Impressive individual performances from Michigan Tech’s Alice Flanders and St. Scholastica’s Paul Schommer saw the two juniors top the podium in the women’s 5K freestyle and the men’s 10K freestyle, respectively, in bitterly cold conditions at Mt. Itasca in Coleraine, Minn. Flanders has now taken the top spot in the last two CCSA skate races – both by substantial margins as well – while Schommer earned the Saints’ second win of the weekend, following teammate Sarah Allen’s victory Friday.

After winning the freestyle event at the Telemark Chase last weekend by more than 37 seconds, Flanders fared even better on Saturday despite racing at sub-zero (-2 degrees Fahrenheit) temperatures, crossing the line a full 42 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor.

“Alice has been skiing really well the last couple of weeks,” Michigan Tech head coach Joe Haggenmiller said afterwards. “She’s just a natural skater. She’s been on the bad side of the [NCAA qualifying] bubble a couple of times in her career already, so hopefully she can get to NCAAs this year and have a performance like this there.”

Northern Michigan’s Felicia Gesior turned in one of the best performances of her Wildcat career to date, capturing second place with her time of 15:19.6. Teammate Mary Kate Cirelli wasn’t far behind, earning her spot on the podium with a time of 15:22.6.

Michigan Tech’s second-scoring skier, Lynn Duijndam, just missed joining teammate Flanders on the podium, eventually settling for fourth place after crossing the line just eight-tenths of a second behind Cirelli.

“Lynn is another natural skater of ours,” Haggenmiller said. “She’s been battling some acid reflux issues this year, so we were excited she was able to hang in there and do well today.”

Gustavus Adolphus skier Marian Lund earned her school’s first top-five finish of the season, taking fifth after crossing the line in 15:23.7. Paige Schember turned in the top performance for the St. Olaf women by capturing sixth in 15:27.3, with St. Scholatica’s Sarah Allen not too far behind, in seventh. Gustavus’ Marit Sonnesyn, Northern Michigan’s Kristen Bourne and Green Bay’s Kailey Mucha rounded out the top ten.

On the men’s side, the consistent Schommer made it five straight podium finishes in a row with his win on Saturday. Like Flanders, the St. Scholastica skier enjoyed a comfortable margin of victory as well, finishing more than 24 seconds ahead of the next competitor.

Other than Schommer, Northern Michigan dominated the podium positions, with George Cartwright taking silver with his time of 25:17.6 and teammate Kyle Bratrud crossing the line soon after to earn his second podium spot of the weekend. St. Olaf’s Jake Brown continued his push for an NCAA berth this season; the junior finshed fourth at Mt. Itasca with his time of 25:41.1, while Northern Michigan freshman Fredrik Schwencke continued to impress as well, earning fifth place just a second and a half behind Brown.

Green Bay’s Matthew Nichols time of 26:41.2 meant the junior earned his team’s top spot and sixth place overall: his best finish of the young season. Michigan Tech’s Raphael Bechtiger took seventh place (also his team’s top finish), just ahead of St. Scholastica’s John Wessling in eighth. Bechtiger’s teammate, Matt Wong, continued his solid season for the Huskies with a ninth-place finish Saturday, while NMU’s Sam Elfstrom took tenth.

“Matt just continues to improve every year,” Haggenmiller said. “He’s made huge strides from where he started with us as a freshman. And its good to see Raphael working his way back into being competitive too [after being sick earlier in the year.]”

With Saturday’s results, Northern Michigan took home the overall team title for the weekend, finishing with 287 points, ahead of St. Scholastica (255 points) and Michigan Tech (247 points). The Wildcats earned both freestyle titles on Saturday as well, taking the men’s event with 74 points to top St. Scholastica (64 points) and Michigan Tech (58 points), and the women’s event with 70 points to edge Michigan Tech (68) and Gustavus Adolphus College (54).

The CCSA skiers now enjoy a well-earned weekend off before heading to the CCSA Championships on Feb. 8-9.

For complete results, please visit http://www.boreal.org/~durfee/mt_itasca_jnq_1_25_14.pdf.

St. Scholastica senior Sarah Allen claimed a landmark win for her program in the women’s 5K classic, and Kyle Bratrud earned his second straight CCSA victory in the men’s 10K classic at Mt. Itasca to kick off the region’s third NCAA qualifier. Amazingly, Bratrud becomes just the first two-time winner for the CCSA this season, while Allen’s win was the first victory in Saints history in an event whose field included traditional powerhouses Northern Michigan or Alaska.

“[Former St. Scholastica skier] Jeremy [Hecker] won one before,” Saints head coach Chad Salmela said, “but neither UAF or Northern Michigan were in the field that day, so that gets an asterisk.”

