MCSA Midwest Collegiate Cup: Regional Championships Update
February 19, 2025Heading into the homestretch of their season, the Midwestern Collegiate Ski Association (MCSA) held its Regional Championships in Rhinelander, WI this past weekend. Serving as the penultimate stop for the Midwest Collegiate Cup, and also as a qualifier for USCSA Nationals, their was plenty on the line over the two days of competitions, but no team was more up to the task than St. Olaf who swept the men's and women's individual and team titles. Find out how the rest of the field fared, and what to expect heading into the last leg of the Midwest Collegiate Cup, in the latest report from Luke Dykowski.
Coleraine JNQ Classic Interval Start Results
February 16, 2025Junior National Qualifying wrapped up Sunday with interval start classic races in some crisp temperatures at Mt. Itasca, in Coleraine, MN. In the 10K U20/U18 Men's race, Anders Westanmo (Loppet Nordic Racing, U20) won by over 30 seconds, followed by Eddie Snider (Minneapolis Ski Club, U20) in second and Peter Hackney (Loppet Nordic Racing, U18) in third. For the 10K U20/U18 Women's race, Chloe Angerman (Loppet Nordic Racing, U20) took first place, followed by U18 finishers Elsa Lindfors (Endurance United) and Avery Rich (Loppet Nordic Racing). Aksel Skustad (Ely Nordic) and Evie Malec (Loppet Nordic Racing) won the U16 5K races.
Coleraine JNQ Classic Mass Start Results
February 15, 2025The final Midwest JNQ competition started off Saturday at Mt. Itasca with exciting mass start classic races. In the 7.5KM U20/U18/U16 Girls race, Lila Golomb (Minneapolis Ski Club, U18) dominated, winning by over a minute. Evie Malec (Loppet Nordic Racing, U16) was second with Annelise Baird (North XC/DXC, U18) in third. Top U20 skier was Anna-Britta Helmer (North XC/DXC) in 5th. In the Boys race, Reid Thompson (Big Thunder Nordic, U16) took first just nine seconds ahead of Eddie Snider (Minneapolis Ski Club, U20) with Eli Andre (Loppet Nordic Racing, U18) only six seconds behind in third. Owen Kalmes (Minneapolis Ski Club) was the top U20 in 6th.
MCSA Midwest Collegiate Cup: Vasaloppet USA Update
February 11, 2025On to their second scoring event of their season, the Midwestern Collegiate Ski Association's (MCSA) Midwest Collegiate Cup travelled to central Minnesota over the weekend for the annual Mora Vasaloppet. Nearly 100 collegiate athletes competed in the 48K Vasa and 36K Dala events, and fared well too with the St. Olaf women's team going so far as to sweep the 36K podium. You can read on about their remarkable result, and more, in Luke Dykowski's latest report.
MCSA Midwest Collegiate Cup: Mt. Ashwabay Summit Skiathlon Update
February 6, 2025After a slower start to the season snow-wise, the Midwestern Collegiate Ski Association's (MCSA) Midwest Collegiate Cup had its first scoring event of the season last weekend, the Mt. Ashwabay Summit Skiathlon. Check out Luke Dykowski's report to find out how teams are shaping up with plenty of ski season remaining, and who to watch out for in the weeks ahead.
St. Scholastica CCSA Invite Results
February 3, 2025Serving as the final CCSA competition before Conference Championships two weeks out, St. scholastica hosted an Invitational over the weekend on the trails at Spirit Mountain in Duluth. Saturday's interval-start 7.5K classic races saw a pair of Norwegians from Northern Michigan University post the top times, with Henriette Nilssen winning the women's race, and Kristoffer Alm Karsrud winning the men's race. The mass-start 20K freestyle races on Sunday then featured a bit of a shakeup as Colin Freed of Michigan Tech University would win the men's race after a sprint finish with his teammate Tryg Solberg, but the women's race would go to another Northern Michigan University skier and Norwegian, Victoria Klevan Dybwad, who left nothing to chance, besting the rest of the field by nearly a full two minutes.
Minneapolis JNQ Freestyle Coverage
January 26, 2025The Minneapolis JNQ races wrapped up Sunday with mass start freestyle races at Theodore Wirth. The Greggs completed another family sweep as Caitlin won the women's 10K in dominating fashion while Brian had a more cagey race, marking moves in the lead pack and then pulling ahead in the final 250 meters for the victory. Chloe Angerman finished second overall in the women's race and was the top U20 finisher with Inga Wing third and top U18 while in the men's race, two Canadians rounded out the podium with Kendyn Mashinter and Adam Heale while Logan Drevlow was the top U18 in 5th and Eddie Snider U20 in 6th. In the 5K U16 races, Jack Rudolph and Linnea Ousdigian collected the titles. Results linked in, plus video recaps of the 10K races.
