ISHPEMING, Mich – Host Northern Michigan completed a clean sweep of the NCAA Regional titles on Sunday, taking home the men’s, women’s and overall titles by comfortable margins after taking five of the six podium spots in the classic races at the Al Quaal Ski Trails.

NMU’s Erik Soderman made a late charge to nip past Alaska’s Jonas Loeffler and win the men’s 15K mass start event by less than a second, while the Monica Markvardsen led a Wildcat sweep of the women’s 10K podium.

“I’ve just been really impressed with my skiers all season,” NMU head coach Sten Fjeldheim said. “They’ve just had a great attitude, and been really professional. You can tell they just really want to work and become better skiers.”

In Soderman, the Wildcats seem to have a skier who is peaking at the right time – in addition to his regional title in the classic race on Sunday, Soderman also claimed the freestyle crown a day earlier. Trailing Loeffler with 400 m to go, Soderman switched tracks and, with 100 meters left, made his move, besting the Nanook skier by seven-tenths of a second.

“I guess Erik just had a little more left in the tank for double poling at the end,” Fjeldheim said.

Loeffler did claim podium spot, taking second in one of his best races of the year. A trio of Wildcats soon followed, as Kyle Bratrud earned the final podium spot with his 40:49.1, crossing the line just two-tenths of a second ahead of teammate Kjell-Christian Markset.

NMU’s Chris Bowler took fifth in 40:49.8, as the top five men’s skiers were all separated by only a second and half.

Alaska’s second scoring skier, Ludwig Schott, took sixth in 40:56.5, while Northern’s George Cartwright was seventh in 41:14.4. Another Nanook, senior Erik Soederstrom, took eighth, while Michigan Tech’s Mikko Harju and NMU’s Kevin Cutts rounded out the top ten.

On the women’s side, it was all Northern, as Markvardsen, Molly Burger and Marie Helen Soderman broke away following the last serious climb to sweep the podium. Markvardsen, the CCSA’s top scoring women’s skier coming into the event, completed her 10K in 32:50.0, while Burger took second in 32:52.4 and Soderman third in 32:53.0.

Alaska’s Marit Rjabov finished fourth in 33:03.5, crossing the line just ahead of two more NMU skiers – Libby Ellis (fifth) and Rosie Frankowski (sixth) – in a real testament to the Wildcats’ depth.

“That’s what you have to have – six or seven men and women all pushing each other on a weekly basis,” Fjeldheim said. “It’s unfortunate you can only take three to the NCAA’s but it’s really cool to see the improvement of skiers like Libby and Rosie.”

Alaska’s second and third scoring skiers, Heather Edic and Crystal Pitney, finished seventh and eighth, respectively, to bump the Nanooks up to second place in the final regional standings. Michigan Tech’s Deedra Irwin and Alaska’s Raphaela Sieber rounded out the top ten.

With today’s results, Northern finished with 170 points on the men’s side for the two-day event, 23 points better than second-placed Alaska (147). Michigan Tech finished third on 138 points, and Saint Scholastica fourth with 132.

Northern’s women finished with 172 points to claim the regional crown over Alaska, who took second with 149. Michigan Tech were again third with 143 points, and Saint Scholastica again fourth with 112.

With the qualifying races over, now the waiting game begins, as coaches and athletes alike await the final tallying and approval of the CCSA rankings, which will determine who qualifies for next month’s NCAA Championships.

“It’s a little tense, but we know it will be fair,” Fjeldheim said. “We have a good feeling it will all shake out for us.”

For posting of the final standings and announcement of the CCSA’s NCAA qualifying team, stay tuned to www.ccsaski.com.

ISHPEMING, Mich. – Wins by Marie Helen Soderman and Erik Soderman propelled hosts Northern Michigan into sizable leads after the first day of the NCAA Regionals. The Wildcats landed placed all three of their scoring skiers in the top four in both the women’s 5K and men’s 10K events, giving them a 10-point lead on the women’s side and a 12-point lead on the men’s side.

Tensions were high prior to the individual start race, which serves as the last skate qualifier for the NCAA Championship spots.

Soderman, however, quickly shook off any nerves she was feeling to turn in a dominant performance on the Al Quaal Ski Trails. The junior cruised to a regional title in 15:14:00, a good 16 seconds better than her nearest competitor.

Michigan Tech’s Alice Flanders earned second spot with her time of 15:30.10, continuing the run of fine form for the Michigan Tech women. A pair of Northern skiers turned in the next best times, with Monica Markvardsen earning the final podium spot in 15:30.40, while Libby Ellis took fourth in 15:35.30.

Alaska’s top skier on the day, Raphaela Sieber finished fifth in 15:36.20, while Northern’s Molly Burger continued her push for an NCAA berth with a solid sixth place finish. Michigan Tech’s Deedra Irwin took seventh in 15:45.00, scoring 25 vital points for her team.