A consistent and reliable skier for the Saints, Allen led by a full eight seconds at the 3.5K mark, and held on through the final downhill section to complete her 5K in 16:09.1: good for a 2.5 second victory and her first trip to the top of the podium.

“Sarah is supremely fit; I’d be surprised if there’s anyone in the CCSA with a better engine than she’s got,” Salmela said. “We’ve worked really hard on her technique and confidence, so I knew things like this were possible.”

St. Scholastica teammate Anita Kirvesniemi earned her first CCSA podium spot as well, finishing just behind Allen in 16:11.6. The one-two finish for the Saints’ teammates helped boost them to the top of the team standings for the event, besting Northern Michigan by four points.

“I think you’re always a little surprised to go one-two, but I knew both Sarah and Anita were capable of doing what they did today, so I wasn’t floored by it,” Salmela said. “It’s pretty exciting for our program.”

Michigan Tech skier Lisa König landed her first career podium spot as well, taking the bronze after completing her trip through the Mt. Itasca course in 16:18.7.

A pair of Northern Michigan Wildcats were next across the line, with Mary Kate Cirelli earning fourth place by just edging out teammate Felicia Gesior by three-tenths of a second.

St. Olaf’s top skier, Paige Schember, took sixth, with her 16:23.2, while Kailey Mucha’s time of 16:24.3 put her into seventh place. NMU’s Hannah Boyer, Michigan Tech’s Ulrika Axelsson and St. Scholastica’s third scoring skier, Sharmila Ahmed, rounded out the top 10.

On the men’s side, Bratrud looks likely to leap to the top of the CCSA points list with an impressive performance on Friday. The junior’s time of 26:46.0 handed him a 13.8 second margin of victory.

Teammate Fredrik Schwencke was second across the line, as the Wildcats went one-two on the men’s side. St. Scholastica’s Paul Schommer earned his fourth podium place in as many races, capturing bronze with his time of 27:10.3.

Schommer’s teammate, Chris Parr, had a breakout race of his own on Friday, taking fourth place in the event and just missing out on his first ever podium spot with his time of 27:15.8.

“Chris Parr had the race of the day for us on the men’s side,” Salmela said. “He’s was on fire for the last 2K of that race. He’s always been a fast starter, so it was good to see him use his energy intelligently and tactically race the 10K.”

Northern Michigan’s George Cartwright completed the scoring for the Wildcats, taking fifth in 27:17.5, while Matt Wong earned sixth place and the top men’s finish for his Michigan Tech team.

St. Scholastica’s third skier, John Wessling, placed seventh with his time of 27:43.8, and Jay Woodbeck (Michigan Tech), Matthew Nichols (Green Bay) and Kyle Hanson (Michigan Tech) completed the region’s top ten.

With Friday’s results on the women’s side, the team scores saw St. Scholastica finish with 77 points, just ahead of Northern Michigan’s 73 points, while Michigan Tech was third with 67. On the men’s side, Northern Michigan’s 84 points gives them a five-point advantage over the Saints, on 79 points, with Michigan Tech again third with 66.

The CCSA student-athletes finish their stay at Mt. Itasca on Saturday, with a 5K/10K freestyle event.

Alaska’s Michael Fehrenbach and Northern Michigan’s Mary Kate Cirelli became the seventh and eighth different skiers to top the CCSA podium this season, each bringing home the region’s top spot in the men’s and women’s classic events at the Telemark Chase in Cable, Wisc. on Sunday. Fehrenbach sailed through his 10K at the Telemark Lodge in 27:12.7 to edge Saturday winner Kyle Bratrud, while Cirelli finished her 5K with a three-second edge over her nearest CCSA competitor.

Slightly warmer than expected temperatures led to some mushiness on the tracks in some places, making for a somewhat tricky wax selection for coaches and skiers, but Fehrenbach showed no ill effects from the conditions nor a recent illness that hampered him throughout U.S. Nationals.

“[Assistant coach] Christina [Turman] and I were just excited that he was able to finish,” head coach Scott Jerome said aftewards of Fehrenbach. “But he looked every bit as good today as he did when he won regionals last year.”

Bratrud, meanwhile, wrapped up a solid weekend for himself, taking the silver medal in Sunday’s classic event to go with his gold from Saturday’s skate race: a testament to his versatility in both techniques. St. Scholastica’s Paul Schommer earned his second straight podium finish as well, taking third with his time of 27:43.6.

Alaska’s Jonas Loffler continued his chase for a second straight NCAA berth by taking fourth in the CCSA on Sunday, his time of 27:44.8 putting him ahead of Northern Michigan’s Fredrik Schwencke, who took fifth in the CCSA and sixth overall in 27:54.8. Another Alaska skier, the Nanooks’ Logan Hanneman, landed the region’s sixth spot, finishing just six-tenths of a second behind Schwencke.

