While playing in the NCAA ice hockey tournament seemed a foregone conclusion, thanks to results from other games on Saturday, Sunday evening saw the men’s hockey team officially earning their first NCAA tournament berth since 2018, as well as the 14th in program history. The Huskies’ 21-12-3 record and impressive resume secured them the No. 12 seed in the country. Michigan Tech will face off against the No. 5 seeded Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. The Bulldogs will prove to be a formidable opponent for the Huskies, as they are coming off a conference tournament championship and have reached the Frozen Four in each of the last four times the tournament took place. The two teams will play on Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m. in Loveland, Colo. The game will be televised on ESPNU. For Michigan Tech the stakes could not be any bigger; a win over Minnesota Duluth would result in their first tournament victory since 1981 and bring them one step closer to a National Championship.
On March 19, the Michigan Tech men’s track and field team began their season with a bang, as they obtained a first-place finish in the Meet for Milwaukee. The men won all but four events on the day to cap off a dominant performance. Freshman Ryan Schwiderson won both the men’s 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash, while fellow first-year John Paul Norland took the top spot in the 800-meter dash. Michigan Tech was just as good from long distance as Sam Marshall earned first in the 3,000-meter run while Luke Moore was the top runner in the 5,000-meter run. The men also performed well in the throwing events, with Noah Koball taking first in the shot put and Toby Bonner taking first in the javelin throw.
The women’s track and field team also secured first-place in the Meet for Milwaukee to cap off an impressive day for Michigan Tech athletics. The team shined in the long-distance and throwing events, where they took first in a majority of the contests. Michelle Bollini was the star of the day as her 17:57 in the 5,000 meters set a new facility record and became her new personal best. First-year Ella Merklein topped the field for the 1,500-meter run, while fellow freshman Cedar Gordon took first in the 3,000-meter run. Katherine Jarvis was unstoppable in the throwing events as she placed first in both the discus throw and shot put, while Alaina Moffit won the javelin throw.
