Great Lakes Wire

The NMU men's Nordic ski team has completed the first day of the NCAA Championships in Hanover, NH. Adrik Kraftson led his team in the 7.5k classic race, finishing 23rd with a time of 23:13.1 and earning eight points for his team.

Kristoffer Karsrud started his race two minutes after Kraftson and finished in 28th place with a time of 23:44.4, contributing three points to the team's score. Luke Fricker was the third competitor from NMU, ending in 37th place with a time of 25:11.1.

Among skiers from the Central Collegiate Ski Association (CCSA), Colin Freed from Michigan Tech was the top performer, finishing in 20th place with a time of 23:04.4 and earning 11 points for his team. Following him were Kraftson and Karsrud as the second and third CCSA finishers. Chase High from College of Saint Scholastica finished as the fourth CCSA skier in 32nd place, followed by Tryg Solberg from Michigan Tech and Fricker at 36th and 37th places respectively.

A total of 40 individuals representing 17 different institutions participated in this event. The fastest time was recorded by John Hagenbuch from Dartmouth University at 20:52.8, followed by Finn Sweet from Vermont at 21:08.1, and Joe Davies from Utah at 21:19.5.

In terms of team standings among CCSA schools, both NMU Wildcats and Michigan Tech Huskies tied for 11th place with each securing 11 points while College of Saint Scholastica did not score any team points. Dartmouth leads overall with a significant margin scoring a total of 93 points, trailed by Utah with 84 points in second place, and Colorado University with third-place scoring at 64 points.

The Wildcats will next compete on Saturday, March 8, in the upcoming event scheduled for a mass start over a distance of 20k beginning at ten o'clock Eastern Time.