MARQUETTE – Four Northern Michigan University nordic skiers have been named to the USA squad at the FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships.

Senior Kyle Bratrud was named to the Under-23 team and freshman Ian Torchia along with Kristen Bourne and Vivian Hett will join the junior team.

“It will be hard to lose them … but we have more racehorses in the stalls and this is why having depth in our program is so important,” NMU nordic ski coach Sten Fjeldheim said. “The faster skiers raise the bar and the athletes just under the bar keep the top athletes honest. I call this healthy pressure.

“Nobody had their spot on the World Championship team guaranteed; they all had to earn it.”

The competition will take place Jan. 28-Feb. 8 in central Asia in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

At the U.S. Championships, the Wildcats captured the College Cup by being the top collegiate performers. Bratrud and Torchia also earned individual national championships.

On Thursday at that event in Houghton, Torchia won the junior men’s classic 10-kilometer race in 30 minutes, 46.6 seconds. Bratrud was third in the U23 race.

For the women, Hett was sixth, teammate Caroline Brisbois seventh and Bourne 10th in the junior 5K race.

The Wildcats’ final race at the U.S. Championships will be the 1.5K freestyle sprints on Saturday.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Writer Ryan Stieg. He can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 246. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.