Huskies Conclude Season at NCAA Skiing Championships
STOWE, Vt. – The four men and women of the Michigan Tech Nordic ski team concluded their final competition of the season at the 2019 NCAA National Skiing Championships in Stowe, Vt. Amanda Kautzer, Sarah Goble, Kristoffer Vollset, and Patrick Acton all put in fine performances in their final races of the season.
Michigan Tech competed in both Nordic races on Wednesday (Mar. 6) and Friday (Mar. 8), racing in the 5k/10k Freestyle on Wednesday and the 15k/20k Classic on Friday. The Huskies finished the competition with a combined team score of 55 points, putting them as one of the top teams to compete exclusively in the Nordic events.
"We're really proud of all four student-athletes that represented us this week," says head coach Thomas Smith. "They gave everything they had and, when you look at the field, they were up against the best skiers in the country, and they all battled for their spots."
In Wednesday's Freestyle, Goble and Kautzer both placed inside the Top 30 in the women's 5k. Out of 40 skiers, Goble finished 20th with a time of 14:19.1, and Kautzer crossed the finish line at 14:39.8 to place 29th, earning the Huskies a combined 13 team points on the day. In the men's 10k, Vollset crossed the finish line at 25:48.7, and Acton placed 34th with a time of 25:59.4.
In the Classic on Friday, the MTU women put in another strong performance as Kautzer and Goble both finished inside the Top 20. Kautzer finished the 15k course with a time of 49:25.6 to take 17th, and Goble took 19th with a time of 49:42.0. In the men's 20k, Vollset raced to a 15th-place finish by crossing the line at 57:33.1, and Acton placed 37th with a time of 1:00:13. The four skiers combined for 42 points on Friday.
"It'll be great to have both women plus Patrick return next year," Smith continued. "They'll definitely be using this as motivation to have even better years in 2019-20."