Seventh place in the CCSA went to Matt Wong, Michigan Tech’s top finisher on the day, while St. Scholastica’s second scoring skier, John Wessling, finished up in eighth after edging Northern Michigan’s George Cartwright by just a tenth of a second. Alaska’s Max Olex wrapped up the CCSA top ten.

On the women’s side, Cirelli’s time of 16:39.0 held up to earn the Wildcat freshman her first win of the young season, and second overall. Alaska’s Nichole Bathe completed an impressive weekend for herself as well, earning her second silver medal in as many days with her time of 16:41.7.

“We knew Nichole was a very good skier when we brought her in,” Jerome said, “but even we didn’t know she was going to have so much of an impact this quick. She’s a great ski racer, and very professional about how she handles herself and goes about her business.”

There was a tie for the bronze medal position, however, as both St. Olaf’s Paige Schember and Northern Michigan’s Felicia Gesior both finished with a time of 17:00.6 to earn themselves a share of the podium. Michigan Tech skier Deedra Irwin’s time of 17:08.3 proved good enough for fifth place in the region (10th overall), while Northern Michigan’s third scoring skier, Kristin Boume, crossed the line in sixth.

Gustavus Adolphus’s Marian Lund scored her first top ten of the season with her seventh place CCSA finish, completing her 5K in 17:22.9. St. Scholastica’s Sarah Allen was next across the line in eighth with her 17:24.5, while Michigan Tech’s Alice Flanders and St. Scholastica’s Anita Kirvesniemi complete the CCSA top ten.

Next up for the CCSA student-athletes: a trip to Mt. Itasca for their third NCAA qualifier on Jan. 24-25.

“I’ve just seen some fantastic skiing in the CCSA this season,” Jerome said. “There are a lot of teams with really good skiers, and I think it just shows that, as a region, how much we are improving. It’s fantastic to see.”

For complete results of today’s events, please visit Performance Timing’s website.

Michigan Tech’s Alice Flanders and Northern Michigan’s Kyle Bratrud earned the top spots in the women’s 10K and men’s 15K freestyle races, respectively, at the Telemark Chase in Cable, Wisc. on Saturday. The first win of the season for each skier, the CCSA has now seen six different student-athletes top the podium in its six events so far in 2014.

Flanders, part of a deep group of Michigan Tech women’s skiers, produced a dominant performance on her way to the top of the podium. Her time of 30:19.8 put her a full 15 seconds ahead of her closest competitor (Jordyn Ross, who is redshirting this season for Northern Michigan) and a good 37 seconds ahead of the next CCSA skier to cross the line.

An impressive team performance from Alaska saw them place three skiers within the CCSA top four. Nicole Bathe continued her fine start to the season by earning the region’s silver medal place, with a time of 30:57.6, while teammates Heather Edic and Aly McPhetres weren’t far behind – Edic taking third in the CCSA with her 30:58.4, and McPhetres finshing fourth just under a second back.

Northern Michigan’s Mary Kate Cirelli took fifth in the CCSA with her 31:00.8, with Michigan Tech’s second skier, Deedra Irwin crossing the line in sixth. St. Olaf’s Paige Schember’s time of 31:23.0 was good enough for seventh in the region, while Northern Michigan’s Felicia Gesior, the Huskies’ Lynn Duijndam and NMU’s Kristin Bourne rounded out the top ten.

On the men’s side, Bratrud continued to show signs of the form that landed him an NCAA berth a year ago, completing his 15K in 37:52.6 to top the CCSA field. St. Olaf’s Jake Brown, the reigning CCSA skier of the week, took second in the region with his time of 38:02.5; the junior continuing his excellent start to the 2014 season.

Bronze medal in the region went to St. Scholastica’s Paul Schommer, as the junior turned in a time of 38:06.4. NMU’s George Cartwright was next across the line in 38:12.2 to take fourth, following closely by a group of Nanooks – Alaska’s Max Olex (5th in CCSA, 6th overall), Michael Fehrenbach (6th in CCSA, 7th overall), Logan Hanneman (7th in CCSA, 8th overall) and Jonas Loffler (8th in CCSA, 9th overall) all finishing within a minute and a half of one another. Michigan Tech’s Matt Dugan and St. Scholastica’s Joe Dubay wrapped up the region’s top ten.

The CCSA competitors head back out to the Telemark for the distance classic race tomorrow, starting with the men’s 10K at 9:30 a.m. For complete results, please visit Performance Timing.

