These are members of the men’s and women’s nordic ski teams at Northern Michigan University who represented the Wildcats at the CCSA Conference Championships meet in Minneapolis on Feb. 18-19. (Photo courtesy NMU)

MARQUETTE — Five skiers between the men’s and women’s nordic teams at Northern Michigan University have qualified for the NCAA Skiing Championships to be held in Utah next week.

Wildcats women making the trip to Soldier Hollow in Park City and Midway, Utah, are junior Henriette Nilssen and senior Greta Leitheiser, while for the men it will be senior Luke Fricker, junior Adrik Kraftson and senior Jonathan Clarke.

The nationals schedule includes a 7.5-kilometer classic individual start next Thursday, then a 20K skate mass start on Saturday, March 14. Competition is scheduled to begin at noon EDT each day, and fans can follow along with live timing at the website MyRaceResult.

NMU is coming off its team win at the NCAA Central Region Skiing Championships held at Al Quaal Recreation Area in Ishpeming last weekend as the Northern women put together 135 points in their meet and the men 134 in theirs to beat out runner-up Michigan Tech on each side.

Kraftson, Fricker and Clark swept the top-three podium in the mass start, with Fricker getting a silver medal runner-up finish in the 7.5K.

For the women, Nilssen won each of her races.

Fricker, Nilssen and Northern women’s team member Lauren McCollor were named First Team All-Region in the 7.5K, with Kraftson, Clarke, Leitheiser and women’s Emma Klevenberg making Second Team.

In the 20K mass start, Kraftson, Fricker, Clarke, Nilssen and Leitheiser were each First Team All-Region, with men’s team member Caden Albrecht along with McCollor on the Second Team.

As far as the Central Collegiate Ski Association all-league teams, Nilssen, Leitheiser, Fricker, Kraftson and Clarke were named to the First Team, with McCollor, Klevenberg and Albrecht earning berths on the Second Team.

Coaching-wise, NMU head man Andy Keller and assistant Ruth Oppliger were named the CCSA Coaching Staff of the Year after leading the Wildcats to NCAA regional and CCSA conference crowns.

And Nilssen was named CCSA Female Skier of the Year after winning all four events at the CCSA Conference Championships and NCAA regional, leading the league with 160 overall points and 192 in all races.

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