Great Lakes Wire

The Northern Michigan University (NMU) men's and women's Nordic ski teams concluded their participation in the NCAA Central Regional Skiing Championships over the weekend, securing seven out of twelve podium spots across two days of competition. The Wildcats finished second overall with a team score of 205, narrowly missing first place to Michigan Tech, which scored 212.

In the women's events, Henriette Nilssen and Merle Richter dominated both days. Nilssen earned a silver medal on the first day with a time of 18:46.3 in the 7.5k Freestyle race, while Richter took third place with a time of 18:55.8. On the second day, Richter excelled by winning gold in the 20k Interval Start with a time of 1:01:21.8, followed closely by Nilssen who secured another silver.

For the men’s team, Luke Fricker was NMU's sole podium finisher in the 7.5k Freestyle event on day one, claiming silver with a time of 16:16.8. The following day saw Kristoffer Karsrud and Fricker achieve silver and bronze respectively in the 20km Interval Start; Karsrud finished at 57:17.1 while Fricker completed his race shortly after at 57:24.1.

The Wildcats will have a break next weekend as they prepare for their upcoming challenge at the NCAA Skiing Championships scheduled for March 7-9, 2024 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.