Northern Michigan remained on top in the second day of the CCSA Championships, as both the Wildcats’ top relay teams earned victories in both the women’s 3 x 5K classic race as well as the men’s 3 x 10K event.

The Wildcat women’s team, made up of Rosie Frankowski, Jordyn Ross and Mary Kate Cirelli, each turned in the top times of their respective legs to cruise to a comfortable 25-second victory. Alaska’s team of Marit Rjabov, Julia Ebner and Heidi Brook proved to be NMU’s toughest competitors, taking second with a time of 39:53.1.

Michigan Tech’s squad of Deedra Irwin, Sarah Daniels and Rachel Mason took third in the relay, while Northern Michigan’s second relay team, made up of Malin Eriksson, Elizabeth SImak and Megan Edic, took fourth among CCSA skiers.

On the men’s side, the Wildcats’ team of Kyle Bratrud, George Cartwright and Erik Soderman stormed out to an early lead and never looked back, completing their 30K in 1:07:19.1 – nearly a minute and a half better than their closest competitors.

St. Scholastica’s team of Scott Johanik, John Wessling and Jeremy Hecker took silver in the event, crossing the line in 1:08:43.2, followed closely by a pair of Michigan Tech squads. The Huskies first squad, made up of Sondre Sandvik, Matt Wong and Luke Gesior, took third in 1:08:43.4, and the team’s second grouping (Matt Dugan, Thomas Kendrick and Jay Woodbeck) finished fourth in 1:10:45.2.

With their wins today, the Wildcats extend their lead in the CCSA Championship standings, as the NMU women topped the table on Sunday with 78 points. Alaska’s 69 point haul put them in second place on the day, while Michigan Tech took third with 60.

On the men’s side, NMU again took top honors with 78 points, followed by St. Scholastica in second with 69 points. Michigan Tech’s 60 points put them in third place on the day, followed by Alaska with 51.

The CCSA skiers now enjoy a weekend off before the deciding events of the CCSA Championships – an individual start 10K classic race at Mt. Itasca on Feb. 16, followed by a 20K mass start freestyle on Feb. 17.

Full results and team scores from relays

Northern Michigan’s George Cartwright and Alaska’s Marit Rjabov kicked off the first weekend of the CCSA championships in style, earning the top spots in the A finals of their respective skate sprints at the Al Quaal Recreation Area in Ishpeming, Mich.

“It was a good day for us today,” Northern Michigan head coach Sten Fjeldheim said. “We had three guys in the A final, and I was really happy with the way George raced today. He just had a very controlled, smart race.”

After showing his sprinting ability by edging out a photo finish in the Saints Invitational classic race last weekend, Cartwright once again came out on top in the men’s final Saturday. Michigan Tech’s Raphael Bechtiger stormed out of the gates to an early lead, but Cartwright quickly closed the gap over the 1,650 meter course, eventually winning by a comfortable margin.

Saint Scholastica’s Jeremy Hecker edged past Bechtiger as well, taking the silver medal spot for the fourth straight CCSA event: a remarkable display of consistency from the senior Saint skier. Bechtiger would take third in the event, followed by NMU junior Ben Hugus.

On the women’s side, Alaska’s Rjabov earned her first CCSA win of the season, holding off second-placed Green Bay’s Kailey Mucha in the women’s A final. Northern Michigan’s Elizabeth Simak took third in one of her best performances in Wildcat colors to date, followed by Michigan Tech’s Sarah Daniels in fourth, and NMU’s Jordyn Ross in fifth.

“Jordyn looked as good as anyone in the semifinal, and I thought she was going to be tough to beat,” Fjeldheim said. “Unfortunately, she just ran out of gas a little bit.”

Cartwright’s win and Simak’s performance ensure that Northern Michigan ends the first day of the CCSA Championships with a slight edge in both the men’s and women’s standings. The Wildcat men sit on top of the CCSA table with 73 points, followed by Saint Scholastica in second with 65 points with Michigan Tech just a point behind in third.

The NMU women, with 67 points, sit just about Michigan Tech’s 63 points – the Huskies sitting in second thanks to solid performances from Daniels, Lynn Duijndam and Deedra Irwin. Alaska sits third on the women’s side with 60 points.

