LAKE ELMO, Minn. – It was a day of firsts at the Green Acres SuperTour stop, as an impressive display of depth lifted Michigan Tech to both the women’s and overall titles. The Huskies landed the top five spots in the women’s 15K freestyle event, including a career-first college win for Deedra Irwin.

On the men’s side, Saint Scholastica’s Jeremy Hecker captured not only his first CCSA top spot, but also the first college win in the history of the Saints’ program. Hecker’s result in the 20K skate, coupled with teammate’s Paul Schommer’s second college podium finish in as many days, gave Saint Scholastica the program’s first ever team title as well, edging Michigan Tech by one point, 56-55, for the men’s crown.

“It’s a pretty historic moment for us,” Saint Scholastica head coach Chad Salmela said afterwards. “You work hard in training, try to recruit good skiers, and when it all comes together like it did today, it feels pretty good.”

A colder than expected Saturday evening had coaches reconsidering the wax selections prior to the start.

“We thought it was going to be easy, that we get to sleep in a little bit this morning,” Salmela joked. “I wouldn’t say it was a panic wax, but all the teams were scrambling a little bit. We had to rewax from the bottom up.”

Whatever decisions Michigan Tech head coach Joe Haggenmiller and his team made, however, seemed to work like a charm, as a flood of Huskies women dominated the CCSA leaderboard. Following up her second place finish in the classic race yesterday, Irwin would not be denied on Sunday, completing her 15K skate in 43:52.7 – good enough for 11^th overall and just three seconds off the top ten.

Teammate Alice Flanders soon followed, taking second in the conference and 12^th overall in 43:54.0. Lynn Duijndam rounded out the CCSA podium by taking 13^th overall, followed by a fourth Husky – Rachel Mason – in 15^th with a time of 44:21.6.

Saturday’s classic winner, Malin Eriksson, was next across the line in 44:25.1, to take 16^th overall, before St. Olaf skier Paige Schember became the first non-Michigan Tech woman to cross the line for the CCSA, taking 17^th overall in 44:52.3.

Two more Huskies soon followed, however, as Christina Mishica captured 18^th place overall and seventh collegiately in 45:12.6, and Sarah Daniels grabbed 19^th place in 45:22.6.

Saint Scholastica’s Brooke Adams (21^st overall) and Michigan Tech’s Marissa Yovetich (22^nd overall) rounded out the college top ten.

On the men’s side, Hecker prevailed in his day-long battle with Michigan Tech’s Mikko Harju to claim a historic win for the Saints’ program, finishing in 12^th-place overall in 52:25.7. Harju, forced to settle for second on Sunday (13^th overall) in 52:32.2, still enjoyed a solid weekend as a whole, as he topped the CCSA’s podium in Saturday’s classic event.

Saint Scholastica freshman Schommer earned his second collegiate podium spot with a 15^th-place overall finish in 52:38.5.

“I think we saw yesterday that the guys had a shot to do what they did today,” Salmela said, “and we are all super happy that we did. Jeremy and Paul now both have a shot at qualifying for NCAA’s with two weekends to go, so that’s where you want to be.”

In fourth place collegiately was Michigan Tech’s Matt Dugan, crossing the line in 52:46.2 to take 18^th overall. A pair of teammates soon followed, as Jesse Smith took 21^st overall in 53:10.5 and Matt Wong 22^nd in 54:15.4.

Saint Scholastica’s third scoring skier, Scott Johanik, grabbed the conference’s seventh-place spot, and 23^rd overall, with his 54:21.3 race, edging out Michigan Tech’s Jay Woodbeck in 24^th overall by less than a second.

Two more Michigan Tech skiers, Andrew Keller in 26^th overall and Luke Gesior in 28^th overall, rounded out the top ten, giving the Huskies seven of the top ten skiers on the men’s side.

After a grueling month of competition, the CCSA skiers now get a well-deserved weekend off from NCAA qualifiers before heading to Houghton, Mich. for the CCSA Championships on Feb. 11-12.

LAKE ELMO, Minn. – Michigan Tech sits atop of the leaderboard after the first day of the Green Acres SuperTour stop, as the Huskies’ Malin Eriksson and Mikko Harju turned in the conference’s two best performances in the women’s 5K and men’s 10K mass start classic.

All told, the Huskies placed three skiers among the top five in both the men’s and women’s events, giving them an eleven-point overall lead over Saint Scholastica headed into Sunday.