Saint Scholastica’s Sharmila Ahmed landed her team’s best finish of the event, taking eighth in 15:49.00, just over a second ahead of ninth-placed Marit Rjabov, from Alaska. Another Nanook, Crystal Pitney, rounded out the top ten.

On the men’s side, it was equally as comfortable a victory for Northern’s Erik Soderman. An NCAA qualifier in his first year with the Wildcats, the sophomore appears on track for a return to nationals, taking the top spot with a time of 24:30.50 – a good 51 seconds better than any other competitor.

Saint Scholastica’s Paul Schommer turned in an impressive performance of his own, taking second place with a time of 25:22.30. A freshman for the Saints, Schommer has now earned three podium finishes in his last four NCAA qualifying races.

A trio of Northern Michigan skiers followed Schommer, with the Wildcats’ own impressive freshman, Kjell-Christian Markset, taking third in 25:29.90. The hosts’ third scoring skier, Chris Bowler, took fourth, while teammate George Cartwright took fifth for good measure, demonstrating the depth of the NMU roster.

Alaska Tyler Kornfield took sixth in 25:53.70, finishing as the Nanooks’ top skier and, perhaps surprisingly, their only top ten finisher of the day. Northern Michigan’s Kyle Bratrud took seventh in 25:59.50, while Saint Scholastica’s second scoring skier, Jeremy Hecker, took eighth just under two seconds later.

A pair of Michigan Tech skiers, Mikko Harju (ninth) and Matt Wong (tenth) rounded out the top ten.

Heading into the final day of regionals, the NMU women currently hold 85 points, offering them a ten-point cushion over second-placed Michigan Tech’s 75 points. Alaska sits third with 71 points, while Saint Scholastica are fourth with 55.

On the men’s side, the Wildcats’ 85 points give them a 12-point edge over second-place Saint Scholastica – a team that has really impressed in the second half of the CCSA season. Michigan Tech sits third with 69 points, with Alaska just behind in fourth with 67 points.

The CCSA skiers return to the course tomorrow for the final NCAA qualifier of the season. The men’s 15K classic kicks off first, at 10 a.m. Eastern time, before the women wrap things up with a 10K classic at 12:30 p.m.

HOUGHTON, Mich . – Victories in the men’s and women’s 3x5K freestyle relay earned Northern Michigan both the women’s and overall team titles at the CCSA Championships while Alaska claimed the men’s title, besting the Wildcats by eight points.

In a change of format from previous year’s conference championships, this year’s crowns were decided by taking the team scores from three events: the classic sprint from the Hilltop Invitational on Jan. 15, yesterday’s distance classic race and today’s relays at the Michigan Tech Nordic Training Center.

The Northern women entered the day with a healthy 11-point advantage, and quickly extended that lead, as the A-team of Marie Helen Soderman, Molly Burger and Monica Markvardsen cruised to a 48-second win. Soderman held a two-second advantage after the first leg, and Markvardsen sealed the victory with an impressive 2:53/K pace through her section of the course, finishing her 5K nearly 22 seconds faster than any other skier on the same leg.

The next two teams across the line both belonged to hosts Michigan Tech. The Huskies’ women have been one of the stories of the second half of the CCSA season so far, and continued their impressive form on Sunday. Their A-team of Lynn Duijndam, Alice Flanders and Deedra Irwin, sailed to second place in the event, and their second scoring team, made up of Sarah Daniels, Christina Mishica and Malin Eriksson, were just 11 seconds behind.

Those results, combined with previous scores, propelled Michigan Tech past Alaska and into the runner-up spot on the women’s leaderboard.

Alaska’s first squad, made up of Aly McPhetres, Raphaela Sieber and Marit Rjabov, took fourth in the relays, crossing the line ahead of Northern Michigan’s second scoring team (Libby Ellis, Rosie Frankowski and Felicia Geisor) in fifth. Saint Scholastica’s A-team of Brooke Adams, Sharmila Ahmed and Eleanor Magnuson took sixth.

On the men’s side, Northern’s Erik Soderman put the hammer down early, handing the Wildcats’ A-team a 28-second advantage after just the first leg of the event. Teammates Kjell-Christian Markset and George Cartwright only extended that lead, as the Wildcats cruised to a 40-second victory.

Alaska’s A-team of Erik Soederstrom, Ludwig Schot and Tyler Kornfield took second overall – Kornfield turning in the best 5K among his competitors with a 12:09.1 time for his leg. The Nanooks would need every shaved second of that time too – their squad just bested Northern’s second-scoring team, consisting of Chris Bowler, Kevin Cutts and Kyle Bratrud in the closest finish of the event, with the Blue and Gold edging the Wildcats by just two-tenths of a second.