The CCSA championships continue tomorrow with a classic relay event. The women’s 3 x 5K race kicks things off at 10 a.m. EST, followed by a men’s 3 x 10K at noon.

Complete results

Full team scores

Women:
1. Northern Michigan: 67 points
2. Michigan Tech: 63 points
3. Alaska: 60 points
4. St. Scholastica: 48 points
5. Green Bay: 47 points
6. St. Olaf College: 40 points
7. Gustavus Adolphus College: 8 points

Men
1. Northern Michigan: 73 points
2. St. Scholastica: 65 points
3. Michigan Tech: 64 points
4. Alaska: 54 points
5. Green Bay: 41 points
6. Gustavus Adolphus College: 33 points
7. St. Olaf College: 27 points

Full results

On an afternoon with plenty of drama and excitement, it was Northern Michigan left celebrating in the end, as victories for George Cartwright in the men’s 20K freestyle and for Rosie Frankowski in the women’s 15K skate handed the Wildcats the overall team title at the Saints Invitational on Sunday.

Cartwright edged both College of Saint Scholastica’s Jeremy Hecker and teammate Erik Soderman in a photo finish to capture the title in the men’s 20K event – the trio all finishing within three-tenths of a second of one another to conclude one of the most exciting races in the CCSA this season. See photo of men’s 20K finish.

“It was a toss-up with about 100 meters to go,” Saint Scholastica head coach Chad Salmela said. “Jeremy really wanted to win this race, and there was a big crowd there cheering him on, but I knew George was a good sprinter as well and he just pulled ahead right at the end.”

Hecker’s consolation was his second silver medal finish of the weekend, and third in as many races – a string of results that should put the senior firmly in the running for one of the region’s NCAA berths come March.

“In the past four years, Jeremy’s struggled to have two good races back-to-back,” Salmela said. “So I think what we are seeing now is just a maturity thing, and it’s nice to see.”

Soderman settled for third, and his third podium spot of the weekend, after winning the 10K classic race on Saturday.

Green Bay’s Matt Nichols produced his best race of the season to date, taking fourth place after settling just behind the lead trio but comfortably ahead of Northern Michigan’s Chris Bowler, who took fifth in 54:41.5.

A pair of Saint Scholastica skiers, Scott Johanik and Jake Richards, were next across the line, earning sixth and seventh place, respectively.

“It’s great to see the depth of our team,” Salmela said. “It’s pretty cool to see guys like Scott and Jake stepping up. I think, on both the men’s and women’s side, we’ve got a more professional, more experienced team than we’ve ever had before.”

Gustavus Adolphus College’s Josh Blankenship took eighth, completing his 20K in 55:51.8, while Michigan Tech’s Kyle Hanson (ninth) and Jay Woodbeck (10th) rounded out the top ten.

Determining a winner on the women’s side was a little more straightforward, though, as Frankowski pulled away and never looked back, taking the top spot with a time of 48:38.9 – a full minute ahead of her nearest competition.

Michigan Tech’s Lynn Duijndam earned her second CCSA podium spot of the season, taking second place with a time of 49:43.2. Saint Scholastica’s Sharmila Ahmed crossed the line third in the CCSA, concluding an impressive weekend for the sophomore after she took second in Saturday’s classic event.

“We’ve found that Sharmila needs a lot of races to race well,” Salmela said. “This weekend was her seventh and eighth races, and things are starting to click. She’s coming into form right now and we just want to keep this trend going.”

Northern Michigan’s Jordyn Ross landed the CCSA’s fourth spot, crossing the line just ahead of teammate Hannah Boyer, who finished as the Wildcats’ third scoring skier in sixth place (fifth in the CCSA).

Michigan Tech’s Sarah Daniels earned the conference’s sixth spot (seventh overall) with her time of 50:38.8, while Kailey Mucha took seventh in the CCSA and eighth overall in 50:43.7.

Gustavus’ Erica Hett landed her second top ten in as many days, placing eighth in the CCSA and ninth overall. Green Bay’s Hanne Guthrie and St. Scholastica’s Kelsey Dickinson rounded out the conference’s top ten.

