Team Birkie: 2025 College Summer Program Registration Now Open
March 31, 2025Team Birkie's 10-week summer program offers collegiate skiers high-quality training in the Midwest. Starting June 1, 2025, athletes train alongside Team Birkie World Team members. The program includes five morning and three afternoon practices around the Twin Cities.
US Nationals/SuperTour Spring Series Mixed Relay Results
March 29, 2025Relay racing was on the docket for Saturday in Lake Placid, NY as part of the third day of competitions at the US Nationals/SuperTour Spring Series. A big day for clubs, the competition was fierce through the first leg of the race, but the pack quickly broke apart as the race went on and as some of the favorites made their moves. By the time the finish was in sight it was the SMS T2 team that had a clear advantage, taking the win with over a minute advantage on the rest of the field. Crossing the line in second was the team representing the University of Utah who themselves held a roughly 10 second gap on the third place Alberta World Cup Academy I team, and rounding out the US podium was the Team Birkie team consisting of Zak Ketterson, Alayna Sonnesyn, Kalev Christopher, and Luci Anderson who finished just seconds behind their Canadian counterparts on the overall podium. The US Nationals/SuperTour Spring Series will wrap up on Sunday with a title on the line for the final event: a 40K marathon.
US Nationals/SuperTour Spring Series Freestyle Sprints Results
March 28, 2025The second of four days of racing at the US Nationals/SuperTour Spring Series took place in Lake Placid, NY on Friday, and national titles were on the line for the day's freestyle sprint competition. Flying in from Finland, a handful of World Cup athletes made an appearance including Julia Kern and Jessie Diggins who were in a league of their own in the women's final. The pair would go one-two with Kern taking the title, while Erica Laven of Sweden was the third to finish several seconds later, with Kate Oldham just behind her as the third American. World Cup athletes made up the majority of the men's podium as well with Ben Ogden edging out Gus Schumacher for the national title, while Xavier McKeever of Canada out sprinted Jack Young for third. Young would still reach a podium however, as the third all-American. A mixed relay event breaks up the individual competition tomorrow with athletes competing for club and country in Lake Placid.
MPLS Ski Club Launches Elite Summer Training Program for College Skiers
March 27, 2025Minneapolis Ski Club offers a 15-week summer training program for NCAA and USCSA Nordic skiers. Led by Coach Erin Moening, the program includes practices, training plans, and performance testing to prevent overtraining. College athletes can join MPLS Ski Club practices and two additional college-only practices per week, ensuring personalized support and goal-oriented training.
US Nationals/SuperTour Spring Series Freestyle Results
March 26, 2025While international racing has largely wound down, domestic racing still had a stop to make in Lake Placid, NY for the US Nationals/SuperTour Spring Series. Getting underway on Wednesday, the first competition of the Series was a 10K freestyle event that had athletes starting in an interval-start fashion. Hailing from Minnesota, the women's race was won by none other than Team Birkie's Luci Anderson who finish first 22 seconds ahead Erica Laven in second, with Liliane Gagnon just under 10 seconds back from Laven in third. John Steele Hagenbuch, a perennial favorite from the collegiate circuit, decisively won the men's race with over 30 seconds to spare, while Joe Davies, a Brit and chief competitor to Hagenbuch, took second, followed closely by the third place finisher, Graham Houtsma. Full results can be found via the link.
Junior Nationals Mixed Relays Results
March 15, 2025Junior Nationals wrapped up at Soldier Hollow on Saturday morning with the popular mixed relay races. The Midwest just missed the podium in the U20 race, finishing 18 seconds back in 4th. Other top 10 results: U16 Midwest 6th, Great Lakes 7th; U18 Midwest 8th, Midwest #2 10th.
