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Wildcats Dominate Postseason Awards; Frankowski, Soderman, Fjeldheim Earn Regional Honors

Friday, March 29th, 2013
This CCSA press release can be viewed here.
It was a clean sweep of the postseason awards for Northern Michigan, as the Wildcats’ Rosie Frankowski and Erik Soderman earned regional skier of the year honors, and head coach Sten Fjeldheim collected both the men’s and women’s coach of the year award.
“It feels awesome,” Fjeldheim said. “I have a lot of respect for all the other coaches, so it’s quite an honor. I’m really happy for both Erik and Rosie as well – they worked hard all season and really deserve it.”
Frankowski earned the region’s best finish on the women’s side at this year’s NCAA Championships, collecting her first All-American honor with a seventh-place finish in the 15K skate. Initially a walk-on to the heralded Northern Michigan ski team, Frankowski finished the year as the region’s top female skier, an all-CCSA first-teamer, and earned the conference’s top skier in four events this season, including both the freestyle and classic events at U.S. Nationals.
“Rosie made me a believer,” Fjeldheim said. “She’s one of the hardest working athletes I’ve ever seen. “
Soderman, meanwhile, collected his second and third career All-American awards at this year’s NCAA Championships, earning a first-team spot with his fourth place finish in the freestyle event and a second-team spot with a 10th place finish in the classic race. Also an all-CCSA first-team member and the top scoring skier in the region this season, Soderman won six CCSA races, including sweeping both events at the CCSA Championships in February.
“Erik is just such a solid character,” Fjeldheim said. “He doesn’t say much, but when he does, its usually funny and just makes a lot of sense.”
Fjeldheim oversaw another hugely successful season at Northern Michigan, adding four All-American awards, both the men’s and women’s CCSA Championships and the men’s and the overall NCAA Central Region Championships to the school’s already impressive trophy cabinet. Under his guidance, four of the region’s top 10 skiers on both the men’s and women’s side wore the Wildcats’ green and gold.
“It’s a real honor, but I couldn’t have done it without my assistant coaches – Ingrid, my daughter, and Martin Banerud have worked really hard this year,” Fjeldheim said. “It takes more than just one coach to make a successful program, there’s no magic wand you can wave. It just takes consistency, day in and day out, and that’s a culture that the athletes themselves set. Rosie and Erik have both had a lot of great role models before them, and now they are the leaders helping set the tone for the rest of the team.”

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CCSA Skiers Collect Three All-American Spots in Season Finale

