That’s when Wildcats’ senior Luke Fricker earned All-American status last Thursday in the men’s 7.5-kilometer classic individual start race.

He was among the three men and two women from NMU that qualified for this meet following the NCAA Central Regional held two weeks earlier in Duluth, Minnesota.

In the 7.5K race, Fricker finished in 10th place in 19 minutes, 12.6 seconds to be named a Second Team All-American. He posted lap times of 6:10, 6:36 and 6:25, the final lap the sixth-fastest in the field to propel him from 12th place to 10th and his All-American status.

Also for the Northern men, senior Jonathan Clarke and junior Adrik Kraftson finished back to back, Clarke 23rd in 20:02.1 and Kraftson 24th in 20:03.9 in a field of 40 skiers.

Northern Michigan University men’s nordic skier Luke Fricker competes during a meet earlier this season. (Photo courtesy NMU)

Winning this men’s race was Dartmouth’s John Hagenbuch, who recently represented the U.S. at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, in 18:25.3.

For the NMU women, junior Henriette Nilssen finished 16th overall as she was the fastest among Central Collegiate Ski Association racers, in 28:08.6. Her lap times were 8:31, 9:41 and 9:55, moving up a spot on her final lap.

Senior teammate Greta Leitheiser was 38th in 32:17.9 among 40 skiers.

Rosie Fordham of Alaska-Fairbanks won in 24:08.00, a full minute ahead of the runner-up.

Skipping a day and finishing the meet on Saturday, Kraftson had the highest overall finish of any NMU skier that day, placing 17th overall and second among CCSA skiers in the men’s 20K mass start.

Northern Michigan University women’s nordic skier Henriette Nilssen competes during a meet earlier this season. (Photo courtesy NMU)

Conditions were considered difficult because of the high altitude and warmer-than-normal conditions.

Kraftson clocked 47:59.5, remaining among the lead pack through three of the eight laps and clocking under six minutes in his first four laps. He also finished strong with a final lap of 6:15.7 to lift him to his final position.

Fricker was 19th overall and third in the CCSA, clocking 48:27.3 as he was with the lead group for several laps. Included in his laps was the fastest-in-the-field fifth lap of 5:56.3, along with third fastest lap No. 3, while his final lap of 6:21.3 helped him get to his finishing position.

Clarke was 26th in 49:33.1 as he moved up through the field after starting 32nd and picking up three places in his final three laps, ending with a 6:03.9 lap.

Mons Melbye of Utah won by four-tenths of a second over the U.S. Olympian, Hagenbuch of Dartmouth, in 46:14.6 with Melbye clocking a final lap in a best-in-the-field 5:14.8.

Michigan Tech’s Wes Campbell was 12th in 46:52.1 for the best CCSA time.

The Wildcat men moved up to 13th place team-wise with 91 points, just ahead of MTU in 15th with 62.5, and second place among teams without an alpine team also competing, only to Alaska-Fairbanks with 205.5.

For the Northern women, Nilssen was 22nd in a field of 40, also the top time in the CCSA, with 55:02.0. She finished her first lap in 6:13.0, putting her 18th, then fell into the higher 20s and toward 30th before recovering late, producing a second-to-last lap of 6:58.5 to move back up in the standings.

Leitheiser was 31st in 56:09.6, also starting strong with a 6:15.8 opening lap for 26th at that point, then putting up a final lap of 6:36.1, 16th best in the field, to move into her final position.

Alaska-Fairbanks’ Fordham also won this race in 51:54.6, moving to the front of the pack in the second lap and winning by nearly 30 seconds.

The Wildcat women were 14th with 60 points as Tech was 15th with 39.5. NMU was also second among teams without alpine representation only to Alaska-Fairbanks with 133.5.

The Northern teams have one more meet left this winter, though by the time it’s held in another week it will be spring. That’s the U.S. Spring National Championships set for Friday through Sunday, March 27-29, with a site listed on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard website, www.usskiandsnowboard.org, as the Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Craftsbury, Vermont.

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