Junior Nationals: Freestyle Results
March 14, 2025The third and final individual competition at Junior Nationals, a mass-start freestyle race, took place on Friday in Midway, UT. Among the U16 crowd Linnea Ousdigian took home another national title in the 7.5K girl's race, while Evie Malec finished not that long after her in 4th. The U18 boys also claimed a title in their 10K race with Logan Drevlow taking the top honors, while Eddie Snider led the Midwest men in the 15K U20 race with a 4th place finish. There was a strong showing by the U20 women in their race as well where 9 skiers made up the top-20, with the likes of Hanna Koch, Chloe Angerman, Anna Peikert sweeping the podium. Adding to the notable finishes on the day were: MU16: Oliver Hohenstein 25th; MU18: Soren Winikoff 16th; FU18: Lila Golomb 24th; MU20: Anders Westanmo 12th; FU20: Greta Hendrickson 5th, Naida Hutchinson 10th, Kaia Osmundson 12th, Anna-Britta Helmer 13th, Stella Powell 17th, Madeline Gray 19th, and Erica Kazin 23rd.
Junior Nationals Freestyle Sprint Results
March 12, 2025Junior National racing resumed Wednesday at Soldier Hollow, UT, with a long day of freestyle sprint racing. Linnea Ousdigian was crowned national champion as she won the girls U16 final! Logan Drevlow was 4th in the MU18 final, Greta Hendrickson 4th FU20 final, Onika Colassacco 5th FU16 final, Connor Reckinger 5th MU16 final. Other notables: Hanna Koch 1st FU20 B final, Lila Golomb 2nd FU18 B final, James Drenne 3rd MU16 B final, Elsa Lindfors 4th FU18 B final, Lillian Franzen 4th FU20 B final, Evie Malec 5th FU16 B final. Friday will feature mass start freestyle distance races.
Junior Nationals: Classic Results
March 10, 2025Junior Nationals competition got underway at Soldier Hollow in Utah on Monday with the individual start classic races. The Midwest put two skiers on the podium as Linnea Ousdigian (FU16) and Hanna Koch (FU20) both finished in second place. Other top results from the Midwest/Great Lakes - FU16: Eleanor Mody 13th, Evie Malec 15th; MU16: Niels Stringer 5th, Connor Reckinger 14th, James Derenne 14th MU16; FU18: Lila Golomb 13th, Helen Townley 25th; MU18: Logan Drevlow 17th, Soren Winikoff 20th, George Nelson 22nd; FU20: Chloe Angerman 4th, Greta Hendrickson 10th, Lillian Franzen 11th, Josephine Kwasny 17th, Monet Argeropoulos 23rd; MU20: Kristian Hudacek 11th, Anders Westanmo 12th, Eddie Snider 15th. Next up are the freestyle sprints on Wednesday.
NCAA Championships: Freestyle
March 8, 2025The NCAA Championships concluded on Saturday with a mass-start 20K freestyle race for all athletes in Hanover, NH. Gaining ground after a third place finish on Thursday, Joe Davies of the University of Utah took the title in the men's race, crushing the competition by over a minute on his way to the win. Thursday's champion, Dartmouth University's John Steele Hagenbuch, was the next skier up in second, who himself put a nearly 30 second gap on third which went to Brian Bushey, also of the University of Utah. A stellar showing for the Midwest men, Wisconsin's Ben Dohlby, who skis for the University of Alaska Anchorage, finished 5th. The women's competition also featured a bit of a blowout as Kendall Kramer of the University of Alaska Fairbanks skied away for the win with over 30 seconds to spare on the race's runner-up and Thursday's champion, Erica Laven of the University of Utah. Another 12 seconds back, Tilde Baagman of the University of Colorado Boulder finished third to completed the women's podium. Finishing 14th in the field, Molly Moening of the University of Vermont was the top contender among the Midwest women.