Minneapolis JNQ Freestyle Sprints Results
January 25, 2025A big turnout on Saturday for a long day of freestyle sprint racing at Theodore Wirth as skiers competed for Junior National Qualifying points. Minnesota high school state champions reigned in their respective divisions as Logan Drevlow won the U20/18 boys final and Linnea Ousdigian took the U16 girls final. Hanna Koch dominated the girls U20/U18 final and Jack Rudolph won the U16 boys final. Sunday will feature mass start freestyle races.
Ariens Nordic JNQ Freestyle Results
January 19, 2025Ariens Nordic hosted 5K freestyle JNQ races on a crisp Sunday in Brillion. The day's fastest times came from U18 skier Anders Giese (Norge Ski Club) with 12:33.8 in the men's field and U18 skier Krin Blegen (Peak Nordic) with 14:22.8 in the women's field. Division winners included: Connor Reckinger and Onika Colassacco (both Bay Nordic) in U16, and Sawyer Hansen and Ashley Derenne (both Bay Nordic) in U14. Bay Nordic showed impressive depth, claiming four division victories on the day.
Ariens Nordic JNQ/CCSA Classic Results
January 18, 2025Northern Michigan University's Victoria Dybwad Klevan and College of St. Scholastica's Leevi Tarjanne captured the overall victories Saturday at the Ariens Nordic JNQ/CCSA Invite, with times of 37:16.0 and 32:20.6 respectively. Dybwad Klevan led a strong NMU women's performance, while Tarjanne edged out NMU's Luke Fricker by just 6.4 seconds in the men's race. The U20 and U18 categories saw impressive performances from emerging talents, with UW-Green Bay's Lillian Franzen and Zaine Braaten taking top honors in their respective U20 divisions, while Lakeland Nordic's Stella Meza and Hayward Nordic's Neel Dums claimed the U18 titles.
US Nationals: Freestyle Sprints Results
January 7, 2025Tuesday was the fourth and final day of competitions in Anchorage, Alaska for the 2025 US Cross-Country Ski Championships, and despite temperatures well above freezing the show would go on for the day's planned freestyle sprints. Although a national title was not up for grabs in the final event of the Championships, that did not deter athletes from competing like it was which was especially evident in the senior women's final. With just 4 hundredths of a second separating the two, Team Birkie's Mariel Merlii Pulles would take the win over Erica Laven of Sweden, while just a couple seconds back from them was the third place finisher, Kate Oldham, who was the first American. Oldham was joined on the all-American podium by Luci Anderson, another Team Birkie athlete and a Midwesterner, and Samantha Smith. A slightly more decisive race, the senior men's final finished with Michael Earnhart crossing the line first, followed by Walker Hall a half second back from him, and Carl Rune, another Swede, hot on Hall's heels. Earnhart and Hall would take the top two steps on the all-American podium, while Reid Goble, also a Midwesterner, would be promoted to the third and final step after finishing 4th overall. To note: two more athletes with Midwest ties made it at least as far as the semifinals—Kristoffer Alm Karsrud of Northern Michigan University in 8th, and Erin Bianco in 9th. Wrapping it all up, top junior times went to Mia Stiassny and Justin Lucas who both won with almost exactly 2 seconds to spare.
US Nationals: Classic Distance Results
January 5, 2025The third of four days of racing at the 2025 US Cross-Country Ski Championships in Anchorage, Alaska took place on Sunday, with the focus of the day being a mass-start classic race. Senior skiers were subjected to a 20K course which largely led to close finishes across both the men's and women's competitions. Junior skiers on the other hand, had half that distance to handle. Andreas Kirkeng of Norway was once again the fastest of the senior men's field, winning out by just under 10 seconds over the top American and second place finisher, John Steel Hagenbuch, with Luke Jager finishing just behind him in third as the second fastest American. Finishing 5th, Will Koch completed the all-American podium, while Team Birkie's Christopher Kalev was the top Midwesterner in 12th. An even closer contest, the seniors women's race was decided by less than 3 seconds with Kendall Kramer crossing the line just ahead of Erica Laven of Sweden. A little over 30 seconds back from those two were Lauren Jortberg and Kate Oldham who, along with Kramer, made up the all-American podium. Narrowly missing the podium in a sprint finish with Jortberg and Oldham, Erin Bianco was the top Midwest woman in 5th, while Renae Anderson and Emma Albrecht also had strong showings in 7th and 14th respectively. Junior titles on the day went to Jack Leveque and Lena Ponduska. Another rest day will take place tomorrow before the final event of the 2025 US Cross-Country Ski Championships on Tuesday: freestyle sprints.