Thursday, March 14th, 2013
The CCSA skiers ended the 2013 season on a positive note, capturing three All-American spots and placing five student-athletes in the top 15 (and seven in the top 25) at the final day of the NCAA Championships at  Middlebury College.
Northern Michigan’s Erik Soderman led the way for the region, earning first-team All-American honors with his fourth-place finish in the men’s 20K mass start freestyle race. Teammate Kyle Bratrud finished 10th to earn a second-team All-American spot in the same event, while St. Scholastica’s Jeremy Hecker just missed out on the top 10 in his final collegiate race, taking 11th in the Saints’ best ever NCAA finish.
On the women’s side, the Wildcats’ Rosie Frankowski crossed the line in seventh in the women’s 15K skate, collecting her first All-American award as all the Northern Michigan women finished among the top 20.
“I think today was super critical for our region,” St. Scholastica head coach Chad Salmela said afterward. “This is much more indicative of how good we are as a region. It felt good to be out there showing what we can do, and hopefully we earned a couple of qualifying spots back for our region.”
Warm temperatures throughout the races (the mercury would soar as high as 40 degrees during the men’s event), led to quick conditions on the Rikert Nordic Center course. The blend of mostly manmade and some natural snow stayed surprisingly firm during the women’s race, and largely kept its integrity during the men’s race as well, though some wet spots began to appear in areas affected the sun.
The fast conditions didn’t seem to faze Frankowski, however. A strong skater, she never drifted out of the top 11, springing up into seventh midway through the race and never looking back.
“Rosie just had a great race,” Northern Michigan head coach Sten Fjeldheim said. “She’s worked so hard to get where she has, and this was just the crowning moment of her year.”
Teammate Mary Kate Cirelli finished off a solid week with a 14th place finish in the freestyle race – the freshman’s second top-15 finish of the NCAA Championships. NMU’s Jordyn Ross wasn’t far behind, either, taking 17th in her first trip to nationals as well.
Alaska’s Crystal Pitney finished 27th in the event, crossing the line just ahead of teammate, Aly McPhetres, who, unfortunately, battled an ear infection most of the week and was unable to perform at her top level. McPhetres, only a sophomore, had finished the season as the region’s top scoring freestyle skier.
St. Scholastica’s Sharmila Ahmed, battling health issues of her own which caused difficulty turning on downhills, finished 36th.
On the men’s side, a somewhat cautious start led to a large lead pack sticking together throughout most of the early stages.
“No one pushed it,” Salmela said. “I think everyone was waiting for someone else to push the pace, and no one did. That helped skiers like Jeremy and Erik Soderman, who typically start slow and go hard at the end. Every lap, a couple more skiers would fall back, and they kept moving up.”
When the pace finally did increase, it was Soderman who was instigating it – the defending NCAA freestyle champion surged into the lead near the beginning of the final lap, and stretched the lead pack . Though Utah’s Miles Havlick would eventually take the national title, Soderman’s fourth-place finish earned him the third career All-American spot, and second of the week.
Northern Michigan’s Kyle Bratrud turned plenty of heads as well – the sophomore more than holding his own among the leaders before crossing the line in 10th overall to wrap up his first NCAA appearance.
St. Scholastica’s Jeremy Hecker, meanwhile, shook off back spasms to turn in arguably the performance of his career, hanging with the lead pack through most of the race and crossing the line in 11th place – the school’s best ever finish at an NCAA Championship.
“Jeremy has been the most pivotal skier in the history of our program,” Salmela said. “He’s a culture setter – he has set an example for everyone. He raced today as he always races – really smart. I told him to give it everything he had today, and he did. He may not have finished as an All-American, but he skied like one today.”
Alaska’s Logan Hanneman crossed the line in 25th, just ahead of Northern Michigan’s George Cartwright, who placed 28th. The Nanooks’ Michael Fehrenbach and Jonas Loffler both got tangled up and broke poles in an early crash, finishing 29th and 40th, respectively.
Source: CCSA


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CCSA skiers prepare for NCAA Championships

Wednesday, March 6th, 2013

The CCSA skiers begin their national championship adventure in earnest tomorrow, as they line up against the nation’s top collegiate skiers at the NCAA Championships in Middlebury, Vt. Of the thirteen skiers, representing three schools (Northern Michigan, Alaska and St. Scholastica), eight will be making their first appearance at nationals.

 

The event kicks off bright and early Thursday morning with a 10K men’s interval start classic race, beginning at 10 a.m. EST, followed by a 5K classic ski for women at noon. The distances, and the chaos level, only increase on Saturday, with a 15K mass start women’s freestyle event scheduled for 10 a.m., followed by a mass start 20K skate for men at noon.

 

For those unable to make the trip to Vermont, all events at this year’s NCAA Championships will be streamed online at www.ncaa.com/liveschedule.

 

“Making it to NCAAs is certainly never anything that we take for granted,” Alaska head coach Scott Jerome said. “It’s always a big accomplishment, and I think every athlete is very grateful to have the opportunity to race on this big stage. It’s very satisfying.”

