Northern Michigan University’s Henriette Nilssen works through the snow during a past Wildcats’ meet. (Photo courtesy NMU)

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Junior Henriette Nilssen and senior Luke Fricker led their respective nordic ski teams at Northern Michigan University on the first day Sunday of the U.S. National Cross Country Ski Championships being held in upstate New York.

With several off days built into the schedule, there are four days of competition spread across six days running through Friday.

Sunday’s opening day included a 10-kilometer interval start race for both women and men. After taking Monday off, racing resumes this morning with the skate sprint, beginning with an initial qualification race, then subsequent afternoon quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.

Here are details on each Northern team on Sunday:

NMU women

Nilssen, who is from Nittedal, Norway, was 35th overall in the women’s race and the top finisher from the NMU’s Central Collegiate Ski Association. She completed her 10K (6.2 miles) in 31 minutes, 45.7 seconds, just over three minutes after the winning time posted by Hailey Swirbul of the APU Nordic Center in 28:42.5.

Nilssen made up a huge chunk positionally in the early part of the race, then kept improving throughout.

She was in 60th place at 1.25K, 44th at 3.75K and in 42nd at the 5K halfway mark. After slipping back a bit to 47th at 6.25K, she improved to 39th at 8.75K before finishing four places higher than that.

With 278 racers who finished, graduate student Lauren McCollor was next for NMU in 78th overall and fourth in the CCSA in 33:17.6. After starting in 59th at 1.25K, she dropped back to 73rd by 3.75K and was in the 70s place-wise for the remainder of the race.

Senior Greta Leitheiser was third for Northern in 92nd and sixth in the CCSA in 33:41.6. She is a transfer from St. Scholastica, where she was its top skier and No. 7 in the CCSA a season ago.

Next for the Wildcats was freshman Emma Klevenberg in 166th in 35:17.7, then sophomore Lena Kjelstrup 195th in 36:06.1 and junior Jordan Parent 198th in 36:11.4.

After that for NMU was freshman Monet Argeropoulos, a Marquette Senior High School graduate who was 229th in 37:42.7, then freshman Riley Grossklaus 232nd in 37:53.4.

NMU men

Fricker, the reigning top point scorer in the CCSA last season who is from Canmore, Alberta, was 30th overall and second among CCSA skiers in the men’s race in a field of more than 370 racers, clocking 26:59.5.

Like Nilssen, he rose through the field as the race wore on, sitting 68th after 1.25K, then jumping 20 spots at 3.75K. He was in the 40s place-wise in the two subsequent markers before rising again to 31st at 8.75K and finishing one more place higher.

Senior teammate Jonathan Clarke, the No. 8 point scorer in the conference a year ago, finished 46th overall and fourth in the CCSA in 27:22.7. He started fast in 23rd after 1.25K, dropping to 53rd at 3.75K and climbing back up to his final finish.

Northern sophomore Caden Albrecht was 100th in 28:36.4, while reigning CCSA Skier of the Year, junior Adrik Kraftson, was 115th in 28:50.1.

In addition, senior teammate Hendrik Peterson was 250th in 30:48.3 and freshman Jack Dahlby 369th in 37:09.5.

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