US Nationals: Classic Sprints Results
January 4, 2025Day 2 of the 2025 US Cross-Country Ski Championships afforded athletes an opportunity to flex their fast twitch muscles with classic sprints on the menu in Anchorage, Alaska. Erica Laven of Sweden was the top finisher of the senior women, winning the women's final by nearly 5 seconds over Mariel Merlii Pulles of Estonia, with Samantha Smith finishing third as the top American and national champion. The Midwest's own Erin Bianco joined Smith on the all-American podium in second, finishing 5th in the final, while Nina Seeman stood a step down in third after finishing 6th. Again represented well in the women's field, the Midwest had an additional seven skiers who made the heats which included Emma Albrecht and Renae Anderson who both made the semifinals, finishing 8th and 11th respectively. The senior men's final was a much closer contest with Andreas Kirkeng of Norway just edging out Luke Jager for the win, although Jager would still earn the title of national champion as the top American. Finishing third was Michael Earnhart who was also the second American, and the third and final spot on the all-American podium went to Murphy Kimball who finished 5th. Kristoffer Alm Karsrud of Northern Michigan University led the way for the Midwest men in 10th. Both of the junior competitions came down to tight finishes, with Dane Karch and Neve Gerard ultimately emerging victorious in their respective men's and women's finals. Looking ahead to the third day of racing at the 2025 US Cross-Country Ski Championships, Sunday will feature a mass-start 20K classic race for the senior skiers, and half that distance for the juniors.
US Nationals: Freestyle Distance Results
January 2, 2025The new year presented new opportunities for national champions to be crowned as Thursday marked the start of the 2025 US Cross-Country Ski Championships. An individual-start freestyle event covering 10K on the trails at Kincaid Park opened the competition in Anchorage, Alaska, and John Steel Hagenbuch would be the first to take home a title, winning out by less than a second over Andreas Kirking of Norway in the men's race. Joining the pair on the overall podium was Walker Hall in third who was the second American, while Luke Jager rounded out the all-American podium in third as the fourth overall finisher. The women's race shook out much more decisively, with Kate Oldham taking home a title with over 10 seconds to spare. Kendall Kramer would join her on the overall podium as the second overall finisher and second American, while Erica Laven of Sweden also claimed a spot on the overall podium in third. Finishing 4th overall as the top Midwest athlete on the day, Luci Anderson would complete the all-American podium in third, topping off a host of impressive finishes by Midwest women which included Erin Bianco in 11th, Emma Albrecht in 14th, Margie Freed in 17th, and Michaela Keller-Miller in 19th. Reid Goble posted the fastest time of the Midwest men, finishing 9th overall. Of the juniors, Lucas Wilmont was the fastest man in 26th, while Samantha Smith was the fastest woman in 12th. After a day off tomorrow the competition continues on Saturday with classic sprints.
Coleraine JNQ: Individual Classic Results
December 22, 2024Sunday was the second and final day of Midwest JNQ racing in Coleraine, MN where skiers were greeted with warmer temperatures than the day before. Logan Drevlow (U18) of Loppet Nordic Racing cruised to victory in the men's 7.5K race, winning the individual-start classic competition by 20 seconds over yesterday's sprint champion, Declan Hutchinson (U23) of Saint Michale's College, while Oliver Miatke (U20), also of Saint Michael's College, rounded out the men's podium in third. Opting to compete in the U18/U20/Sr division, Loppet Nordic Racing's Linnea Ousdigian (U16) proved she made the right decision, winning the women's race by just under 10 seconds over her teammate, Sydney Drevlow (U20), with a virtual tie splitting third between Zoe Devine (U20) of Saint Michael's College and Hanna Koch (U20) of Minneapolis Ski Club. The top U18 skier in the women's competition was Elsa Lindfors of Endurance United, and Reid Thompson of Big Thunder Nordic had the top time in the U16 boy's 5K race. Results are linked in.