 

In addition to individual championships and coveted All-American postions – the top five skiers all gain first-team All-American status, while the rest of the top 10 finishers collect second-team honors – there’s plenty more at stake when the CCSA skiers toe the line this week. Each year, the NCAA evaluates each region’s performance at nationals, and adjusts the number of berths for each region accordingly. Do well at NCAA, and your region will be able to send more skiers to next year’s championships. Each skier, therefore, has the opportunity to benefit not only themselves, but the entire region with a good performance.

 

Despite that added pressure, CCSA coaches, such as St. Scholastica’s Chad Samela, focus on keeping their athletes grounded.

 

“We are here to win, and to go about our business but, at the same time, I want our athletes to be able to relax,” Salmela said. “I think when they are relaxed and enjoying themselves, but also focused, that’s when they ski their best.”

 

Having arrived at the Rikert Nordic Center last week, the CCSA skiers have had a chance to get a number of practice runs in on what looks to be a fair but challenging course.

 

“There’s a really good mix on this course,” Salmela said. “There are some very challenging downhills with some tight turns – you are going to have to get into a nice rhythm to get through it. It’s a great course – it’s hard enough to be an NCAA championship race, but easy enough that it’s still enough about ski racing.”

 

This year’s NCAA Championships has added sentiment for Salmela – hosts Middlebury College is his alma mater.

 

In addition to the live broadcast at the NCAA website, fans of CCSA skiing can also follow live results at http://www.barttiming.com/eisa/Results13/ncaa13.htm.

 

Source: CCSA

 

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St. Scholastica’s Schommer, Alaska’s Konieczny land CCSA skier of the week honors

Thursday, February 28th, 2013

The College of St. Scholastica’s Paul Schommer and Alaska’s Rebecca Konieczny have been named the CCSA skiers of the week, the conference office announced Wednesday. The duo received the awards for their displays of selflessness and character at the NCAA Central Region Championships this past weekend, as both Schommer and Konieczny overcame personal setbacks to help their teams achieve something special.

After a breakthrough freshman year in 2012, it’s safe to say Schommer’s season hasn’t quite gone as planned this time by. Sidelined for much of the CCSA season due to illness and competing in just four conference events, Schommer was unable to get back up to speed in time to qualify for his second NCAA Championships. Despite his disappointment, however, Schommer stepped up when his team needed him most, delivering his best race of the season by landing a seventh-place finish in the 20K mass start freestyle on Sunday. His performance helped boost St. Scholastica to third place in the overall team standings – the school’s first ever podium finish at regionals.

Konieczny, meanwhile, entered the weekend on the bubble for one of the region’s six NCAA berths. Just outside the top six, the Montana native would need two solid races in order to qualify for nationals. Unfortunately, hectic weather conditions on Saturday led to waxing difficulties and slow skis for Konieczny in the classic race, essentially bumping her out of contention. The senior shook off her personal disappointment, however, and raced solely for her team on Sunday, bouncing back to land a sixth-place finish in the skate event. Finishing the race as the Nanooks’ third scoring skier, Konieczny’s points proved vital – Alaska held on to capture the women’s regional crown by just four points over rivals Northern Michigan.

 

Source: CCSA

 

 

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CCSA Announces 2013 All-Conference Awards

Thursday, February 21st, 2013

Northern Michigan and Alaska skiers decorated the all-CCSA teams, as seven Wildcats and Nanooks collected conference awards. NMU led the way with seven first-team awards, the most of any school, while St. Scholastica earned two-first team honors as well.

On the men’s side, Northern Michigan’s Erik Soderman, George Cartwright and Chris Bowler; St. Scholastica’s Jeremy Hecker and Alaska’s Michael Fehrenbach all picked up all-CCSA first-team spots, while Michigan Tech’s Luke Gesior and a quartet of Nanooks (Lex Treinen, Jonas Loffler, Tyler Kornfield and Max Olex) made up the conference’s second team.

