ISHPEMING – Northern Michigan University swept the men’s and women’s titles at the two-day NCAA Central Regional Championships in cross country skiing that was completed on Sunday at the Al Quaal Recreation Area in Ishpeming.

Each Wildcat team rolled up 122 points, with the men beating runner-up Alaska-Fairbanks by 10 points and the women edging second-place UAF by just two points.

“Both the men’s and women’s teams performed great this weekend,” head coach Sten Fjeldheim said. “The conditions were tough, and the course was just plain hard, but our athletes’ fitness helped us win. It was a total team effort, and now we can focus on the NCAA National Championships.”

The Wildcats’ performance in the classic races on Sunday sealed their victories. In the men’s 20-kilometer classic, Saturday’s champion from the 10K freestyle, graduate student Jake Brown, raced to a second-place finish in 1 hour, 1 minute and 2.8 seconds. Also cracking the top 10 were NMU teammates Sam Elfstrom, a senior who was fifth in 1:01:25.6, and junior Fredrik Schwencke, eighth in 1:01:37.6.

In the women’s 15K on Sunday, sophomore Caroline Brisbois paced the Wildcats with a fourth-place finish in 53:57.2. Right after her came junior teammate Sophie Schimpl, who won Saturday’s 5K freestyle, in fifth in 54:05.6. Then just another second back was a third Wildcat, freshman Lea Buenter in sixth in 54:06.2.

“(On Saturday), Jake Brown and Sophie Schimpl won regional freestyle titles, but they knew they had their teammates closing fast behind them,” Fjeldheim said. “We had some outstanding efforts by many of our skiers at this race, including two of our freshmen, Lea Buenter and Sophie McDonald.

“Sam Elfstrom put together two of his best finishes of his career this weekend, and it was super he made a breakthrough at one of our most important races of the season.”

Northern returns to action March 7-12 at the NCAA National Championships in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Eight Wildcats have qualified in that meet – Brown, Schwencke, Schimpl, senior Felicia Gesior, junior Adam Martin, sophomores Ian Torchia and Vivian Hett and freshman Nicole Schneider.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.