Saint Scholastica’s A-team took fourth overall, as their team of Paul Schommer, Scott Johanik and Jeremy Hecker crossed the line ahead 17 seconds ahead of Michigan Tech’s trio of Matt Dugan, Jesse Smith and Mikko Harju.

For complete results, please visit www.superiortiming.com. The final CCSA team standings are as follows:

 

Team                             Men’s                                   Women’s                                      Overall

Northern Michigan            240                                       250                                                  490

Alaska                            248                                        221                                                 469

Michigan Tech                 185                                        229                                                  414

Saint Scholastica            200                                       166                                                   366

Gustavus Adolphus          127                                       140                                                   267

Green Bay                      154                                       103                                                   257

St. Olaf                           101                                       146                                                   247

St. Cloud State                  —-                                        77                                                     77

Gogebic CC                       36                                        —-                                                     36

HOUGHTON, Mich. – Alaska’s Tyler Kornfield and Northern Michigan’s Monica Markvardsen both overcame challenging conditions as well as a field of more than 50 skiers to capture conference titles in the CCSA Championships mass start classic races at the Michigan Tech Nordic Training Center.

Kornfield and teammate Erik Soderstrom took the top two spots in the men’s 20K to give the Nanooks a three-point edge on the men’s side, but Northern Michigan swept the podium in the women’s 15K, giving the Wildcats a 12-point advantage over hosts Michigan Tech on the women’s side.

The day, however, was more about grit than glamour, as an already challenging course was made all the more difficult by heavy snow and high winds.

“It was already snowing during the men’s race, and then during the women’s race, it just started coming down hard,” Alaska head coach Scott Jerome said. “It’s a really hard course, and then the fresh snow in the tracks and the headwind coming into the stadium made it even slower. It was one of the toughest days for classic races that we’ve had in a long time.”

“But,” Jerome added, “that’s what we need – hard courses and a tough race. After this, we go to regionals and NCAA’s, so it’s not going to get any easier. [The student-athletes] need that challenge.”

Kornfield, who has already tied up his spot at next month’s NCAA Championships by qualifying for the World Junior Championships in January, was more than ready for that challenge, taking the top spot in the mass start event with a time of 1:02:36.2.

Fellow Nanook Soderstrom placed just four seconds behind the Anchorage native, taking second in a time of 1:02:40.2.

“Erik skied a great race today – a very smart race,” Jerome said. “He’s a senior, so he’s extremely motivated to make it to the NCAA’s this year.”

A trio of Wildcats were next across the line, with Northern’s freshman Kjell-Christian Markset continuing a fantastic first season with a third-place finish in 1:02:44.6. Teammate Kyle Bratrud just missed out on a podium spot, taking fourth in 1:03:04.5, while Chris Bowler finish fifth as the Wildcats’ third scoring skier on the day.

Alaska’s Jonas Loeffler produced one of his best races of the season, earning sixth place and 25 points for the Nanooks in 1:03:08.6. Nanooks’ Ludwig Schott, who remains very much in contention for an NCAA berth in his first CCSA campaign, and Ian Wilkinson took seventh and eighth, respectively.

“[Ludwig] certainly helped his cause today,” Jerome said. “He’s kind of a quiet guy, but he’s always right there in the mix with the top skiers. That’s just his style.”

A fourth Northern skier, Erik Soderman, and Saint Scholastica’s Paul Schommer, fresh off of two podium finishes at the Green Acres SuperTour stop two weeks ago, rounded out the top ten.

On the women’s side, it was all NMU, as the Wildcats’ led the pack despite the increasing snow. Markvardsen, earned her fifth CCSA win of a stellar junior season, cruising to a five-second victory in 58:36.7.

Teammate Rosie Frankowski was next across the line, taking second in 58:41.6, before a third Wildcat, Libby Ellis rounded out the podium in third with her 58:45.4.

Alaska’s Raphaela Sieber, who has continued to show signs of regaining the form that earned her an NCAA berth a year ago, finished fourth in 59:05.4, and Michigan Tech’s Sarah Daniels grabbed fifth place with her time of 59:11.2.

Marie Helen Soderman earned sixth place, giving Northern Michigan four of the top six skiers in the mass start event. Michigan Tech’s Deedra Irwin, a winner in the skate race at the Green Acres SuperTour stop, took seventh, just four seconds ahead of teammate Christina Mishica.

Mishica, the Huskies third scoring skier on the day, placed eighth to bump Michigan Tech past Alaska and into second place on the women’s team leaderboard

The Nanooks’ Heather Edic took ninth with her time of 59:27.2., while NMU’s Molly Burger rounded out the top ten, crossing the line just ahead of St. Olaf senior Emma Lee.

The CCSA skiers return to the course tomorrow for a 3x5K freestyle relay event, which kicks off for the women at 10:30 a.m., followed by the men at 12:30 p.m.

 

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.