For the women, St. Scholastica’s Sharmila Ahmed and Northern Michigan’s Rosie Frankowski, Jordyn Ross, Mary Kate Cirelli and Hannah Boyer earned all-CCSA first team honors, while second-team all conference awards went to Alaska’s Aly McPhetres and Crystal Pitney; Michigan Tech Lynn Duijndam and Sarah Daniels; and Green Bay’s Kailey Mucha.

 

Men’s all-CCSA first team

Erik Soderman, NMU

George Cartwright, NMU

Jeremy Hecker, St. Scholastica

Chris Bowler, NMU

Michael Fehrehbach, Alaska

 

Men’s all-CCSA second team

Lex Treinen, Alaska

Jonas Loffler, Alaska

Luke Gesior, Michigan Tech

Tyler Kornfield, Alaska

Max Olex, Alaska

 

Women’s all-CCSA first team

Rosie Frankowski, NMU

Jordyn Ross, NMU

Sharmila Ahmed, St. Scholastica

Mary Kate Cirelli, NMU

Hannah Boyer, NMU

 

Women’s all-CCSA second team

Aly McPhetres, Alaska

Kailey Mucha, Green Bay

Sarah Daniels, Michigan Tech

Crystal Pitney, Alaska

Lynn Duijndam, Michigan Tech

 

Source: CCSA

 

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Soderman, McPhetres win freestyle races, NMU takes team titles at CCSA Championships

Monday, February 18th, 2013

For the second straight day, a Northern Michigan man and an Alaska woman earned the conference crown at the CCSA Championships, as the Wildcats’ Erik Soderman again took top spot in the men’s 20K mass start freestyle and the Nanooks’ Aly McPhetres edged NMU’s Rosie Frankowski to win the women’s 15K event at Mt Itasca.

Despite a strong showing in both genders from Alaska, however, it was Northern Michigan’s day, as the Wildcats swept the men’s, women’s and overall team titles for the four-race CCSA Championships.

“Everyone’s really happy to have won,” NMU head coach Sten Fjeldheim said. “It was an interesting format this year, having the sprints and the relays involved. I think our team has really been firing on all cylinders this weekend though, and we are happy with how things turned out.”

There was even more déjà vu about Sunday’s men’s race – Soderman and teammate Kyle Bratrud again took the top two spots, just as they did in Saturday’s classic race. According to Fjeldheim, however, it took every ounce of energy his racers had to hold onto the podium spots.

“UAF busted apart the pack right away,” he said. “They really pulled out at a really hard pace – them, our guys and (St. Scholastica’s) Jeremy Hecker put the hammer down from the start. It was great racing and awesome competition.”

While Soderman and Bratrud took the top two spots, Alaska’s Lex Treinen earned the bronze medal position, finishing just four seconds behind Bratrud. The Nanooks’ Michael Fehrenbach would take fourth, slightly behind the lead trio, while Northern Michigan’s third scoring skier, George Cartwright took fifth, wrapping up the men’s title for the Wildcats.

St. Scholastica’s top skier on the day, and one of the CCSA most consistent performers on the year, Hecker just missed out on a ninth-straight top-five finish, as his time of 55:56.9 put him in sixth on the afternoon. A pair of Alaska skiers, Jonas Loffler and Max Olex, placed seventh and eighth, respectively, while NMU’s Chris Bowler and Michigan Tech’s Matt Dugan rounded out the top ten.

On the women’s side, the competition was equally as fast and furious – as McPhetres and Frankowski battled back and forth for most of the afternoon.

“Aly is really an excellent downhill skier – I was impressed with her downhill ability,” Fjeldheim said. “Every time Rosie would try and pull away , [McPhetres] would close that gap on the downhill.”

In the end, McPhetres would seize on a late stumble from Frankowski to earn her first CCSA title. Frankowski, forced to settle for second place, still finished nearly a full minute ahead of the third placed skier: Alaska’s Crystal Pitney, who earned the final podium spot in 49:37.8.