Northern Michigan’s Rosie Frankowski cracked the overall top 10 against some of the nation’s top skiers in the women’s mass start 20K skate, and St. Olaf’s Jake Brown cruised to his first career CCSA win in the men’s 30K event in the third day of racing at the U.S. Cross Country Championships at Soldier Hollow Resort in Utah.

Northern Michigan’s Adam Martin also placed 11th in the junior 10K freestyle, meaning that the freshman has now qualified for the Junior World Championship team and earned an automatic berth to this season’s NCAAs.

Fresh snow falling on top of the manmade base made for tricky waxing conditions for skiers and coaches alike, and brought a slower overall pace to today’s events – a change from the fast conditions that have characterized much of this year’s U.S. Nationals thus far.

The change in pace, however, suited Frankowski just fine.

“I think the conditions played right into Rosie’s hands,” Northern Michigan head coach Sten Fjeldheim said. “Tougher, slower skiing really works to Rosie’s advantage, and she just had a great race today.”

After losing her legs a little following a fast start in the season opening distance classic race on Saturday, Frankowski wouldn’t make the same mistake Tuesday. In the top third of the field after the start, the senior moved up four or five places nearly every lap around the 5K loop, crossing the finish line in 1:00:10.2 – more than two and a half minutes ahead of the next CCSA competitor.

“Rosie just ran out of real estate,” Fjeldheim said. “If she had just had a few more kilometers, she would have caught more skiers and finished even higher.”

Northern Michigan’s Mary Kate Cirelli took the conference’s silver medal, finishing her 20K skate in 1:03:42.8. Michigan Tech’s Alice Flanders wasn’t far behind, crossing the line just under four seconds later to earn the region’s third place and 23rd overall.

Alaska’s Nicole Bathe completed an impressive debut week in the CCSA with a fourth-place finish in the region (36th overall). Michigan Tech’s Deedra Irwin then won a sprint to the finish between a trio of central region skiers – Irwin’s time of 1:06:25.3 just edging out her teammate Lynn Duijndam by twenty seconds to earn 39th place overall. Duijndam, in turn, nipped Green Bay’s Kailey Mucha by 12 seconds, forcing the Phoenix skier to settle for 41st overall and seventh in the region.

A fourth Michigan Tech skier, Sarah Daniels, was next across the line, placing 43rd overall, while NMU’s Felicia Geisor and Alaska’s Heather Edic completed the CCSA top ten.

On the men’s side, it was a day to remember for Brown. After impressing with a seventh-place finish in the region on Saturday, the junior did even better, topping the CCSA podium for the first time in his career after a dominating performance. Brown’s time of 1:20:42.7 not only earned him 11th place overall (missing out on the top ten by less then seven seconds), but also put him a full two minutes ahead of his nearest regional competitor.

Paul Schommer was next across the line for the CCSA, taking 25th overall with his time of 1:22:49.0 – a promising sign that the junior has shaken off any ill effects from an injury-shortened 2013 campaign. Northern Michigan’s George Cartwright landed the region’s bronze medal with his 33rd-place overall finish.

Alaska’s Kenneth Brewer captured fourth place (40th overall) with his time of 1:25:16.1, followed closely by a pair of teammates: Logan Hanneman, in 45th overall, and Max Olex, in 48th. Saint Scholastica’s second scoring skier, Joe Dubay, took seventh in the region after completing his six 5K loops in 1:27:11.3. Alaska’s Jonas Loffler (53rd overall), NMU’s Kyle Bratrud (54th) and Alaska’s Stefan Hajdukovich (55th) rounded out the CCSA’s top ten.

The CCSA skiers stay at U.S. Nationals concludes on Friday, as they hit the course for the classic sprints. For complete results from all U.S. Nationals events, please visit Summit Timing’s results page.

A pair of newcomers announced their arrivals in the CCSA in style, as Alaska’s Nicole Bathe and Northern Michigan’s Adam Martin both claimed the region’s top spot in the distance classic event at the U.S. Cross Country Championships at Soldier Hollow Resort in Utah. Bathe completed her 10K in 32:01.2 to earn 19th place overall, while Martin sailed through his 15K in 40:40.8 to finish with a share of 15th place.

Both freshmen, and competing in their first official CCSA event, Bathe and Martin showed remarkable composure to not only battle through elite competition, but also to handle the altitude as well: at nearly 6,000 feet above sea level, Soldier Hollow approaches the legal altitude limit for Nordic skiing competition.

“To finish in the top 30 at U.S. Nationals is impressive, but to get into the top 20 is really just incredible,” Northern Michigan head coach Sten Fjeldheim said. “It’s huge for our programs to have someone finish up there. That’s how high the level of competition is out here.”

