Great Lakes Wire

The NMU nordic ski teams are set to compete in the 2025 NCAA Central Regional Championships this weekend at the Al Quaal Recreation Area in Ishpeming. The event will feature a 7.5k individual race on Saturday, February 22, and a 20k mass start on Sunday, February 23. Men's races begin at 10 a.m. and women's races at noon on Saturday, while Sunday starts with women at 9:30 a.m. and men at 11:30 a.m.

Last week, NMU secured second place at the conference championships. Victoria Dybwad won gold in the 20k mass start, with Adrik Kraftson finishing fourth. In the 7.5k individual race, Kraftson took gold and silver went to Luke Fricker, with Nilssen placing fifth.

Results from both days of competition will be available on MyRaceResult once released.

In previous regional championships, NMU achieved an overall team score of 205 points but fell short of Michigan Tech's leading score of 212 points.

During past events held at Al Quaal Recreation Area in the 2022/23 season, NMU scored a total of 244 points over two days but was narrowly outscored by Michigan Tech's total of 245 points.

Saturday's competitions will include several standout performances from NMU athletes based on prior events. On the women's side during previous championships, Henriette Nilssen and Merle Richter dominated podium finishes both days, with Nilssen securing silver in the freestyle event and Richter claiming gold in another category.

For men's competitions previously held there, Luke Fricker managed to secure a silver medal finish in one race while Kristoffer Karsrud also achieved notable results alongside him during different events.

Both men's and women's teams aim to build upon these past performances as they prepare for this year's regional challenges ahead.