Semb Scores Two Top Three Finishes at NMU Open
ISHPEMING, Mich. – Freshman Henriette Semb secured a second-place finish in the 10K Skate on Saturday (Dec. 14) and a third-place finish in the 5K Classic on Sunday (Dec. 15) as the Michigan Tech Nordic Ski team opened the 2019-20 season at the NMU Open from the Al Quaal Recreational Course in Ishpeming, Michigan.
A freshman from Asker, Norway, Semb finished second in the 10K Skate with a time of 31:21.1, crossing the finish line 7.8 seconds behind Mailin Boerjesjoe of Northern Michigan. In the 5K Classic, Semb clocked in at 15:44.6 to finish behind a pair of Northern Michigan skiers in third.
For the other Tech skiers in the 10K Skate, Freshman Anabel Needham also scored a top 10 finish in the Classic with a seventh-place finish in a time of 32:54.1, and sophomore Oda Hovland crossed the line right behind her in eighth with a time of 32:57.4.
Freshman Sophia Mazzoni took fourth in the 5K Classic with a time of 16:18.7, and she was followed by Hovland in fifth with a time of 16:20.4. Needham earned her second top 10 finish of the weekend by placing eighth in 16:51.4.
'"It was awesome to see Henriette in second and really close to the top. She opened up her first races really strong and it was good to see her back up all the training she's done," said head coach Thomas Smith. "We had a lot of first-year skiers step up this weekend."
On the men's side of the competition, juniors Reid Goble and Patrick Acton represented Michigan Tech in the top five in both Skate and Classic races. Goble finished third (28:11.2) and Acton took fifth (28:32.8) in the 10K Classic on Sunday, Goble took third in the 15K Skate with a time of 39:35.3 and Acton placed fourth at 40:02.8.
Junior Aleksi Leino finished seventh in a time of 41:16.7 in the 15K Skate in his first collegiate race for Michigan Tech after previously competing at Tampere University in Finland.
"Reid and Patrick fought hard to keep up with two of the top skiers for Northern, it was a really good gauge for them going forward," Smith said. "It was a bit of a mixed bag across the two days for the men, but we've got the talent and the depth to make sure we have strong team performances moving forward."
Michigan Tech will next race at the Pre-National CXC Cup on December 21-22 from the Michigan Tech Trails. Click here to sign up as a volunteer.