NCAA Championships: Classic
March 6, 2025While the World Championships were taking place overseas, the NCAA Championships was getting underway stateside in Hanover, NH. The first of two days of racing was Thursday which featured an interval-start 7.5K classic race for all athletes. Kicking off the 2025 competition the same way he did in 2024, John Steele Hagenbuch of Dartmouth University was crowned the men's champion with roughly 15 seconds to spare over another New England representative, Finn Sweet of the University of Vermont. Laying claim to last spot on the podium with a comfortable 20 second gap on the rest of the field, Joe Davies of the University of Utah rounded out the top-3 for the men's race. Meanwhile, Cooper Camp, also of Dartmouth University, solidified himself as the top Midwestern skier on the day with an impressive 9th place finish. In the women's race the leaders were similarly separated as Erica Laven of the University of Utah took the win over the University of Vermont's Annie McColgan by roughly 10 seconds, with Jasmine Drolet of Dartmouth University another 20 seconds back from McColgan in third. Maggie Wagner of Midland University stood out as the top Midwesterner in the women's race, placing 16th. Friday will offer a quick reprieve from the racing action before collegiate athletes return to the track for a mass-start 20K freestyle race to close out the competition on Saturday.
MCSA Midwest Collegiate Cup: American Birkebeiner Update
February 27, 2025Once again finishing on the streets of downtown Hayward, the American Birkebeiner took place over the weekend and was the final stop for the Midwestern Collegiate Ski Association's (MCSA) Midwest Collegiate Cup. While the race for the women's team title was all but decided in favor of St. Olaf, that didn't stop the Ole's Lily Hubanks from putting in a performance worthy of a win as she crossed the line first in the women's 53K classic race. Meanwhile, the University of Wisconsin Madison men's team also put it all on the line, passing the St Olaf men's team by just 10 points to take the men's team title. With USCSA National Championships just around the corner, read Luke Dykowski's recap to get caught up on the latest for the collegiate clubs before they attend the big event in mid-March.
Kortelopet Results
February 21, 2025The Kortelopet races on Friday proved big drama on Main Street as the men's skate race came down to a sprint finish with Eli Andre just holding off the late charge by James Kyes for the victory, Bridger Nelson coming in just a few seconds later in third. Kristen Monahan used some veteran skills to breakaway from Helen Townley to solo in for the women's title, as Anna Peikert scored third. In the classic race, Anna Gilmer pulled ahead of Claire Swanson for the women's crown, Annelise Baird rounding out the podium in third. And on the men's striding side, perennial Korte champ Murray Carter claimed another title with Hayward's own Neel Dums second and Peter Hackney in third.
MCSA Midwest Collegiate Cup: Regional Championships Update
February 19, 2025Heading into the homestretch of their season, the Midwestern Collegiate Ski Association (MCSA) held its Regional Championships in Rhinelander, WI this past weekend. Serving as the penultimate stop for the Midwest Collegiate Cup, and also as a qualifier for USCSA Nationals, their was plenty on the line over the two days of competitions, but no team was more up to the task than St. Olaf who swept the men's and women's individual and team titles. Find out how the rest of the field fared, and what to expect heading into the last leg of the Midwest Collegiate Cup, in the latest report from Luke Dykowski.
Coleraine JNQ Classic Interval Start Results
February 16, 2025Junior National Qualifying wrapped up Sunday with interval start classic races in some crisp temperatures at Mt. Itasca, in Coleraine, MN. In the 10K U20/U18 Men's race, Anders Westanmo (Loppet Nordic Racing, U20) won by over 30 seconds, followed by Eddie Snider (Minneapolis Ski Club, U20) in second and Peter Hackney (Loppet Nordic Racing, U18) in third. For the 10K U20/U18 Women's race, Chloe Angerman (Loppet Nordic Racing, U20) took first place, followed by U18 finishers Elsa Lindfors (Endurance United) and Avery Rich (Loppet Nordic Racing). Aksel Skustad (Ely Nordic) and Evie Malec (Loppet Nordic Racing) won the U16 5K races.
Coleraine JNQ Classic Mass Start Results
February 15, 2025The final Midwest JNQ competition started off Saturday at Mt. Itasca with exciting mass start classic races. In the 7.5KM U20/U18/U16 Girls race, Lila Golomb (Minneapolis Ski Club, U18) dominated, winning by over a minute. Evie Malec (Loppet Nordic Racing, U16) was second with Annelise Baird (North XC/DXC, U18) in third. Top U20 skier was Anna-Britta Helmer (North XC/DXC) in 5th. In the Boys race, Reid Thompson (Big Thunder Nordic, U16) took first just nine seconds ahead of Eddie Snider (Minneapolis Ski Club, U20) with Eli Andre (Loppet Nordic Racing, U18) only six seconds behind in third. Owen Kalmes (Minneapolis Ski Club) was the top U20 in 6th.