Earmarked by head coach Scott Jerome as one to watch this season, Bathe lived up to expectations, turning in a mature performance in her first CCSA event. The Wisconsin native stayed within the top 20 throughout the race, finishing 19th overall and claiming the conference’s top spot.

Following Bathe, a flood of Northern Michigan skiers crossed the line next for the CCSA, including sophomores Mary Kate Cirelli and Hannah Boyer – a sign of the depth and young talent competing in the region this season. Cirelli took second in the CCSA and 23rd overall as she begins her quest for a return visit to NCAAs, while Boyer took the bronze medal spot and 30th overall in a time of 32:46.4.

Fellow Wildcat Felicia Gesior turned in the conference’s fourth-best time, placing 42nd overall in 33:21.1, edging teammate Rosie Frankowski by just a tenth of a second; the Northern Michigan senior forced to settle for 43rd overall.

“Overall, our women had a good day today,” Fjeldheim said. “Mary Kate, Hannah and Felicia all raced really well. Rosie started a little too fast and was never able to recover, but a lot of skiers here made that same mistake today, and she’ll learn from it.”

An impressive performance by Paige Schember saw the St. Olaf skier land a sixth-place finish in the region and 45th overall, followed by Michigan Tech’s Alice Flanders, whose time of 33:41.6 earned her 53rd place. The Huskies’ Sarah Daniels (59th overall), along with Alaska’s Heather Edic (63rd) and Michigan Tech’s Lynn Duijndam (73rd), rounded out the region’s top ten.

On the men’s side, Martin turned plenty of heads in his CCSA debut, pacing himself with a steady start before rising as high as eighth during one split to earn his top 15 finish.

“Adam had an awesome day today,” Fjeldheim said. “It’s really just awesome for him to get in the top 15, and bodes really well for his chances of qualifying for the Junior Championships in February.”

Alaska’s Logan Hanneman, an NCAA qualifier in 2013, took second in the region, and 24th overall, with his time of 41:17.4 in the individual start event. Northern Michigan’s Kyle Bratrud earned his way onto the CCSA podium as well, placing third in the region and 33rd overall despite struggling with his skis.

“Kyle’s skis were a little slow – otherwise, he would be up there in the top 20 as well,” Fjeldheim said.

Alaska’s second scoring skier, Jonas Loffler, grabbed fourth in the CCSA with his time of 42:15.0, while Michigan Tech’s Jay Woodbeck got his season off to a fine start as well, placing 39th overall to land the region’s fifth position.

Looking to put a challenging and injury-shortened 2013 season behind him, St. Scholastica’s Paul Schommer earned the region’s sixth-place spot; his time of 42:39.0 putting him 45th overall. St. Olaf skier Jake Brown continued his fine form as well, placing 55th overall, just ahead of Michigan Tech’s Kyle Hanson, in 57th. St. Scholastica’s Chris Parr and Northern’s George Cartwright rounded out the CCSA top ten with their 60th and 66th place finishes, respectively.

The CCSA skiers now hit the Soldier Hollow trails for a freestyle sprint tomorrow prior to their next NCAA qualifier, Wednesday’s distance skate event.

For complete results, please visit http://summittiming.com/races/race_results.php.

Men’s results
Women’s results

The CCSA skiers ended the 2013 season on a positive note, capturing three All-American spots and placing five student-athletes in the top 15 (and seven in the top 25) at the final day of the NCAA Championships at Middlebury College.

Northern Michigan’s Erik Soderman led the way for the region, earning first-team All-American honors with his fourth-place finish in the men’s 20K mass start freestyle race. Teammate Kyle Bratrud finished 10th to earn a second-team All-American spot in the same event, while St. Scholastica’s Jeremy Hecker just missed out on the top 10 in his final collegiate race, taking 11th in the Saints’ best ever NCAA finish.

On the women’s side, the Wildcats’ Rosie Frankowski crossed the line in seventh in the women’s 15K skate, collecting her first All-American award as all the Northern Michigan women finished among the top 20.

“I think today was super critical for our region,” St. Scholastica head coach Chad Salmela said afterward. “This is much more indicative of how good we are as a region. It felt good to be out there showing what we can do, and hopefully we earned a couple of qualifying spots back for our region.”

Warm temperatures throughout the races (the mercury would soar as high as 40 degrees during the men’s event), led to quick conditions on the Rikert Nordic Center course. The blend of mostly manmade and some natural snow stayed surprisingly firm during the women’s race, and largely kept its integrity during the men’s race as well, though some wet spots began to appear in areas affected the sun.

The fast conditions didn’t seem to faze Frankowski, however. A strong skater, she never drifted out of the top 11, springing up into seventh midway through the race and never looking back.

