Huskies Wrap Up Central Super NCAA/JNQ Series Races Sunday
HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Tech men's and women's Nordic Skiing teams closed the Central Super NCAA/JNQ Series Races on Sunday afternoon at the Tech Trails. The Husky men competed in the 15k Freestyle while the women raced in a 10k Freestyle event.
"We picked it up by a pretty substantial amount from last week," Michigan Tech Head Coach Joe Haggenmiller said. "It was fun to have a little bit bigger field of competitors to compete against and really see where we are at as a team. Overall, I think the team really improved from last weekend and is working to become more competitive each weekend."
Junior Sonja Hedblom and junior Carolyn Lucca were the top finishers for the women's team on Sunday, placing 12th and 13th respectively. Hedblom crossed the line with a time of 36:25.8 and just missed a spot in the top 10 of the individual standings. Lucca posted a time of 36:33.2 and was just a few seconds in back of Hedblom to land in 13th place.
Senior Lisa Koenig and freshman Amanda Kautzer also competed in the field for the Huskies on Sunday. Koenig wrapped up the race in 21st place with a time of 38:04.2 and Kautzer recorded a 22nd place finish by covering the 10k course in 38:10.0. Anne Hart of the SMS Elite Team garnered first place with a time of 32:40.7 in the field of 63 racers.
Redshirt sophomore Tom Bye turned in a stellar performance for the men's team, resulting in a top five finish in the 15k race Sunday. Bye hit the line with a time of 46:53.1 for fifth place and was just a few seconds out of fourth place. Bye stayed on the heels of Kyle Bratrud of CXC who won the individual championship with a time of 43:32.0 to outlast the field of 100 athletes.
Redshirt sophomore Daniel Wood checked in a No. 24 for Tech on Sunday thanks to a time of 50:16.2 while teammate sophomore David Jaszczak logged a 27th place finish with a time of 50:26.9. Sophomore Mark Wenzel rounded out the field for the Huskies with a 61st place finish, crossing the line with a time of 54:36.6.
Both teams will be off for the Holidays and return to the course January 7th at the US Nationals which will be at Soldier Hollow in Utah.