“I was pretty excited about how well the team skied today,” Michigan Tech head coach Joe Haggenmiller said. “Everyone was really happy with their skis. They went out and skied hard and skied fast. The venue here really has some challenge to it, but the grooming job they did on the course was outstanding – the tracks were just so solid.”

It was a bit of a different look to the CCSA field, as Alaska and Northern Michigan both took the weekend off, but that didn’t concern Eriksson, as she continued to take steps toward her second straight NCAA appearance with an eighth place overall finish. The Swedish sophomore completed her trip around the Green Acres Park course in 15:35.9: a comfortable 16 seconds ahead of her nearest CCSA competitor.

Teammate Deedra Irwin took the conference’s second spot, turning in an impressive 12^th place overall finish in 15:52.4. Saint Scholastica’s Eleanor Magnusson wasn’t far behind, taking 13^th overall with her 15:53.5.

The Saints’ second scoring skier, Brooke Adams, crossed the line next for the CCSA, taking 15^th overall in 16:12.4. Senior Christina Mishica rounded out the scoring for Michigan Tech, taking fifth in the conference and 16^th overall in 16:15.9.

“I was excited for Deedra,” Haggenmiller said, “and Christina has a solid race for us as well.”

Hot on Mishica heels was St. Olaf junior Paige Schember, as she captured 17^th place with her 16:18.5. Michigan Tech’s Lynn Duijndam took seventh in the CCSA and 18^th overall in 16:27.8, while Saint Scholastica’s Sharmila Ahmed came across in 19^th place in 16:32.0.

The Huskies’ Sarah Daniels (20^th place overall in 16:33.7) and Gustavus’ Erica Hett (22^nd overall in 16:48.9) rounded out the top ten for the CCSA.

On the men’s side, Harju continued to build momentum heading into the upcoming CCSA championships, setting an electric pace early on before claiming 14^th place overall in 27:13.1. Teammate Jesse Smith wasn’t far behind, taking second in the conference and 17^th overall in 27:40.4.

“Jesse may have had the race of the day,” Haggenmiller said. “There was a big crash right at the start: the skiers were just falling like dominos. Jesse got stuck behind that for a good 20-30 seconds, so he made up quite a gap to get second in college.”

Saint Scholastica freshman Paul Schommer turned in his best race of the season to date, earning the conference’s third-best finish and 18^th-place overall with his race time of 27:45.9. Teammate Jeremy Hecker, putting together a solid season in his own right, took 21^st in 27:52.7.

Michigan Tech’s third scoring skier, Sondre Sandvik, took fifth in the CCSA and 23^rd overall in 27:58.3. The Huskies’ Luke Gesior took 25^th, nipping Saint Scholastica’s Scott Johanik at the line as they both crossed in 28:06.0.

A trio of Huskies’ followed to round out the conference’s top ten: Andrew Keller leading the charge in 28:07.3 (27^th overall) followed by Matt Dugan (28^th overall) and Jay Woodbeck (29^th overall).

The CCSA skiers return to Green Acres tomorrow for the skate races, with the women’s 15K kicking off at 9 a.m., followed by the men’s 20k at 10:15 a.m.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The second day of the Mayor’s XC Challenge at Theodore Wirth Park brought another two CCSA wins for Northern Michigan skiers. The Wildcats claimed the top two spots in both the women’s 10k and men’s 15K skate races, with Monica Markvardsen and Erik Soderman leading the charge.

The results earned the Wildcats both the men’s and overall titles for the weekend, while NMU and Alaska tied for the women’s title with 145 points a piece.

After qualifying for the NCAA championships a year ago, Markvardsen has quickly staked her claim as one the CCSA elite this season, landing back-to-back overall top five finishes at the Mayor’s XC Challenge. Markvardsen, who took fifth in Saturday’s classic event, completed her trek around Wirth Park in 23:58.9 to take sixth overall on Sunday.

Another Northern skier who has started the 2012 off in impressive form is Molly Burger – the sophomore took second in the CCSA and 11^th overall with her time of 24:19.9. Alaska’s Aly McPhetres, who herself has been impressive in her freshman campaign with the Nanooks, took third in the conference, and 12^th overall in 24:26.0.

Michigan Tech’s Alice Flanders was next across the line, the sophomore enjoying a solid race with a 13^th-place overall finish (second among OJ skiers) in 24:27.0. A trio of Nanooks followed the Huskies’ skier – Alaska’s Crystal Pitney taking 14^th (fifth CCSA), Raphaela Sieber finishing 15^th overall and sixth in the CCSA while Marit Rjabov placed 16^th (seventh CCSA) in 24:42.2.