Northern Michigan’s Jordyn Ross was next across the line, followed by a pair of Nanooks in Heather Edic (fifth) and Rebecca Koneieczny (sixth). NMU’s Mary Kate Cirelli took seventh overall to round out a solid weekend for the freshman, while Alaska’s Raphaela Sieber, Gustavus’ Erica Hett and St. Scholastica’s Sharmila Ahmed rounding out the top ten.

With today’s results, Northern Michigan captured the men’s title with 303 points, while St. Scholastica landed its best-ever CCSA Championship finish by taking second with 252 points. Alaska’s rounded out the podium by taking third on 242 points.

On the women’s side, the Wildcats were again on top, albeit by a slightly slimmer margin. NMU’s 292 points earned them the conference crown by 20 points over Alaska’s 272 points. Michigan Tech took the bronze on the women’s side, finishing with 225 points.

Overall, NMU’s 595 total points gave them a comfortable victory over Alaska, who finished second with 514 points. Michigan Tech took third with its 454 points, just beating out St. Scholastica by a single point.

The CCSA skiers now head to their final NCAA qualifiers of the season, as Michigan Tech hosts the Central Region championships on Feb. 23-24.

 

Complete Results:

W15km FREE Results

M20km FREE Results(1)

 

Source: CCSA

 

 

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Soderman, Sieber take titles as NMU lead heading into CCSA Championship finale

Sunday, February 17th, 2013

Northern Michigan’s Erik Soderman and Alaska’s Raphaela Sieber each earned their first conference titles on Saturday, cruising to victories in their respective interval start classic races at the CCSA Championships at Mt. Itasca.

Despite Sieber’s victory, however, Northern Michigan, who claimed four of the six podium spots on offer today, remains on top in both the men’s, women’s and overall team standings heading into the final day.

With just four qualifiers remaining in the CCSA season, the tension is beginning to heat up in the race for NCAA berths. Soderman, a national champion in the freestyle event last year, took a major step toward confirming his spot on Saturday, turning in another impressive classic performance to earn the CCSA crown. The sophomore finished his 10K in 26:14.2 – good enough for a five-second margin of victory.

Teammate Kyle Bratrud, who has already pre-qualified for this season’s NCAAs, turned in the second best time on the day, as his time of 26:19.7 bested everyone but Soderman.

Alaska’s top men’s skier on the day, Jonas Loeffler, earned a podium spot (and a crucial 25 points for his team) with his time of 26:24.7. St. Scholastica’s Jeremy Hecker, who came into the weekend as the CCSA’s second-ranked skier, did his NCAA chances no harm with a solid fourth-place finish in 26:27.8.

Northern Michigan’s third scoring skier, Chris Bowler, posted the conference’s fifth-best time: his 26:42.0 ensuring the Wildcats’ claimed three of the top six spots on the day. Alaska Michael Fehrenbach placed sixth in the CCSA (seventh overall) to land 22 points for the Nanooks.

Seventh-place in the conference fell to Northern’s George Cartwright, as his time of 26:49.0 put him just above St. Scholastica’s John Wessling, who took eighth in the CCSA and ninth overall. Alaska’s Lex Treinen and Michigan Tech’s Luke Gesior rounded out the conference’s top ten.

On the women’s side, it was Sieber’s day, as she continues to show signs that she is back to her best form. The German native bested the field by a full 13 seconds, tearing through her 5K in just 15:05.1.

Northern Michigan’s Hannah Boyer, who won the classic event at the Saints Invitational last month, continued to demonstrate her prowess in the tracks as well, earning a second-place finish in 15:18.6. Boyer’s time meant teammate Jordyn Ross would have to settle for a third-place finish; the junior earning bronze with a time of 15:19.3.

The Wildcats third-scoring skier, Mary Kate Cirelli, took fourth place in the CCSA (fifth overall) with her time of 15:24.1, finishing just ahead of Saint Scholastica’s Sharmila Ahmed, who took fifth (sixth overall).

