Patten is skate All-American, Women’s team finishes 4th
MIDWAY, Utah – Michigan Tech wrapped up the season Saturday at the NCAA Championships. Skylar Patten earned All-America honors in the skate, and the women's team had a historic fourth-place finish which is the best in program history.
"It was another amazing day with outstanding racing from the entire team," Tech coach Tom Monahan Smith said. "We're so proud of these athletes for what they've accomplished—not just at the Championships but for the entire season."
Skylar Patten earned All-America honors with a 10th place finish in the men's 20k skate, becoming the fourth All-American in men's program history. Patten covered the six-lap course in 43:39.1.
"Skylar executed the perfect race on his home course," added Monahan Smith. "He stayed relaxed and stayed in the pack. He marked every move and threw down the last two laps to seal his finish.
"Henry and Colin skied in a strong pack and Henry was able to squeak into the points. This week was a great experience for them in their first appearance."
Henry Snider placed 29th and Colin Freed finished 34th.
All three Huskies in the women's 15k skate race scored. Anabel Needham led the Black and Gold in 12th place. She was less than six seconds outside of the top 10. Henriette Semb was two spots back in 14th, and Nea Katajala wrapped up her first NCAA weekend in 23rd position.
"It was a hard-fought battle for the women," Monahan Smith said. "There were some early breakaways. Our skiers raced their own race and that was the right move. It allowed them to ski consistently and put together a strong last lap.
"Anabel was able to climb from 16th place to 12th in the final kilometer and skied the last climb better than anybody in the field. Henriette and Anabel got to work together and ski together and that's special to do at a championship event. Nea had a strong race and scored some points for the team."
The men placed ninth overall and the team's combined for a program-best sixth-place finish.