Michigan Tech’s second scoring skier, Lynn Duijndam earned 17^th place overall with her time of 24:48.8, as Northern Michigan’s Jordan Ross (19^th overall) and Libby Ellis (20^th overall) rounded out the CCSA top ten.

On the men’s side, sophomore Soderman earned his first top spot of the CCSA season, pounding out a sixth-place overall finish in 34:04.9. Another of the Wildcats’ young guns, freshman Kjell-Christian Markset, produced the conference’s second-best time in the interval start event, finishing with a time of 35:02.1 – good for 15^th place overall.

Alaska’s Logan Hanneman turned in the Nanooks top finish on the men’s side, placing third in the CCSA and 18^th overall in 35:11.9. Michigan Tech’s Mikko Harju, who missed the season’s opening races, showed signs of getting back to his top form by taking fourth in the conference and 22^nd overall.

Saint Scholastica’s Jeremy Hecker continued his solid run of results in 2012 by taking fifth in the conference, 23^rd overall and second among OJ skiers with his time of 35:37.1. Teammate Scott Johanik produced his best performance of the CCSA season as well, taking sixth in the conference and 25^th overall in 35:50.4 – a strong showing for the Saints skiers.

Northern’s Chris Bowler’s time of 35:55.0 earned the junior the conference’s seventh-best finish as well as 26^th place overall. Teammate Kyle Bratrud captured eighth in the CCSA (27^th overall) in 35:56.1, as Michigan Tech’s Matthew Wong (28^th) and Alaska’s Ian Wilkinson (29^th overall) rounded out the CCSA top ten.

The CCSA competitors now head to St. Paul, Minn. for the fourth NCAA qualifier of the season in the Central Grand Prix Super Tour stop on Jan. 28-29.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – An impressive display of depth from the Northern Michigan skiers has given the Wildcats a slim two-point edge over Alaska after the first day of the Mayor’s XC Challenge in Minneapolis, Minn. Northern’s Kjell-Christian Markset topped the CCSA podium for the first time in his young career in the men’s 10K classic at Theodore Wirth Park, while teammate Monica Markvardsen took the conference’s top spot for the third time this season in the women’s 5K classic.

Weather conditions forced the race to be re-routed onto a 3K artificial snow loop, but the dizzying course did little to slow down Markset, who cruised to a top-ten overall finish in 23:04.1 – good enough for eighth place. Fellow CCSA competitor, Alaska’s Logan Hanneman, also landed a top-ten spot, taking ninth (second in the CCSA) with a time of 23:11.4.

A pair of Swedish skiers were next to cross the line among conference competitors, with Northern’s Erik Soderman taking third (15^th overall) with his time of 23:22.9, followed by Alaska senior Erik Soderstrom, who took 19^th overall at the event in 23:41.9.

Michigan Tech’s Jesse Smith turned in what may have been his best race of the season so far, grabbing a fifth-place finish and placing 20^th overall. The Traverse City, Mich. Native was unfortunate not to place even higher – Smith finished just a tenth of a second behind Soderstrom.

Northern Michigan’s third scoring skier, Chris Bowler, took sixth and 21^st overall in 23:43.0. Saint Scholastica’s Jeremy Hecker continued to build momentum for his season as well after a strong showing in the Hilltop Invitational last weekend: the junior took seventh place in the CCSA and 24^th overall on Saturday.

Kyle Bratrud’s time of 23:51.8 gave the Wildcats’ their fourth skier in the CCSA top ten. Michigan Tech’s Mikko Harju and Alaska’s Tyler Kornfield (both NCAA qualifiers from a year ago) rounded out the conference’s top ten on the men’s side.

For the women’s side, it was all Northern Michigan and Alaska, with the former placing six skiers in the CCSA’s top ten, though the Nanooks placed all three of their scoring skiers in the top four.

It was no surprise, however, that Markvardsen earned the conference’s top finish. The junior has started the season in sizzling form for the Wildcats, and earned a top-five overall finish (fifth) with her time of 17:59.6.

Alaska’s Marit Rjabov, who has enjoyed a fine start to the season as well, landed an impressive seventh-place overall finish, taking the conference’s second spot in 18:32.4. Teammate Raphaela Sieber wasn’t far behind either, scoring a top-ten finish with her time of 18:36.2.