Michigan Tech’s top skier, Deedra Irwin, took sixth in the conference with her time of 15:26.7, followed closely by a pair of Alaska racers in Theresia Schnurr (seventh in CCSA) and Rebecca Koneiczny (eighth in CCSA). Northern Michigan’s Rosie Frankowski and Alaska’s Crystal Pitney rounded out the conference’s top ten.

With today’s results, Northern Michigan lead the overall team standings by a comfortable margin – the Wildcats 447 points putting them well ahead of second-placed Alaska’s 369 points. Both St. Scholastica and Michigan Tech finish the day with 348 points, making the shuffling for podium positions interesting going into the CCSA Championships final day tomorrow.

Full men’s and women’s team scores are as follows:

Men’s
Northern Michigan: 227 points
St. Scholastica: 196 points
Michigan Tech: 174 points
Alaska: 172 points
Green Bay: 124 points
Gustavus Adolphus College: 101 points
St. Olaf College: 77 points

Women’s
Northern Michigan: 220 points
Alaska: 197 points
Michigan Tech: 174 points
St. Scholastica: 152 points
St. Olaf College: 123 points
Gustavus Adolphus College: 104 points
Green Bay: 99 points
St. Cloud State: 17 points

Source: CCSA

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Alaska’s Rjabov, NMU’s Cartwright collect CCSA skier of the week awards

Thursday, February 7th, 2013

Alaska’s Marit Rjabov and Northern Michigan’s George Cartwright have been named the Central Collegiate Ski Association’s skiers of the week, the conference office announced Wednesday. It is both student-athletes’ first such award in the 2013 season.

Rjabov turned in a convincing performance to win her second straight CCSA sprint title at the conference championships free technique sprint on Saturday. The Estonia native finished second in both her qualifier and semi-final before cruising to a 40-meter victory in the A final. She also helped Alaska place second in the 3 x 5K relay on Sunday, lifting the Nanooks to second place as a team heading into the final weekend of the CCSA Championships.

Cartwright, meanwhile, cemented his place as one of the conference’s finest sprinters by claiming the CCSA crown in the men’s freestyle sprint. The junior skied a controlled, mature race, conserving his energy in the semi-final and coming from behind to win the A final. Cartwright then helped Northern Michigan to the classic relay title as well, turning in the best lap of his leg as the Wildcats pulled away to a comfortable 25-second victory.

The CCSA skiers return to action in a little over a week, when they meet in Mt. Itasca for the distance free and classic events that will decide the conference champions.

 

Source: CCSA

 

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Northern Michigan extends lead in CCSA Championships with two wins in relays

Monday, February 4th, 2013

Northern Michigan remained on top in the second day of the CCSA Championships, as both the Wildcats’ top relay teams earned victories in both the women’s 3 x 5K classic race as well as the men’s 3 x 10K event.

The Wildcat women’s team, made up of Rosie Frankowski, Jordyn Ross and Mary Kate Cirelli, each turned in the top times of their respective legs to cruise to a comfortable 25-second victory. Alaska’s team of Marit Rjabov, Julia Ebner and Heidi Brook proved to be NMU’s toughest competitors, taking second with a time of 39:53.1.

Michigan Tech’s squad of Deedra Irwin, Sarah Daniels and Rachel Mason took third in the relay, while Northern Michigan’s second relay team, made up of Malin Eriksson, Elizabeth SImak and Megan Edic, took fourth among CCSA skiers.

On the men’s side, the Wildcats’ team of Kyle Bratrud, George Cartwright and Erik Soderman stormed out to an early lead and never looked back, completing their 30K in 1:07:19.1 – nearly a minute and a half better than their closest competitors.

St. Scholastica’s team of Scott Johanik, John Wessling and Jeremy Hecker took silver in the event, crossing the line in 1:08:43.2, followed closely by a pair of Michigan Tech squads. The Huskies first squad, made up of Sondre Sandvik, Matt Wong and Luke Gesior, took third in 1:08:43.4, and the team’s second grouping (Matt Dugan, Thomas Kendrick and Jay Woodbeck) finished fourth in 1:10:45.2.