The combined scores for the weekend gave Northern Michigan a total of 299 points, earning them the team title over second-place Saint Scholastica, who earned 258 points this weekend. Michigan Tech earned third with 233 points.

The CCSA skiers now head to Al Quaal for the first round of the CCSA Championships next weekend, starting with a 1.5K freestyle sprint on Feb. 2.

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Northern Michigan and College of Saint Scholastica skiers dominated the podium positions in the classic races at the Saints Invitational on Saturday, with the Wildcats’ Erik Soderman earning his second win of the season in the men’s 10K event and freshman teammate Hannah Boyer topping the field in the women’s 5K.

All told, Northern Michigan would ring up four of the six podium spots up for grabs at Giants Ridge, though hosts Saint Scholastica managed to nab the silver medal spots in both the men’s and women’s interval start events.

“It was a good day for us today,” Northern Michigan head coach Sten Fjeldheim said. “It was a really technical course – they’ve hosted the World Cup here before and it really keeps you on your toes. So we were pleased with how things went.”

The reigning NCAA champion in the free technique, Soderman showed his double poling wasn’t half bad either on Saturday, completing his 10K in 33:15.3 and besting his nearest competitor by nearly 20 seconds.

“It was a good classic race for Erik,” Fjeldheim said. “We’ve been working on changing his rhythm a little bit in classic races, and it went well today.”

Another participant at the NCAAs a year ago, Saint Scholastica’s Jeremy Hecker, earned a silver medal for the second consecutive race. The senior, who was named the CCSA skier of the week last week, kept a pace of 2:53 per kilometer to finish the race in 33:35.2.

Northern Michigan’s Chris Bowler took third with his time of 33:54.5 – a second straight podium finish for him as well – while St. Scholastica’s John Wessling turned in one of the best races of his Saints’ career to earn fourth place overall, in 34:17.8.

Michigan Tech’s Luke Gesior skied his way into a top-five finish, taking fifth overall with a time of 34:23.5. Northern Michigan’s third scoring skier, George Cartwright, continued his steady season for the Wildcats’ with a sixth place finish as well.

St. Scholastica’s Scott Johanik finished as his team’s final scoring skier, taking seventh overall in 35:10.2. Michigan Tech’s Thomas Kendrick posted the conference’s eighth-best time – the freshman from Minnesota earning the first top-ten of his young career in 35:11.6.

A pair of Saint Scholastica skiers rounded out the top ten, as Nick Power and Chris Parr placed ninth and 10th, respectively. The Saints’ made home course advantage count, finishing with five of the top ten skiers on the men’s side.

On the women’s side, Northern Michigan’s Hannah Boyer earned her first collegiate win, as the freshman sailed through her 5K in 19:15.3.

“Hannah looked really good today,” Fjeldheim said. “Technically, she was pretty good, there’s still some work we have to do. But when you get a bib on her, she’s just really competitive – that’s her biggest strength.”

St. Scholastica’s Sharmila Ahmed, quietly becoming one of the most consistent performers in the CCSA, landed her best-ever conference finish on Saturday, finishing just ten seconds behind Boyer for a second-place result.

Northern Michigan’s Jordyn Ross grabbed the conference’s final podium spot, as she bested a pair of Wildcat teammates to earn third place. Teammate Mary Kate Cirelli was unfortunate to miss out on her first ever podium spot. The freshman earned fourth place with her time of 19:49.0 – just six-tenths of a second off of Ross’ pace.

Northern Michigan’s Malin Eriksson took fifth place, stopping the clock in 19:50.8 to ensure the Wildcats nabbed four of the top five places on the women’s side.

Gustavus Adolphus College’s Erica Hett turned in her best race of the young season to grab sixth place, crossing the line in 20:03.7. St. Olaf’s Paige Schember earned seventh place in the CCSA, and eighth overall, in 20:13.1.

Green Bay’s Kailey Mucha landed her team’s top finish on the day, placing eighth in the CCSA and ninth overall, while NMU’s Rosie Frankowski (ninth) and Michigan Tech’s Sarah Daniels (10th) rounded out the CCSA’s top ten.