“Rosie just had a great race,” Northern Michigan head coach Sten Fjeldheim said. “She’s worked so hard to get where she has, and this was just the crowning moment of her year.”

Teammate Mary Kate Cirelli finished off a solid week with a 14th place finish in the freestyle race – the freshman’s second top-15 finish of the NCAA Championships. NMU’s Jordyn Ross wasn’t far behind, either, taking 17th in her first trip to nationals as well.

Alaska’s Crystal Pitney finished 27th in the event, crossing the line just ahead of teammate, Aly McPhetres, who, unfortunately, battled an ear infection most of the week and was unable to perform at her top level. McPhetres, only a sophomore, had finished the season as the region’s top scoring freestyle skier.

St. Scholastica’s Sharmila Ahmed, battling health issues of her own which caused difficulty turning on downhills, finished 36th.

On the men’s side, a somewhat cautious start led to a large lead pack sticking together throughout most of the early stages.

“No one pushed it,” Salmela said. “I think everyone was waiting for someone else to push the pace, and no one did. That helped skiers like Jeremy and Erik Soderman, who typically start slow and go hard at the end. Every lap, a couple more skiers would fall back, and they kept moving up.”

When the pace finally did increase, it was Soderman who was instigating it – the defending NCAA freestyle champion surged into the lead near the beginning of the final lap, and stretched the lead pack . Though Utah’s Miles Havlick would eventually take the national title, Soderman’s fourth-place finish earned him the third career All-American spot, and second of the week.

Northern Michigan’s Kyle Bratrud turned plenty of heads as well – the sophomore more than holding his own among the leaders before crossing the line in 10th overall to wrap up his first NCAA appearance.

St. Scholastica’s Jeremy Hecker, meanwhile, shook off back spasms to turn in arguably the performance of his career, hanging with the lead pack through most of the race and crossing the line in 11th place – the school’s best ever finish at an NCAA Championship.

“Jeremy has been the most pivotal skier in the history of our program,” Salmela said. “He’s a culture setter – he has set an example for everyone. He raced today as he always races – really smart. I told him to give it everything he had today, and he did. He may not have finished as an All-American, but he skied like one today.”

Alaska’s Logan Hanneman crossed the line in 25th, just ahead of Northern Michigan’s George Cartwright, who placed 28th. The Nanooks’ Michael Fehrenbach and Jonas Loffler both got tangled up and broke poles in an early crash, finishing 29th and 40th, respectively.

Men’s 10K results
Women’s 5K results

Northern Michigan’s Erik Soderman grabbed his second All-American honor in as many years in the men’s 10K interval start classic, and Wildcat freshman Mary Kate Cirelli, in her first appearance at nationals, earned the region’s top finish in the women’s 5K as the CCSA took on the nation’s finest skiers at the NCAA Championships in Middlebury, Vt.

Though warming temperatures led to icy, fast conditions throughout both events, Soderman kept his cool early on in the race, gradually making his way through the field to grab 10th place and a second-team All-American spot, completing his 10K in 26:56.5. Soderman adds the accolade to his growing trophy cabinet – he was the individual national champion in the freestyle event at last year’s NCAAs.

“I’m really happy for Erik,” Northern Michigan head coach Sten Fjeldheim said. “He’s just so relaxed, and so cool and calm – he’s like Clint Eastwood out there. I think I’m more nervous than he is.

“It was a little bit of a tricky wax day, but I think everyone had solid skis. It was a little bit hectic in the wax room – I don’t know how many different wax combinations we tried – but I think we found something that worked.”

Teammate Cirelli turned in a solid performance of her own – the freshman taking 15th with a time of 16:22.9, just five seconds out from an All-American spot as well.

“I knew Mary Kate was going to have a good race when she came up to me beforehand and said, ‘I’m really not nervous at all, I just want to race,’” Fjeldheim said.

While Soderman led the CCSA men’s skiers, Alaska’s Logan Hanneman took 17th place: the 19-year old finishing as the Nanooks top skier with a time of 27:10.2.

Northern Michigan’s Kyle Bratrud wasn’t far behind, taking 23rd overall in his first NCAA event with a time of 27:36.6. Alaska’s Jonas Loffler (31st), Northern Michigan’s George Cartwright (33rd), the Nanooks’ Michael Fehrenbach (35th) and St. Scholastica’s Jeremy Hecker (39th) rounded out the CCSA skiers on the men’s side.

On the women’s side, Northern Michigan’s Jordyn Ross placed 23rd as well, finishing her 5K loop in 16:39.8, while teammate Rosie Frankowski skied her way to 25th place overall.

“Our women did a great job of picking their skis,” Fjeldheim said. “They all chose zeroes, which is probably only the second time we’ve raced on zeroes all year, and it worked out. Every one of them finished in the top 25.

