Great Lakes Wire

The Northern Michigan University men's nordic ski team concluded its participation in the SuperTour Finals sprints in Lake Placid, New York. Kristoffer Karsrud achieved a fifth-place finish overall.

The event featured 99 skiers from both professional and collegiate backgrounds. Out of these, 30 skiers advanced to the bracket stage of the competition. Karsrud secured the 12th position in qualifying, clocking a time of 2:34.30, recognizing him as the third-fastest collegiate skier.

Karsrud competed in the fourth quarterfinal group, where he placed second and secured an automatic advancement to the semifinals with a time of 2:39.50. During the second semifinal heat, Karsrud finished third, posting a time of 2:44.50. Despite narrowly missing direct qualification to the finals, Karsrud claimed the first "lucky loser" spot, designated for the top-two times from any semifinal who were not the heat's top finishers, advancing him to the finals.

In the finals, Karsrud recorded a time of 2:58.95, completing the race in fifth place, making him the only collegiate skier to progress and compete in the finals.

Three NMU skiers did not reach the top 30 in qualifying. Luke Fricker placed 38th with a time of 2:42.45, Adrik Kraftson was 66th at 2:48.28, and Jonathan Clarke finished 85th, timing at 2:55.95.

Updated results and sprint brackets are anticipated shortly. The NMU team shifts focus to the mixed 4x5k team relay scheduled for the next day at Mt. Van Hoevenberg.