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.”