Cuenot 12th at NCAA Championships Freesyle Race

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. — Gaspard Cuenot's 12th-place result at the NCAA Championships represented the best Michigan Tech finish among four Huskies participating at the event today. Three Tech athletes skied in the men's 10-kilometer freestyle and another in the 5K women's freestyle on a sunny day in the Rockies.

Cuenot traversed the two 5K loops in a time of 23:10.3. He finished 12th, matching the second-best finish in men's program history at the NCAA Championships. His time was less than seven seconds back of the top 10, which would have meant All-America honors.

Kyle Hanson took 31st in his first carer NCAA Championship race. He put down a time of 24:18.5 despite suffering a crash entering the stadium on the final lap.

Didrik Fjeld Elset placed 40th with a 25:22.4 clocking.

Andrea Lee turned in a time of 14:35.5 on the 5K loop for 39th place.

"Gaspard had a great race," said Tech coach Joe Haggenmiller. "He was skiing in 18th place until a late kick, and it's too bad he couldn't have shaved a few more seconds off to get into the top 10. But it was a good day for him.

"Bit of a bummer for Kyle with his crash, and it's always tricky to come to altitude and perform well. We'll look forward to coming back Saturday and building on the positives from today."

The Nordic athletes will have a day off before mass-start classic technique races on Saturday (Mar. 12).