The Northern Michigan University Nordic Skiing team took both the men’s and the women’s top team spots over the weekend at the MTU Central Collegiate Ski Association Races hosted by Michigan Technological University (MTU).

The Wildcats took first place in the women’s competition with 222 combined points over the weekend, sweeping the podium on both days. The men defeated MTU by a margin of six points, scoring 201 to take the top spot as a team.

Senior Vivian Hett lead the Wildcats in Saturday’s 5-kilometer classic race, finishing 20 seconds ahead of the field to take the top spot. Hett’s time was 17:04.3.

Freshman Kjetil Baanerud was the top NCAA finisher in the men’s 10-kilometer classic race, coming in second overall with a time of 30:28.7. NMU sophomore Lars Soensterud finished third overall in the event with a time of 30:47.8.

Sweeping the top-three spots on Sunday, Hett took first place in the 15-kilometer freestyle race with a time of 54:44.3. Bezdicek and Bourne also finished on the podium with times of 54:45.1 and 54.50.0, respectively.
Baanerud finished third overall in Sunday’s 20-kilome- ter freestyle event, leading the Wildcats with a time of 59:43.4. The NMU Nordic Skiing team will next be in action on Saturday, Feb. 10, when they head to Rhinelander, Wisconsin for the CCSA Conference Championships.