Crystal Pitney then rounded out the scoring for the Nanooks, placing fourth in the CCSA and 13^th overall in 18:45.8.

From there, however, it was all Northern Michigan, as the Wildcats took the next five conference spots. Sophomore Molly Burger, fresh off a win in the skate race at the Hilltop Invitational last week, led the charge, taking fifth (14^th overall) in 18:48.6. Teammate Libby Ellis wasn’t far behind, finishing a tenth of a second behind Burger to take 15^th overall.

Just four-tenths of a second behind them, Northern’s Rosie Frankowski completed her race in 18:49.1 – good enough for seventh in the CCSA and 16^th overall. Jordyn Ross (17^th overall) and Marie Helen Soderman (19^th overall) completed the flood of Wildcat skiers to cross the line, while Saint Scholastica’s Ahmed Sharmila rounded out the top ten, taking 22^nd overall in 19:05.9.

Finishing the day with a combined total of 146 points, the Wildcats hold a two-point advantage over Alaska, who finished with 144 points. Michigan Tech sits in third with 108 points, while Saint Scholastica, in fourth, has 104.

The skiers return to the Wirth Park course bright and early tomorrow, with the women kicking off a 10K interval start skate at 9 a.m., followed by a 15K interval start freestyle race for the men at 10:35 a.m.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RUMFORD, MAINE – A quick turnaround after a long day of racing Thursday didn’t faze Northern Michigan’s Monica Markvardsen as the junior skier made it two CCSA top spots in two days on Friday, finishing as the conference’s top skier in the women’s 20K classic at U.S. Nationals. Alaska’s Tyler Kornfield, who earned a bronze medal in the freestyle sprints earlier in the week, led the charge for the CCSA men, storming to a tenth-place overall finish in the men’s 30K race.

“Monica is finally healthy again this year,” Northern Michigan head coach Sten Fjeldheim said. “She struggled a bit with overtraining and maybe overreaching last year, but she’s gaining in confidence and is really improving. It’s fun to watch.”

Despite facing a 9 a.m. start after skiing 10K less than 24 hours ago, Markvardsen quickly picked up where she left off, never dropping out of the top 20 in the race on her way to a 16th overall finish.

“Everyone competing in this sport has a pretty high level of fitness, but being able to compete in back-to-back races like this has a lot to do with experience as well,” Fjeldheim said. “The athletes that eat right, rest and do what they need to do to recover between races usually do well.”

Alaska’s Marit Rjabov earned her first CCSA podium of the season, completing the Historic Black Mountain course in 1:11:06.1. Fellow Nanook Aly McPhetres finished third among conference skiers, completing her 20K in 1:12:24.6.

In the tightest finish in the mass start event, Alaska’s Rebecca Konieczny nipped Northern Michigan’s Rosie Frankowski by a tenth of a second, earning 33rd place. The Nanooks’ Crystal Pitney wasn’t too far behind the 34th-placed Frankowski, either, crossing the line just a second later with her time of 1:12:27.8.

Alaska’s Heather Edic continued her steady start to the season with a 36th-place overall finish in 1:13:17.1, while Michigan Tech sophomore Sarah Daniels placed eighth in the conference (38th overall) with her time of 1:14:05.6. Northern Michigan’s Jordyn Ross and Michigan Tech’s Christina Mishica rounded out the top 10 for the CCSA, respectively.

On the men’s side, Kornfield earned his first CCSA win of the season and a top-10 overall finish with his time of 1:28:23.2 over the 30K course. Northern Michigan’s Kjell Christian Markset continued to impress in his first CCSA event; the freshman earning 12th-place overall and second in the conference in 1:28:26.6.

Another first-year student-athlete, Alaska’s Ludwig Schott, took 29th overall in 1:31:48.4, making him the CCSA’s third-best skier in the event. Northern Michigan’s Erik Soderman was next across the line – the NCAA qualifier from a year ago taking 33rd overall with a time of 1:32:08.8.

Alaska’s Logan Hanneman, the conference’s top skier in Thursday’s freestyle race, took 35th overall and fifth in the CCSA with his time of 1:32:32.4. A pair of NMU skiers followed him across the line, with George Cartwright and Chris Bowler earning the race’s 36th and 37th spots, respectively.

“Kjell is a real character, and a really talented classic skier,” Fjeldheim said. “We are glad to have George back, and our other returning skiers like Erik and Chris have been looking really good as well.”

