Needham and Katajala are NCAA All-Americans in classic
MIDWAY, Utah – Anabel Needham and Nea Katajala had All-American performances in the classic as the Michigan Tech Nordic ski teams opened the NCAA Championships on Thursday (March 10) at the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center.
"We were so excited to see both Anabel and Nea have some of their best races of the season today," Coach Kristen Monahan Smith said. "It is a very hard thing to do at the championships and skiing against the best in the country and even in the world!"
Anabel Needham made history with the best finish by a Michigan Tech skier at the NCAA Championships, crossing the line in fourth place. She covered the 5K course in 13:48.6 for First Team All-America honors.
"Anabel skied with so much confidence and absolutely no fear to finish behind two US Olympians and a dominant skier from Vermont," added Monahan Smith. "She did exactly what we all knew she could do, and we are so proud and excited for her!"
"I guess I need to dream a little bigger sometimes," Needham said. "It was an absolutely crazy day, and I cannot thank my team, coaches, and family enough for all the support and smiles!"
Nea Katajala is a Second Team All-American after finishing seventh. She finished in 14:09. Henriette Semb rounded out skiers for the Huskies in 23rd place, as the Huskies combined for 64 points and a fourth-place team ranking after Day 1.
"It was a very good race for me today," Katajala said. "I tried to ski the first lap smart and the last lap as fast as I could, and I managed to do that pretty well. I had incredible skis today and cheering as well! Huge thanks to the coaches and teammates to make it all happen! And especially thanks to Tom. Before my start, he reminded me to have fun during the race, so I had a lot of fun!"
"Nea had an amazing race in an incredibly competitive field," Monahan Smith said. "She used her strength of classic striding, her ability to truly enjoy the moment, and her Finnish "sisu" or courage to keep digging deep during the most crucial and difficult parts of the racecourse to set herself up for an All-American finish!"
Skylar Patten led the Black and Gold in the men's 10K classic in 21st place. Colin Freed finished 33rd and Henry Snider was 36th. All three men made their debuts in the NCAA Skiing Championships.
Snider became the first Michigan Tech male student-athlete to compete in both the NCAA Skiing Championship and the NCAA Cross Country Championship.
Monahan Smith added, "Having two All-Americans in one race has never been done at Michigan Tech, and we are all so thrilled and really enjoying the moment to its fullest. As a coach, seeing your athletes achieve their goals is the most special thing you can experience. There is a lot of emotions because we all work so hard for this. I had to continue testing skis for the men's race, and I just couldn't stop smiling to be a part of something so special!
"Henriette skied a courageous race to help secure a fourth-place finish for the women after Day 1.
"The men all skied so well in all of their first-ever championships. Skylar had an awesome result in the deepest field we have seen. Colin had one of his best classic races of the season and dug deep as he always does. Henry was one of the most courageous skiers of the day as he lost his ski after it flew off the course on a downhill. He had to run down the hill into the sagebrush and put it back on his foot, but then was able to not let it get to him and still give his all on his last lap.
"We are so proud of this team and are excited to experience these historic achievements with each and every Husky."
The Huskies wrap up the championships—and the season—on Saturday with the skate races. The men's 20K gets going at 11:30 a.m. (Eastern) with the women's 15K beginning at 1:30 p.m.