwencke (7th) all finishing within 2.3 seconds of one another. St. Scholastica’s Paul Schommer took eighth in 30:57.7., while his teammates John Wessling and Chris Parr rounded out the top ten.

The results mean that the Northern Michigan women finish the day with 63 points, eight points ahead of St. Scholastica (55 points) and 12 ahead of Alaska (51). Michigan Tech sits fourth on 45 points.

Things are even tighter on the men’s side, with Alaska’s 66 points giving them just a three-point cushion over Northern Michigan. St. Scholastica sits third with 51 points.

The CCSA skiers head back to the Nordic Training Center course tomorrow for a vital mass start skate event, with a 15K on tap for the men and a 10K scheduled for the women. Not only will the regional titles be decided, but the two races also represent the final NCAA qualifiers for the region’s competitors.

“It’s high pressure, but we just try to keep things as normal as possible,” Jerome said. “This is what you’ve been preparing for months and months. But its a lot of fun, regionals is one of my favorites events of the year. It really is a nice capstone to the season.”

For full results, including team scores, please visit http://www.superiortiming.com/.

An impressive display of depth saw hosts Northern Michigan capture the men’s, women’s and overall team titles at the CCSA Championships in Ishpeming, Mich. The Wildcats’ Rosie Frankowski and Mary Kate Cirelli teamed up to pull away from the rest of the field to capture the top two spots in the women’s 15K mass start skate race, while Kyle Bratrud and Fredrik Schwencke took silver and bronze, respectively, in the men’s 20K event. Alaska’s Logan Hanneman captured his second individual title of the weekend, edging Bratrud in the men’s race to boost the Nanooks to second in the men’s and overall team standings.

“Our team really came together today and showed our depth, and that’s critical to winning team events,” Northern Michigan head coach Sten Fjeldheim said. “I think we were just tired and needed a little bit of a break after Senior Nationals, so we got some good rest and good training last weekend, and everyone really responded well to that.”

Having raced a limited CCSA schedule this season after competing for the U.S. Ski Team at the U23 World Championships, Frankowski showed she hadn’t missed a beat, combining well with teammate Cirelli to set the pace early and put some distance between themselves and the rest of the field. The duo never looked back, with Frankowski claiming her second win of the CCSA season. Cirelli, finishing just under two seconds behind her teammate, earned her second podium spot of the CCSA Championships, having won the women’s classic race on Saturday.

“I wasn’t 100 percent sure about Rosie racing today, but she talked me into it,” Fjeldheim said afterwards. “She skied a really solid race and never really redlined it. And having her up there was good for Mary Kate as well – her and Rosie really feed off each other.”

St. Olaf’s Paige Schember turned in arguably her finest race of the season, earning her first podium spot with a third-place finish in 36:38.5. St. Scholastica’s Sharmila Ahmed, an NCAA qualifier last season, looks to get back in the hunt this season as well, earning a fourth-place finish at the Al Quaal Recreation Area on Sunday. Northern Michigan’s third skier, Hannah Boyer, crossed the line in fifth, meaning all three of the Wildcats’ scorers finished in a top-five position.

Green Bay’s Kailey Mucha was next across the line; her pace of 37:06.3 good for sixth-place, followed closely by a pair of Michigan Tech competitors – Alice Flanders wrapping up seventh in 37:09.5 and Deedra Irwin eighth just under five seconds later. Alaska’s Aly McPhetres and Heather Edic rounded off the top ten.

On the men’s side, it was a bit of deja vu from Saturday’s classic race as Hanneman, Bratrud and Schwencke all occupied the same podium spots Sunday as they did 24 hours earlier. Sticking with a lead pack of around eight skiers for most of the race, Hanneman made his move at the final climb, eventually edging NMU’s Bratrud by 1.4 seconds to claim his second CCSA Championships title.

Bratrud, in turn, held off teammate Schwencke by five-tenths of a second to take silver: his sixth straight podium finish. Freshman Schwencke continues his late charge for an NCAA spot with his third-place finish, completing his four laps around the 5K track in 40:25.

“Fredrik had his best skate race of the year today,” Fjeldheim said. “His strength is his classic skiing, so it was good to see him up there today.”

St. Scholastica’s Paul Schommer returns to the top five with a fourth-place result on Sunday, while St. Olaf’s top skier on the day, Jake Brown, took fifth. All told, only 6.2 seconds separated the top five positions.

Alaska’s Michael Fehrenbach was next across the line, capturing sixth in 40:45.9, with George Cartwright not far behind in seventh (40:48.2). A pair of Michigan Tech Huskies, Raphael Bechtiger and Matt Dugan, along with Green Bay’s Matthew Nichols rounded out the top ten on the men’s side.

