Wildcats win men’s and women’s team title
ISHPEMING, Mich. – The Michigan Tech women’s Nordic ski team won the NCAA Central Regional Championship Sunday at Al Quaal. The Huskies edged Northern Michigan by one point in the two-day event. The men’s team finished second to the Wildcats.
The Huskies had four podium finishes and 11 all-region performers who had a top 10 placing on the weekend. The staff was also recognized as the Women’s & Men’s NCAA Central Region Coaching Staff of the Year.
Tech will be represented at the NCAA Championship with a full women’s team consisting of Greta Hansen, Bridget Burns, Marie Sølverud Wangen as well as alternate Alice McKnight. Colin Freed, Tryg Solberg, and alternate Wes Campbell will travel to New Hampshire on the men’s side.
The CCSA All-Conference honors were also tabulated and the Huskies had six on the First Team and two on the Second Team.
In Saturday’s 7.5K individual start classic, Marie Sølverud Wangen paced the Huskies with a second-place podium finish. Bridget Burns (4th), Alice McKnight (6th), and Greta Hansen (9th) also had all-region finishes to get the Black and Gold off to a good start on the weekend.
Tech took the title Sunday in the 20K mass start skate with Greta Hansen leading the team with a podium-placing third-place result. Marie Sølverud Wangen, Alice McKnight, and Bridget Burns finished just behind Hansen in a pack in fourth through sixth. Ingrid Halverson rounded out the top 10.
Tryg Solberg and Colin Freed finished second and third to stand on the podium in Sunday’s skate. Parker Courte-Rathwell (8th) and Samuel Stertz (9th) also had all-region finishes.
Wes Campbell led the Huskies in Saturday’s classic, finishing fifth. Colin Freed (7th), Parker Courte-Rathwell (8th) and Mikkel Katla (9th) were also in the top 10.
“Regionals is our last race as a full team, and we want to first say how incredibly proud our coaching staff is of the season our entire team put together by truly coming together,” Head coach Tom Monahan Smith said. “We have an amazing class of seniors on this team and we want to recognize these outstanding team members! The senior speeches at the Regionals Banquet were truly the marquee moment of Regional Championships as we got to see the incredible impact this student-athlete experience had for each and every one of our seniors. These seniors have given everything to this team, and their impact goes much further than the outstanding results they’ve produced for our program. They have truly built the best team culture through their love and support for each other and the relationships they’ve built, and that is what we are most proud of this team for achieving this season! Thank you seniors and thank you team for being truly outstanding human beings, we love you.
“Congratulations to NMU on taking the overall combined team title at Regionals. They had an outstanding weekend at their home venue and they earned the overall team title.”