A fifth-year senior for the Nanooks, Alex Morris ended a solid stay at U.S. Nationals for himself with a 44th-place finish in 1:34:32.6. Alaska’s Ian Wilkinson and Green Bay’s Edward Gurney rounded out the top ten for the CCSA.

After a well-earned day off tomorrow, the CCSA skiers wind up U.S. Nationals with the classic sprint races on Sunday, before heading off to Duluth for the second NCAA qualifier of the season – the Hilltop Invitational on Jan. 14-15.

RUMFORD, MAINE ­– Alaska’s Logan Hanneman and Northern Michigan’s Monica Markvardsen topped the first CCSA podium of the season, each earning top spot in their respective races at the U.S. Cross Country Championships in Rumford, Maine.

Hanneman, a first-year skier for the Nanooks, completed the 15K freestyle around the Historic Black Mountain course in 31:04.3: good enough for 11th place overall. Markvardsen, meanwhile, finished her 10K skate in 27:41.9, taking 21st overall.

“Logan had a great race today,” Alaska head coach Scott Jerome said. “He’s a true freshman, and for him to come out and be that strong not just within our region, but in the nation as well is pretty incredible.”

Youth reigned supreme on the men’s side: in addition to Hanneman just missing out on a top 10 finish in his CCSA debut, first year NMU skier Kjell-Christian Markset impressed as well, taking second spot among CCSA skiers and tied for 17th overall – equaling the time of former Green Bay standout Santiago Ocariz.

“I was really impressed with Kjell’s race today,” Jerome said. “It’s good to see to him and Logan have good races today – it’s good for our region to have the young guys doing so well.”

Wildcat teammate Erik Soderman, an NCAA qualifier a year ago, took third in the CCSA with his 21st-overall finish in 31.32.2. Northern’s George Cartwright finished fourth (32nd overall) in 32:08.5, showing no rust after a redshirt season in 2011.

Alaska’s Tyler Kornfield was next across the line for the CCSA. The Anchorage native, who earned a bronze medal in Tuesday’s freestyle sprints, placed 34th overall with a time of 32:13.9. Teammate Alex Morris finished sixth among CCSA skiers with his 32:45.5.

Michigan Tech’s Matthew Dugan made a late charge to rise to 59th overall with his 32:47.8, following soon after by another Nanook freshman, Ludwig Schott: the German native taking 64th overall in 32:53.3.

Fellow Nanook Ian Wilkerson (72nd overall) and Northern’s Chris Bowler (74th overall) rounded out the top 10 for the CCSA.

On the women’s side, Markvardsen, an NCAA qualifier a year ago, announced her intent to repeat that feat this year, just missing out on a top 20 finish by four seconds. Alaska’s Raphaela Sieber earned the conference’s second spot, finishing 34th overall with a time of 28:28.9.

Michigan Tech sophomore Alice Flanders continued her steady climb toward the CCSA elite with an impressive 35th place finish, placing less than a second behind Sieber. The Nanooks’ Heather Edic took fourth among CCSA skiers: the sophomore’s time of 29:02.0 good enough for 53rd overall.

“Heather Edic had a solid race today,” Jerome said, “and Raphaela is making progress as well. Hopefully this will give them a good starting point for the rest of the season.”

Northern’s Rosie Frankowski took 55th overall, rounding out the CCSA top five with her 29:04.0. Michigan Tech’s Lynn Duijndam was next across the line in 29:14.9, putting her in 63rd overall, followed closely by Alaska’s Alyson McPhetres, who was 65th overall in 29:17.2.

NMU’s third finisher, Jordyn Ross, placed 71st overall with her 29:26.2, while a pair of Nanooks (Heidi Brook and Crystal Pitney) completed the CCSA’s top ten, finishing 73rd and 74th, respectively.

Despite a grueling race today, there is little rest for the CCSA competitors as they return to the course Friday for a mass start classic race. The women’s 20K event is schedule to start at 9 a.m., while the men’s event kicks off at 11 a.m.

“It’s going to be really tough to have back-to-back races like this,” Jerome said. “What the student-athletes did this afternoon in terms of taking care of themselves will go a long way tomorrow. It’s always interesting to see how people are able to recover and bounce back – some do it better than others.”

For complete results, or to follow along with tomorrow’s action, please visit www.uscrosscountryskichampionships2012.org.

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• Women’s Freestyle Results
• Men’s Freestyle Results