MCSA Midwest Collegiate Cup: Vasaloppet USA Update
February 11, 2025On to their second scoring event of their season, the Midwestern Collegiate Ski Association's (MCSA) Midwest Collegiate Cup travelled to central Minnesota over the weekend for the annual Mora Vasaloppet. Nearly 100 collegiate athletes competed in the 48K Vasa and 36K Dala events, and fared well too with the St. Olaf women's team going so far as to sweep the 36K podium. You can read on about their remarkable result, and more, in Luke Dykowski's latest report.
MCSA Midwest Collegiate Cup: Mt. Ashwabay Summit Skiathlon Update
February 6, 2025After a slower start to the season snow-wise, the Midwestern Collegiate Ski Association's (MCSA) Midwest Collegiate Cup had its first scoring event of the season last weekend, the Mt. Ashwabay Summit Skiathlon. Check out Luke Dykowski's report to find out how teams are shaping up with plenty of ski season remaining, and who to watch out for in the weeks ahead.
St. Scholastica CCSA Invite Results
February 3, 2025Serving as the final CCSA competition before Conference Championships two weeks out, St. scholastica hosted an Invitational over the weekend on the trails at Spirit Mountain in Duluth. Saturday's interval-start 7.5K classic races saw a pair of Norwegians from Northern Michigan University post the top times, with Henriette Nilssen winning the women's race, and Kristoffer Alm Karsrud winning the men's race. The mass-start 20K freestyle races on Sunday then featured a bit of a shakeup as Colin Freed of Michigan Tech University would win the men's race after a sprint finish with his teammate Tryg Solberg, but the women's race would go to another Northern Michigan University skier and Norwegian, Victoria Klevan Dybwad, who left nothing to chance, besting the rest of the field by nearly a full two minutes.
Minneapolis JNQ Freestyle Coverage
January 26, 2025The Minneapolis JNQ races wrapped up Sunday with mass start freestyle races at Theodore Wirth. The Greggs completed another family sweep as Caitlin won the women's 10K in dominating fashion while Brian had a more cagey race, marking moves in the lead pack and then pulling ahead in the final 250 meters for the victory. Chloe Angerman finished second overall in the women's race and was the top U20 finisher with Inga Wing third and top U18 while in the men's race, two Canadians rounded out the podium with Kendyn Mashinter and Adam Heale while Logan Drevlow was the top U18 in 5th and Eddie Snider U20 in 6th. In the 5K U16 races, Jack Rudolph and Linnea Ousdigian collected the titles. Results linked in, plus video recaps of the 10K races.
Minneapolis JNQ Freestyle Sprints Results
January 25, 2025A big turnout on Saturday for a long day of freestyle sprint racing at Theodore Wirth as skiers competed for Junior National Qualifying points. Minnesota high school state champions reigned in their respective divisions as Logan Drevlow won the U20/18 boys final and Linnea Ousdigian took the U16 girls final. Hanna Koch dominated the girls U20/U18 final and Jack Rudolph won the U16 boys final. Sunday will feature mass start freestyle races.
Ariens Nordic JNQ Freestyle Results
January 19, 2025Ariens Nordic hosted 5K freestyle JNQ races on a crisp Sunday in Brillion. The day's fastest times came from U18 skier Anders Giese (Norge Ski Club) with 12:33.8 in the men's field and U18 skier Krin Blegen (Peak Nordic) with 14:22.8 in the women's field. Division winners included: Connor Reckinger and Onika Colassacco (both Bay Nordic) in U16, and Sawyer Hansen and Ashley Derenne (both Bay Nordic) in U14. Bay Nordic showed impressive depth, claiming four division victories on the day.