With their wins today, the Wildcats extend their lead in the CCSA Championship standings, as the NMU women topped the table on Sunday with 78 points. Alaska’s 69 point haul put them in second place on the day, while Michigan Tech took third with 60.

On the men’s side, NMU again took top honors with 78 points, followed by St. Scholastica in second with 69 points. Michigan Tech’s 60 points put them in third place on the day, followed by Alaska with 51.

 

The CCSA skiers now enjoy a weekend off before the deciding events of the CCSA Championships – an individual start 10K classic race at Mt. Itasca on Feb. 16, followed by a 20K mass start freestyle on Feb. 17.

Full Results

 

 

Source: CCSA

 

 

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NMU on top as Cartwright, Alaska’s Rjabov win sprints at CCSA Championships

Sunday, February 3rd, 2013
Northern Michigan’s George Cartwright and Alaska’s Marit Rjabov kicked off the first weekend of the CCSA championships in style, earning the top spots in the A finals of their respective skate sprints at the Al Quaal Recreation Area in Ishpeming, Mich.
“It was a good day for us today,” Northern Michigan head coach Sten Fjeldheim said. “We had three guys in the A final, and I was really happy with the way George raced today. He just had a very controlled, smart race.”
After showing his sprinting ability by edging out a photo finish in the Saints Invitational classic race last weekend, Cartwright once again came out on top in the men’s final Saturday. Michigan Tech’s Raphael Bechtiger stormed out of the gates to an early lead, but Cartwright quickly closed the gap over the 1,650 meter course, eventually winning by a comfortable margin.
Saint Scholastica’s Jeremy Hecker edged past Bechtiger as well, taking the silver medal spot for the fourth straight CCSA event: a remarkable display of consistency from the senior Saint skier. Bechtiger would take third in the event, followed by NMU junior Ben Hugus.
On the women’s side, Alaska’s Rjabov earned her first CCSA win of the season, holding off second-placed Green Bay’s Kailey Mucha in the women’s A final. Northern Michigan’s Elizabeth Simak took third in one of her best performances in Wildcat colors to date, followed by Michigan Tech’s Sarah Daniels in fourth, and NMU’s Jordyn Ross in fifth.
“Jordyn looked as good as anyone in the semifinal, and I thought she was going to be tough to beat,” Fjeldheim said. “Unfortunately, she just ran out of gas a little bit.”
Cartwright’s win and Simak’s performance ensure that Northern Michigan ends the first day of the CCSA Championships with a slight edge in both the men’s and women’s standings. The Wildcat men sit on top of the CCSA table with 73 points, followed by Saint Scholastica in second with 65 points with Michigan Tech just a point behind in third.
The NMU women, with 67 points, sit just about Michigan Tech’s 63 points – the Huskies sitting in second thanks to solid performances from Daniels, Lynn Duijndam and Deedra Irwin. Alaska sits third on the women’s side with 60 points.
The CCSA championships continue tomorrow with a classic relay event. The women’s  3 x 5K race kicks things off at 10 a.m. EST, followed by a men’s 3 x 10K at noon.
Full team scores
Women:
Northern Michigan: 67 points
2. Michigan Tech: 63 points
3. Alaska: 60 points
4. St. Scholastica: 48 points
5. Green Bay: 47 points
6.  St. Olaf College: 40 points
7. Gustavus Adolphus College: 8 points

Men
1. Northern Michigan: 73 points
2.  St. Scholastica: 65 points
3.  Michigan Tech: 64 points
4.  Alaska: 54 points
5.  Green Bay: 41 points
6.  Gustavus Adolphus College: 33 points
7.  St. Olaf College: 27 points

Source: CCSA

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