Sunday results meant that Northern Michigan comfortably captured the women’s team title; its 133 points nearly 40 better than second-place St. Scholastica’s, who finished on 95. Michigan Tech took third with 92 points. A little bit tighter on the men’s side, however, though Northern’s 129 points ensured it again took the top spot, ahead of Alaska (118) and St. Scholastica (96). The Wildcats’ combined score of 262 was more than enough to wrap up the overall team title, with Alaska second on 201 points and St. Scholastica third on 191.

The CCSA skiers now head to Houghton, Mich. for the NCAA Central Region Championships and the final two NCAA qualifiers on Feb. 15-16. For full results and team scores from today’s event, please see http://my1.raceresult.com/details/index.php?page=4&eventid=24797&lang=en.

Hosts Northern Michigan heads into the final day of the CCSA championships with the team lead on both the men’s and women’s side following the first day of action at the Al Quaal Recreation Area in Ishpeming, Mich. Alaska’s Logan Hanneman dominated the men’s 10K interval start classic, but NMU took the next three spots to open up a four-point advantage over the Nanooks. The Wildcats then went 1-2 in the women’s 5K event, with Mary Kate Cirelli and Hannah Boyer posting the top two times, to give them a comfortable 16-point advantage on the women’s side.

With cold (single-digit) but steady temperatures, sunshine and no wind, the weather played little role in determining today’s races, and Hanneman took advantage of the ideal conditions to claim his first CCSA win and an individual title. Described by his head coach, Scott Jerome, as a typically conservative starter, the junior put the hammer down early and never let up, scorching the 10K course in 20:17.8 — 29 seconds better than his nearest CCSA competitor.

“He had a game plan from the get-go,” Jerome said. “He felt good, was confident in his body and confident in his skis, so he just went for it. Sometimes those plans don’t work out, but today it did, and it was excited to see.”

A pair of Northern Michigan skiers joined Hanneman on the podium: Kyle Bratrud’s time of 20:46.8 good enough to earn the silver for the junior, while teammate and freshman sensation Fredrik Schwencke strengthened his case for an NCAA place with a third-place finish.

The Wildcats George Cartwright was next across the line, meaning all three of Northern Michigan’s scoring skiers placed in the top four.

“Usually, going 1-5-7 as we [Alaska] did today is enough to win you a meet,” Jerome said, “but not when someone else goes 2-3-4.”

Alaska’s Michael Fehrenbach earned a top-five finish with his time of 21:11.9, despite admittedly skiing at less than 100 percent. St. Scholastica’s Paul Schommer placed sixth; the junior completing his 10K in 21:15.9. Another Nanook, Max Olex, continued his string of three straight top-tens in CCSA events in which Alaska attends by taking seventh in 21:18.1.

“I was really pleased with how Max raced today,” Jerome said. “He’s coming off of an injury just before Thanksgiving that set him back, but he’s just been steadily making progress and improving every race. He’s a man on a mission to get to Utah [to the NCAA championships].”

A trio of St. Scholastica skier rounded out the men’s top ten, with John Wessling taking eighth, Chris Parr ninth and Scott Johanik 10th.

On the women’s side, it was all Northern Michigan, as Cirelli cruised to her first CCSA title. The sophomore showed why she is one of the region’s top skiers in the classic tracks, finishing her 5K loop in 11:48.3 to top the field by a full 21 seconds.

Cirelli’s nearest competitor was also wearing green and gold, as teammate Hannah Boyer landed second place, as well as valuable points toward an NCAA berth in an increasingly competitive women’s field, with her time of 12:09.6. St. Scholastica’s Anita Kirvesniemi earned a podium spot as well, forced to settle for third after her time was just three-tenths of a second behind Boyer’s pace.

Michigan Tech’s Deedra Irwin took fourth in 12:15.6. to earn her team’s top spot, while St. Olaf’s Paige Schember finished fifth in 12:23.5. Felicia Gesior rounded out the scoring for Northern Michigan; her sixth-place finish wrapping up the classical crown for the Wildcats.

Michigan Tech’s Ulrika Axelsson earned seventh place with her time of 12:32.2., just ahead of St. Scholastica’s Sarah Allen – the reigning CCSA women’s skier of the week boosting her NCAA credentials with her eighth-place finish Saturday. Alaska’s Aly McPhetres and Green Bay’s Kailey Mucha rounded out the top 10 on a fast and competitive day of racing on the women’s side, as only 36 seconds separated second place from 15th.

The CCSA Championships will be decided tomorrow as the starting gun for the women’s 15K mass start skate sounds at 10:30 a.m. Eastern tomorrow, followed by the men’s 20K skate. For complete results from today’s races, please visit http://www.superiortiming.com/2014/02/ccsa-championships-2014/.