The annual Michigan Tech Nordic Invitational returned to the Michigan Tech Nordic Trail Center on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, welcoming skiers from across the region for a weekend of cross country ski racing. Michigan Tech hosted the Central Collegiate Ski Association (CCSA) members alongside high school and middle school teams.
Racing kicked off on Saturday, Jan. 31 with individual classic skate races. Athletes competed in distances tailored to their division, with collegiates racing five kilometers, high school skiers six kilometers, and middle schoolers three kilometers. On Sunday, Feb. 1, racers returned for the freestyle races. Collegiates skied 20 kilometers, while the high schooler and middle school athletes once again raced six and three kilometers, respectively.
On Saturday in the women’s 5K, Della Bettendorf of the College of St. Scholastica claimed first place with a winning time of 17:02.8. Michigan Tech was close behind and well represented near the top of the results, led by Bridget Burns, who finished second overall in 17:05.6. In the men’s 5K, Wes Campbell took first place overall in a time of 14:16.4. The Huskies continued to have strong finishes behind him, as Markus Bryan Groethe placed fourth and Noa Kam-Magruder finished fifth.
On Sunday, Michigan Tech dominated in the women’s 20K, with the top three scorers respectively consisting of Tech skiers Julia Junkkala, Burns, and Hannah Smart. In the men’s 20K, Adrik Kraftson of Northern Michigan took first place with a time of 52:53.0. The Huskies displayed a solid performance, with Campbell and Kam-Magruder taking fourth and fifth.
According to Race Secretary Amy Marcarelli, “This race is a little bit smaller than some of the ones that we have done recently, but this one is all college racers and mostly local high school and middle school students. This is a real chance to highlight our local skiers and ski talent.” She also noted that “there is a lot of snow this year. Many years you have to step up to come into [the race secretary] building, so the fact that you can just walk in this year is an indicator of how much snow we have.”
Fellow Race Secretary Jamey Anderson says “conditions are going to be wonderful. Even for the skiers and the staff that are used to being out in harsh conditions, these last couple of weeks have been rough. Their big, big races in the region have been canceled because of the cold. So for it to warm up to 17 or 20 degrees today and have a little sun, everyone is going to be super psyched.”
“It is a fun race to watch because these are all really good skiers. They are fast.” said Dean Woodback, one of the Official Timers. He explained why this invitation matters to the participants. “There is the NCAA qualifying race towards the end of February. So really what all the individual skiers are skiing for is to qualify for the NCAA championships. In our region, each school can qualify no more than three men and three women.”
Athletes and coaches also expressed enthusiasm about racing at Michigan Tech. Riley Grossklaus a freshman at Northern said “I am really excited for this course. I have been here a lot, since I was probably in sixth grade. I am excited!” St. Scholastica Head Coach Jason Kask, traveled from Duluth, MN. “We brought seven men and six women,” Kask said. “We have had a cold week in Duluth. We are excited for the warmer temps here in Houghton and I think everyone is primed to have a really good day and good weekend.” Kask praised the Michigan Tech trails for several reasons. “One: the consistent snow is amazing. You can tell that the local race organizers put a lot of care into the grooming and maintenance of it as well as the university. It is always really well kept, the grooming is great. There are some fun different [pathway] options with the way that they have designed it. It is just a really fun place to come ski race.” said Kask. He added that the team was hopeful the weekend would help improve their rankings.
For more information, such as the individual results, visit the Michigan Tech Official Athletics Website.