The CCSA skiers return to Giants Ridge tomorrow for the final day of the Saints Invitational, which begins with a 15K mass start skate for women at 10 a.m. CST, followed by a 20K mass start freestyle event for men at noon.

Complete results [PDF]

It was another big day for Alaska at the second day of the Tour de Twin Cities SuperTour stop, as the Nanooks, led by a resurgent Raphaela Sieber, swept the college podium in the women’s 15K mass start classic and saw Jonas Loeffler claim his first college win in the men’s 20K event at Wirth Park in Minneapolis.

“I’m really happy for our team, and for our women,” Alaska head coach Scott Jerome said. “We had a good day yesterday, but we were still kind of holding our breath on the classic race today. But it worked out and I’m really happy for Raphaela. Any time you can sweep the podium, it’s really exciting.”

After battling illness during the early part of the season and at U.S. Nationals, Sieber looks to be hitting her stride once again, as she raced her way to an impressive seventh place overall finish Sunday. Sieber crossed the line in 47:21.7 – a good 54 seconds ahead of her nearest collegiate competition.

Teammate Aly McPhetres, who also earned her first collegiate win in the skate race yesterday, completed a standout weekend for herself with a second-place collegiate finish, and ninth-place overall, in 48:25.4. The Nanooks’ Rebecca Konieczny took third in the CCSA with a tenth-place overall finish of her own, in 48:38.0.

“Aly had her best classic race ever today,” Jerome said. “That’s what she needed to do if she wants to make it to NCAAs, so this is a good start for her.”

Northern Michigan’s Jordyn Ross took fourth in the CCSA with her 11th-place overall finish in 48:41.3, just edging out Alaska’s Theresia Schnurr, who finished 12th overall and fifth in the CCSA in 48:41.8.

A solid performance from Green Bay’s Kailey Mucha saw her earn the conference’s sixth-best finish, taking 15th overall in 49:18.9. A pair of Northern Michigan Wildcats were next across the line – Mary Kate Cirelli and Hannah Boyer earning 17th and 18th place, respectively.

Alaska’s Heather Edic’s 19th-place finish was good enough to earn her ninth among collegiate skiers, while Saint Scholastica’s Sharmila Ahmed rounded out the CCSA top ten, edging NMU’s Rosie Frankowski by just under a second to earn a 20-place overall finish.

On the men’s side, Loeffler separated himself from the rest of the CCSA pack to claim his first ever conference win, earning an eighth-place overall finish with a time of 48:06.7.

“This was a huge race for Jonas,” Jerome said. “It will be a really big boost for him. He was actually having a really good race at U.S. Nationals in the 30K before he broke a pole, so it was good to see him get his first CCSA win today.”

Saint Scholastica’s Jeremy Hecker took the silver spot among collegiate skiers, completing his 20K in 48:20.2. An NCAA participant a year ago as part of a landmark season for Saint Scholastica, Hecker too enjoyed a fine stay at Wirth Park, earning a fifth-place finish in the skate race yesterday.

Northern Michigan’s Chris Bowler rounded out the CCSA podium, finishing 18th overall with a time of 40:30.8. Alaska’s second scoring skier, Michael Fehrenbach, just missed out on his first CCSA podium spot, coming in fourth just three-tenths of a second behind Bowler.

“Michael actually had a hard fall today that cost him a lot of positions,” Jerome said. “He could have easily had a top-ten finish today as well.”

The Nanooks’ Tyler Kornfield completed a solid weekend of racing with a fifth-place collegiate finish and 22nd overall on Sunday, followed closely by Northern Michigan’s George Cartwright and Erik Soderman, who took 24th and 26th overall, respectively.

A pair of Nanooks, Lex Treinen (33rd overall) and Max Olex (36th overall) were next across the line for the CCSA, meaning Alaska earned five of the region’s top-ten spots on Sunday. Michigan Tech’s Matt Wong rounded out the top ten with his 39th place overall finish.

“It was a good weekend for us,” Jerome said, “and having a good final race makes the flight home a lot easier.”

The CCSA skiers now head to Giants Ridge for their next NCAA qualifier next weekend, with races being held Jan. 26-27.