“It was really tight competition all day, but that’s what we expect. For our young skiers to come and experience competition like this is invaluable.”

Alaska’s Aly McPhetres, who had battled some slight illness earlier in the week, came in 30th with a time of 16:53.6, while teammate Crystal Pitney (35th) and St. Scholastica’s Sharmila Ahmed (39th) completed the CCSA field.

Colorado’s Rune Oedegaard captured the men’s national championship with a time of 26:00.2 while the women’s title went to Anja Gruber, in 15:31.1.

The CCSA skiers now get a day to recover and prepare for the mass start freestyle events on Saturday. Given the fast conditions and narrow turns on the course, the races – a 15K for women scheduled for 10 a.m., followed by a 20K for men at noon – should prove to be quite exciting. Fans can follow the action live at www.ncaa.com.

Full results and team scores

A thrilling day of fast ski racing, high drama and intense competition ended with Northern Michigan and Alaska sharing the honors at the NCAA Central Region Championships in Houghton, Mich.

The Wildcats captured the region’s men’s and overall team titles, sweeping the podium on the men’s side in today’s 15K mass start free as George Cartwright, Erik Soderman and Kyle Bratrud finished first, second and third, respectively. The Nanooks, meanwhile, earned the women’s regional title and saw the red-hot Aly McPhetres win her third straight CCSA event, prevailing in the 10K skate.

It now becomes a waiting game for the CCSA coaches and skiers alike, as they wait for the scores to be tallied and the official announcement of NCAA berths, which is expected on Tuesday.

“In all my years of coaching, I have to say that this is just the most delightful team, both the men’s and women’s, that I’ve ever had,” Northern Michigan head coach Sten Fjeldheim said. “They are all very humble, push each other and work together as a team. It’s just a fun atmosphere to be in, and I think it leads to success as a team.”

Luckily, Sunday’s races largely avoided the waxing nightmare of the previous day, as steady cold temperatures and conditions made ski preparation fairly straightforward.

“I almost could have coached from an armchair today,” Fjeldheim joked. “Probably the trickiest part, if there was a tricky part, was getting the structure right.”

Fjeldheim’s strategy seemed to pay off, especially in the men’s race, as Cartwright, Soderman and Bratrud put the hammer down on the last climb to separate from the rest of the field, taking the top three spots and propelling the Wildcats to the men’s title.

“The long downhill was just so fast, any lead you had, the pack would just suck it right back in on that downhill,” Fjeldheim said. “So I told my guys that it was going to come down to that last climb, and that’s exactly what happened. It was really exciting to watch how tight the competition was today – it was like a mini national championship.”

Alaska’s Lex Treinen was the next across the line, taking fourth in the event just over five seconds off the Wildcats’ pace. Green Bay’s Matt Nichols produced his best race of the season, earning his first top-five with a time of 40:42.1.

Alaska Michael Fehrenbach finished at the tail end of the lead pack, taking sixth, while Saint Scholastica’s Paul Schommer finished seventh to earn his second top-ten in as many days, closing out an illness-plagued season on a positive note. Alaska’s Logan Hanneman (eighth) and Jonas Loffler (ninth) and Michigan Tech’s Matt Dugan (tenth) all earned all-region honors as well.

On the women’s side, it was equally as thrilling a conclusion, as McPhetres made her move on Northern Michigan’s Rosie Frankowski with 200 meters to go, passing the Wildcat junior and holding on for her third straight college win. Interestingly, McPhetres and Frankowski are already starting to build a friendly rivalry: the duo went 1-2 in last week’s freestyle race as well, working together to pull away from the field at Mt. Itasca.

“Aly just found another gear with 200 meters to go,” Alaska head coach Scott Jerome said. “She really seems to be enjoying herself out there, and I think it shows – she is skiing really well. Both races today were really exciting to watch.”

Northern Michigan Jordyn Ross landed a podium spot as well, taking third after finishing just nine-tenths of a second behind Frankowski. Alaska’s Crystal Pitney turned in an important fourth-place finish, scoring vital points for her team as well as well as boosting her own chances at a second straight NCAA spot.

“Crystal has just been really solid, just a rock for us this year,” Jerome said.

Michigan Tech’s Lynn Duijndam was next across the line, earning a top-five finish with her time of 31:27.7. Alaska’s third scoring skier, Rebecca Koneiczny, finished sixth, edging Saint Scholastica’s Sharmila Ahmed (who herself landed an important seventh-place finish in her quest to become the school’s first NCAA women’s qualifier) to wrap up the women’s crown for the Nanooks.