Coleraine JNQ: Freestyle Sprints Results
December 21, 2024With temperatures in the teens the second batch of Midwest JNQ racing got underway on Saturday with a round freestyle sprints at Mount Itasca. Declan Hutchinson (U23) of Saint Michael's College was the fastest of the Men's field, besting Loppet Nordic Racing's Logan Drevlow by three seconds, who in turn bested his teammate Anders Westanmo (U20) by three seconds. Loppet Nordic Racing put two more on the podium in the women's competition, with Helen Townley (U18) taking the top spot over her teammate Sydney Drevlow (U20) by two seconds, and Elsa Lindfors (U18) of Endurance United joined them a second later in third. Winning the U16 girl's final in dominant fashion was Linnea Ousdigian, while Jack Rudolph came out on top after a tight finish in the U16 boy's final. Both represented Loppet Nordic Racing. Results are linked in.
Cable JNQ: Classic Coverage
December 17, 2024Nearly a week of racing at the American Birkebeiner trailhead wrapped up on Tuesday with 20K classic mass start races. In the men's event, APU's Luke Jager topped John Steel Hagenbuch, SVSEF, and Brian Bushey, UU, in a tight finish that saw 13 skiers finish within 36 seconds. Erica Laven, UU, continued a strong run with a victory in the womens event, just ahead of Tilde Baangman, Univ of Colorado, with Nina Seemann, BSF, taking third. Full results linked in, along with photos from the men's race by Jackie Schneider.
Cable JNQ: Freestyle Results
December 15, 2024Sunday featured freestyle interval 10K races at the trails at the American Birkebeiner start area. John Steel Hagenbuch (Senior) of Sun Valley SEF took the overall victory with Will Koch, University of Colorado (U23) second, and Remi Drolet (Senior), SMS T2, third. Tabor Greenberg from the University of Vermont led the U20 competitors, finishing 13th in the total rankings. Among the youngest racers, Logan Drevlow of Loppet Nordic Racing was the top U18 athlete, crossing the finish line in 36th place overall. On the women's side, Erica Laven (U23) from the University of Utah dominated, finishing first overall, the only skier to finish in under 25 minutes. Tilde Baangman, University of Colorado, topped the Senior category, securing second place. Nina Seemann (U23), BSF Pro Team, was third. Nina Schamberger, University of Utah, led the U20 group, placing fourth overall. In the U18 division, Elsa Lindfors of Endurance United lead the way, finishing 31st overall. Connor Reckinger and Linnea Ousdigian had the top U16 times in the 5K event. Full results linked in.
Hoigaards Relays Coverage
December 14, 2024Twin Cities racing picked up again Saturday morning with the annual Hoigaards Relays events at Elm Creek. The duo of Matt Liebsch/Jakob Ellingson topped the master field with Anders Sonnesyn/Luc Golin taking second and Jacob Dean/Joe Thuente in third. The pairing of Lillian and Emma Jamison had the best time in a sparse women's field. Caitlin Gregg and Andrew Brown teamed up to win the mixed field. The high school races featured teams ranging from two to four skiers for the 6 x 1.5K format. The Jamison gals hit the course again to take a second victory, with Cecilia and Madelynn joining Lillian and Emma. Erik Olsen/Finn Rodefeld combined for the best boys time. Full results posted, along with photos from Shannon Brault!
Cable JNQ: Classic Sprints Results
December 14, 2024The Gitchi Gami Games classic sprints featured a large field as over 500 skiers participated in a full day of racing. Erica Laven and Graham Houtsma took the open division victories with Elsa Lindfors and Tabor Greenberg winning the junior sprint finals. In the U16 division, Minnesota high school champ Linnea Ousdigian and Canada's Reid Thompson were the winners. Results linked in.
U of M's ESPI Releases Report on Survey of Midwest Nordic Coaches
November 11, 2024The 2023-24 winter season in the Upper Midwest faced significant challenges due to warm temperatures and low snowfall. The Univ of Minnesota's Equitable Sport and Physical Activity Innovations (ESPI) Lab has published their survey of over 100 Midwest Nordic ski coaches. The survey revealed widespread disruptions to training, increased costs, and logistical challenges. Despite these difficulties, coaches remained resilient and adapted, though many expressed concerns about climate change's future impact. The report also contains number of suggestions.
2023-24 Season Highlights
May 1, 2024Catch highlights plus full results and photos from the 2023-2024 collegiate racing season.