Full race results >>

It was a Blue and Gold first day at the Tour de Twin Cities SuperTour stop, as the Alaska Nanooks’ Aly McPhetres earned her first collegiate win in the women’s 5K skate while teammate Tyler Kornfield took the top spot in the men’s 10K at Wirth Park in Minneapolis.

It was a particularly impressive display of depth from Alaska on the women’s side – five Nanooks skiers not only placed within the top ten among collegiate skiers, but also within the top 20 of the entire 160-skier SuperTour field.

“I think we really needed this mentally more than anything else,” Alaska head coach Scott Jerome said. “We needed to have a good day today, and we are pleased with how things went today. It’s a good first step, but tomorrow’s classic races are important as well, so we need to continue this momentum.”

Though a lack of snow forced the CCSA skiers to head to Wirth Park this week instead of the originally-scheduled Battle Creek trails, the change in venue seemed to suit McPhetres just fine. Skiing on a 5K loop of manmade snow with little room to warm up or cool down, the Alaska native enjoyed a breakout performance, soaring to a ninth-place overall finish with a time of 12:50.8 – nearly five seconds better than her closest competitor.

“Aly has really worked on her skate technique, and right now she’s skating as well as anyone on the team,” Jerome said.

Second place in the CCSA also went to the Nanooks, as Crystal Pitney landed a tenth-place finish with her time of 12:55.7.

Northern Michigan’s Jordyn Ross earned the CCSA’s bronze spot after finishing 15th overall, followed closely by a trio of Nanooks ¬– Rebecca Konieczny, Theresia Schnurr and Raphaela Sieber finished 16th, 17th and 18th, respectively after all crossing the line within three-tenths of a second of one another.

“You see it a lot: when people train together, they feed off one another,” Jerome said of the consistency of his group. “It’s fun to see it all work out as it did today.”

The College of Saint Scholastica’s top finisher, Sharmila Ahmed, took seventh in the CCSA and 19th overall in the event, completing her 5K in 13:09.2. Alaska’s Marit Rjabov finished eighth, in 13:09.7, while Michigan Tech’s Lynn Duijndam (13:11.3) and NMU’s Rosie Frankowski (13:16.1) rounded out the CCSA’s top ten.

All told, CCSA women accounted for 10 of the top 25 spots in the SuperTour field: a testament to the strength of the region’s field this year.

On the men’s side, Alaska’s Kornfield showed signs of regaining his top form by racing to a ninth-place overall finish of his own. Kornfield’s time of 21:45.1 for his 10K earned him a ten-second victory over his closest college competitor.

“This was a critical race for Tyler,” Jerome said. “He struggled a little bit at altitude earlier this season, including at U.S. Nationals. “So we are really pleased to see him do as well as he did today. I think it will be good for him mentally. ”

Two Northern Michigan skiers joined Kornfield on the podium, as George Cartwright placed an impressive 15th overall with his time of 21:55.9, and Erik Soderman continued his search for another NCAA berth with an 18th-place overall finish in 22:00.3.

Alaska’s Lex Treinen earned fourth in the region and 22nd overall with his time of 22:11.6, followed closely by St. Scholastica’s Jeremy Hecker, who took 23rd overall. Northern Michigan’s third finisher, Chris Bowler, earned sixth in the region with his 26th-place overall finish, while a pair of Alaska newcomers, Michael Fehrehbach and Max Olek, placed 28th and 33rd overall respectively.

Michigan Tech’s Raphael Bechtiger (34th overall) and Saint Scholastica’s Scott Johanik (37th overall) round out the CCSA top ten on the men’s side.

The skiers return to Wirth Park bright and early tomorrow morning, as the men’s 20K mass start classic event kicks off at 10 a.m. CST, followed by the women’s 15K mass start race at 11:15 a.m.

Full listing of final results [PDF]

Alaska and Northern Michigan skiers led the way for the CCSA in the distance classic races at U.S. Nationals, as the Nanooks’ Michael Fehrenbach and the Wildcats’ Rosie Frankowski both turned in top-15 performances at Soldier Hollow in Utah. Fehrenbach, a freshman, took 13^th overall in the men’s 30K event – just his second CCSA race – while Frankowski continued her impressive start to the season with a 10^th-place finish in the women’s 20K.