The Northern Michigan University men’s and women’s Nordic Ski teams delivered a dominant performance at the Central Collegiate Ski Association (CCSA) Championships at Theodore Wirth Park, with both programs capturing the CCSA team titles after two days of competition. 

The Wildcat women’s squad set the tone on day one in the 10k mass start, placing four skiers in the top ten overall and finishing with every competitor inside the top 25 in the conference standings. 

Henriette Nilssen led the way, finishing first among CCSA skiers, second among collegiate competitors and ninth overall with a time of 30:11.3. Greta Leitheiser followed closely behind, earning second in the CCSA and 14th overall. Lauren McCollor, Emma Klevenburg and Monet Argeropoulos also secured top 10 conference finishes to give the Wildcats early momentum. 

On day two in the 10k Freestyle, the women secured the team championship behind another gold-medal performance from Nilssen. She crossed the line in 25:04.4 to win the CCSA title, finishing second among collegiate skiers and seventh overall. Leitheiser, McCollor and Klevenburg all added top 10 conference finishes as the Wildcats sealed the team crown. 

The NMU men’s team mirrored the women’s success, opening the championships with three top five finishes in the 10k mass start. 

Luke Fricker claimed the CCSA title on day one, finishing first among conference and collegiate skiers and second overall in 24:01.2, just 0.8 seconds behind the overall winner. Adrik Kraftson added a third place conference finish, while Jonathan Clarke rounded out the Wildcats in the top five among CCSA competitors. Every NMU skier finished inside the top 20 in the conference standings. 

In the 10k Freestyle, the men clinched the team championship in blazing fashion. Kraftson earned gold among CCSA racers with a time of 22:05.9, finishing second among collegiate skiers and 10th overall. Fricker followed closely with silver in the conference standings. Caden Albrecht and Jonathan Clarke also placed inside the top ten, helping secure the team title for NMU. 

With both teams crowned CCSA champions, the Wildcats now turn their attention to the NCAA Central Regional Championships at Spirit Mountain in Duluth, Minnesota, on Feb. 27. 

After sweeping the conference titles in Minneapolis, NMU heads into regionals with momentum firmly on its side.