“I’m especially proud of Rebecca’s race today,” Jerome said. “She had bad skis yesterday because of the waxing and weather conditions, which probably knocked her out of contention for the NCAAs. But she didn’t feel sorry for herself. She just went out there today and raced for her team.”

Northern Michigan freshmen Mary Kate Cirelli and Hannah Boyer, along with Michigan Tech’s Sarah Daniels, rounded out the top ten and all-region spots, taking eighth, ninth and 10th respectively.

With the final NCAA qualifier complete, the CCSA now waits on Tuesday announcement, which will determine which seven men and six women represent the region at the NCAAs. This year’s national championships will be held March 6-9 in Middlebury, Vt.

Full results and team scores

It was a Blue and Gold day at the NCAA Central Region Championships as Alaska skiers took the top two spots in both the men’s individual start 10K classic as well as the women’s 5K event in Houghton, Mich. Freshman Michael Fehrehbach earned his first career CCSA win, finishing ahead of second-placed teammate Logan Hanneman, and the Nanooks’ Aly McPhetres won her second straight collegiate race, with Theresia Schnurr taking second, in what proved to be a tricky waxing day on the women’s side.

The results mean that the Nanooks hold a slender advantage (three points on the women’s side, five points on the men’s) over rivals Northern Michigan going into the final day of regionals tomorrow.

“It was a really good effort today,” head coach Scott Jerome said. “I’m proud of the team, and how people that needed to have a good classic race today, like Aly and Theresia, stepped up. You could feel it out there today, that these were important races.”

Any tension Fehrehbach was feeling ahead of the final NCAA qualifiers, however, did not show one bit, as the freshman produced arguably his best race of the season and cruised to a comprehensive 48-second victory.

“Michael’s been doing his thing all year,” Jerome said. “He’s really fun to coach and I’ve been really impressed with him. I don’t want to put the cart before the horse, but he looked like a legitimate NCAA skier out there today.”

Teammate Hanneman, who just rejoined the Nanooks after competing internationally in the World Junior championships, took second and Northern Michigan’s Erik Soderman landed the final podium spot in the men’s race, which, due to its earlier start time, largely avoided the waxing difficulties of the women’s event.

Northern Michigan’s Kyle Bratrud, fresh off being named the CCSA skier of the week last week, finished fourth with his time of 31:35.5., while Saint Scholastica’s Jeremy Hecker took fifth. In the closest result of the day, Alaska’s third scoring skier, Lex Treinen, edged Northern Michigan’s Chris Bowler for sixth by just a tenth of a second – a vital two point swing in the team standings.

Northern Michigan’s George Cartwright (eighth), Alaska’s Jonas Loffler (ninth) and Saint Scholastica’s Paul Schommer (10th) rounded out the top ten.

In the women’s race, however, the combination of sun and snow led to a waxing nightmare for coaches and student-athletes. McPhetres and Jerome’s decision to race on zero skis paid off, however, as the sophomore won her third event of the CCSA season by 13 seconds.

“I got really lucky,” McPhetres said afterward. “My skis were actually great – they iced up a little at one point but I was able to get through it.”

Schnurr, also racing on zeroes, turned in her best race of the season for Alaska as well, taking second among college skiers to score a vital 23 points.

“I’m really proud of Theresia – she came through for us today,” Jerome said. “She’s been one of our top skiers for a long time. But everyone feels important on this team – we never know who our three scorers will be on any given day.”

Northern Michigan’s Jordyn Ross, one of the region’s most consistent performers in 2013, landed the final CCSA podium spot, placing third, while fellow Wildcat Rosie Frankowski took fourth with her time of 17:59.7.

Michigan Tech’s Deedra Irwin, an NCAA competitor a year ago, took fifth among CCSA skiers with her time of 18:00.3. Northern Michigan’s third scoring skier, Mary Kate Cirelli, took sixth, finishing one spot ahead of Alaska’s final scorer, Crystal Pitney, in seventh.

Northern Michigan freshman Hannah Boyer, and a pair of Michigan Tech Huskies (Rachel Mason and Sarah Daniels) round out the top ten.

The region’s skiers return to the trails tomorrow for a pair of crucial mass start freestyle events: a men’s 15K and a 10K for women. The races will not only decide the 2013 regional champions, but, as the final NCAA qualifier, will determine who will represent the Central Region at the NCAA Championships next month.

“I’m excited to get out there,” McPhetres said. “I don’t like sitting around and waiting. My attitude has been to just love what I do, and not worry about the things I can’t control.”

“You can’t ask for a better way to finish the regionals than a mass start race,” Jerome echoed. “It’s so exciting and everyone’s skiers are going to be fast tomorrow. We’ll just do the best we can, give it our all and let the chips fall where they may.”