Huskies win combined CCSA Championship

ISHPEMING, Mich. – The Michigan Tech Nordic ski teams raced at the CCSA Championships in Ishpeming over the weekend. The Huskies combined for the conference title as the women placed first and the men second only one point behind Northern Michigan.

The men won Saturday's 20K mass start skate. Skylar Patten led the way in second place, while Colin Freed was also on the podium in third. Félix Cottet-Puinel and Henry Snider were right behind in fourth and fifth and Tryg Solberg was also in the top 10.

"The men's team had an absolutely awesome day on Saturday," Tech coach Tom Monahan Smith said. "It was the best we've skied as a team the entire season. Having our guys go 2, 3, 4, and 5, and five in the top 10, was really dominant. That's something we haven't seen from this team all season. There's a lot of tactic and strategy in mass start racing and the guys executed the race plan perfectly.

"Skylar and Colin have really established themselves as leaders and are really helping fuel the momentum every weekend."

The women placed second as a team in the 15K mass start skate Saturday. Anabel Needham was on the podium in second place—less than seven seconds off the lead. Henriette Semb placed fourth with Nea Katajala sixth, Oliva Laven eighth, and Oda Hovland 11th.

"Some days you win tactically and some days you don't," Monahan Smith said. "We went for it and took some risks. Even when we don't have our best day we're still a team to be reckoned with. We learned a lot even at this stage of the season."

The women bounced back Sunday for a team win in the individual start 5K classic to take the weekend title. Nea Katajala was crowned the CCSA Classic Champion, crossing the line in 15:28.5 to earn her first collegiate win. Henriette Semb was on the podium in second while Anabel Needham was fourth.

Oda Hovland placed sixth while Marie Sølverud Wangen was eighth and Oliva Laven 11th.

"The women had the team performance of the day with an absolute battle out there," Monahan Smith added. "It was cool to see the support the men were able to give the women in the late race. We were four-tenths of a second away from sweeping the podium. It showed that they are the best team in the conference to earn the Butch Reimer Cup."

Skylar Patten was on the podium in second for back-to-back events in the men's 10k classic. Henry Snider was eighth while Colin Freed, Jasper Johnston, and Tryg Solberg placed 15th, 17th, and 18th.

The men's race was a highly-contested across the entire field today," Monahan Smith said. "It's great to see that even when we don't have our strongest day we still fight to the finish line."

The Huskies head back to the Grand Avenue Nordic Center in Duluth, where they started the season, for the NCAA Central Region Championships next weekend. They will compete in the classic 5/10K Saturday and the skate 15/20K Sunday.