Great Lakes Wire

The Northern Michigan University (NMU) Men and Women Alpine Ski teams are preparing for the upcoming USCSA Spirit Mountain event in Minnesota. The competition will take place over two days, from January 27 to January 28, 2024.

In previous years, the Wildcats have shown strong performances at this event. In 2022, the Women's team secured first place, while the Men's team tied with St. Olaf College for the top spot. The following year, in 2023, the Women's team dominated by winning both slalom and giant slalom events. The Men's team won the slalom on the first day but came second to St. Olaf in the giant slalom on the second day.

The Wildcats began their current season with a strong showing at the USCSA Giants Ridge event on January 20 and 21. Both teams achieved first place in overall scoring, with four first-place medals awarded. Six men finished in the top ten during their opening race, led by Brad Seaborg and Andrew Truman who placed first and third respectively. On the women's side, eight athletes made it into the top ten, with Tommie Springer and Ella Wichert leading in first and third positions.

On the second day of competition at Giants Ridge, Aaron Grzelak won gold in the men's category while Reed Heathman earned a bronze medal. The men's team had six members in the top ten spots overall. The women continued their success by sweeping the podium with Reagan Olli taking gold followed by Ella Wichert and Tommie Springer.

For updates throughout this weekend's event at Spirit Mountain, fans can follow @nmu_alpine on Instagram as well as NMU's athletics website and official social media pages.