Northern Michigan University head alpine ski coach Erik Lundteigen encourages one of his skiers during a meet earlier this season. (Photo courtesy NMU)

MARQUETTE — Head coach Erik Lundteigen of the Northern Michigan University alpine ski team has been named the 2025 Coach of the Year by the U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association.

At this year’s national championships, the Wildcat men finished third and the women 11th among 27 schools as they could also boast between them a pair of bronze medals and eight All-American honors — three for the First Team and five for the Second Team.

The meet was held March 11-13 at Mount Bachelor in Bend, Oregon.

“It is quite an honor to receive this award,” said Lundteigen, who has guided the NMU men’s and women’s teams since they were formed four years ago. “My job is to put the student-athletes in a position to be successful, and they … deserve the majority of the credit for earning this award. I just point the way.”

In those four years, NMU has already produced a national champion (in 2023) along with multiple All-Americans at the nationals.

The USCSA describes the coach of the year award as meant for “an individual who, during the past season, exemplified the qualities of a great coach in every sense of the position. This coach commanded the respect of other coaches and athletes alike, both on and off the hill.

“Their influence on the sport extended beyond team, division or boundaries. The recipient of this award as contributed to the strengthening of the sport through increasing participation, respect and public awareness.

“The coach to whom this honor is bestowed represents the fundamental canons of USCSA collegiate skiing in every sense.”

At this year’s nationals, the Northern men finished third in both slalom and giant slalom for their overall third-place finish. NMU combined for a time of 6 minutes, 31.83 seconds in the GS with a pair of skiers making the top 11, following it up with a 4:19.50 total in slalom and two racers in the top six.

The women had a tough day at the finals, including multiple spills, to finish 22nd in GS before rebounding to take second place overall in slalom, giving them an overall finish of 11th.

The Wildcat women had just two skiers finish the GS course with time added for the others, giving them a total of 8:13.15 before zipping down the hill in 4:49.02 in slalom.

NMU seniors Aaron Grzelak, a Marquette Senior High School graduate, and Reagan Olli each earned bronze medals in their slalom events.

Grzelak clocked 1:24.37 in men’s slalom, missing first place by just 0.61 of a second, then came in 11th in GS for an overall seventh-place finish, adding a Second Team All-American award.

Olli was just as close in the women’s slalom, coming in third in 1:33.51 to miss the runner-up position by six hundredths of a second and first place by 0.62 of a second. She was one of the unfortunate Northern women who couldn’t finish both runs of the GS despite standing 14th after her first run.

That pair along with freshman men’s teammate Kyan Hopke earned First Team All-American honors.

Hopke actually had the top overall finish for the Wildcats at nationals, placing fifth overall with fifth in GS and sixth in slalom. Like Grzelak, that earned him an additional Second Team All-American award.

Other Second Team All-Americans were sophomore Tommie Springer and senior Ainsley Kirk, an MSHS product, in the women’s GS and Kirk again in women’s slalom.

At the 2025 Wildcat Awards for all sports at Northern, the men’s alpine team was named Team of the Year and Hopke the Male Newcomer of the Year.

In 2024, the NMU women’s alpine team was runner-up at nationals, finishing second in GS and fourth in slalom, while the men were fourth overall with second place in slalom and fifth in GS.

In 2023, Olli was national champion in slalom and overall individual winner as the Wildcat women came in second place overall and the men third.

In 2022, Northern’s first year at nationals, Lundteigen guided the Wildcat men to fourth overall, including third in slalom, and the women to sixth, including fifth in slalom.

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release reviewing the award. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.