Ariens Nordic JNQ/CCSA Classic Results
January 18, 2025Northern Michigan University's Victoria Dybwad Klevan and College of St. Scholastica's Leevi Tarjanne captured the overall victories Saturday at the Ariens Nordic JNQ/CCSA Invite, with times of 37:16.0 and 32:20.6 respectively. Dybwad Klevan led a strong NMU women's performance, while Tarjanne edged out NMU's Luke Fricker by just 6.4 seconds in the men's race. The U20 and U18 categories saw impressive performances from emerging talents, with UW-Green Bay's Lillian Franzen and Zaine Braaten taking top honors in their respective U20 divisions, while Lakeland Nordic's Stella Meza and Hayward Nordic's Neel Dums claimed the U18 titles.
US Nationals: Freestyle Sprints Results
January 7, 2025Tuesday was the fourth and final day of competitions in Anchorage, Alaska for the 2025 US Cross-Country Ski Championships, and despite temperatures well above freezing the show would go on for the day's planned freestyle sprints. Although a national title was not up for grabs in the final event of the Championships, that did not deter athletes from competing like it was which was especially evident in the senior women's final. With just 4 hundredths of a second separating the two, Team Birkie's Mariel Merlii Pulles would take the win over Erica Laven of Sweden, while just a couple seconds back from them was the third place finisher, Kate Oldham, who was the first American. Oldham was joined on the all-American podium by Luci Anderson, another Team Birkie athlete and a Midwesterner, and Samantha Smith. A slightly more decisive race, the senior men's final finished with Michael Earnhart crossing the line first, followed by Walker Hall a half second back from him, and Carl Rune, another Swede, hot on Hall's heels. Earnhart and Hall would take the top two steps on the all-American podium, while Reid Goble, also a Midwesterner, would be promoted to the third and final step after finishing 4th overall. To note: two more athletes with Midwest ties made it at least as far as the semifinals—Kristoffer Alm Karsrud of Northern Michigan University in 8th, and Erin Bianco in 9th. Wrapping it all up, top junior times went to Mia Stiassny and Justin Lucas who both won with almost exactly 2 seconds to spare.
US Nationals: Classic Distance Results
January 5, 2025The third of four days of racing at the 2025 US Cross-Country Ski Championships in Anchorage, Alaska took place on Sunday, with the focus of the day being a mass-start classic race. Senior skiers were subjected to a 20K course which largely led to close finishes across both the men's and women's competitions. Junior skiers on the other hand, had half that distance to handle. Andreas Kirkeng of Norway was once again the fastest of the senior men's field, winning out by just under 10 seconds over the top American and second place finisher, John Steel Hagenbuch, with Luke Jager finishing just behind him in third as the second fastest American. Finishing 5th, Will Koch completed the all-American podium, while Team Birkie's Christopher Kalev was the top Midwesterner in 12th. An even closer contest, the seniors women's race was decided by less than 3 seconds with Kendall Kramer crossing the line just ahead of Erica Laven of Sweden. A little over 30 seconds back from those two were Lauren Jortberg and Kate Oldham who, along with Kramer, made up the all-American podium. Narrowly missing the podium in a sprint finish with Jortberg and Oldham, Erin Bianco was the top Midwest woman in 5th, while Renae Anderson and Emma Albrecht also had strong showings in 7th and 14th respectively. Junior titles on the day went to Jack Leveque and Lena Ponduska. Another rest day will take place tomorrow before the final event of the 2025 US Cross-Country Ski Championships on Tuesday: freestyle sprints.
US Nationals: Classic Sprints Results
January 4, 2025Day 2 of the 2025 US Cross-Country Ski Championships afforded athletes an opportunity to flex their fast twitch muscles with classic sprints on the menu in Anchorage, Alaska. Erica Laven of Sweden was the top finisher of the senior women, winning the women's final by nearly 5 seconds over Mariel Merlii Pulles of Estonia, with Samantha Smith finishing third as the top American and national champion. The Midwest's own Erin Bianco joined Smith on the all-American podium in second, finishing 5th in the final, while Nina Seeman stood a step down in third after finishing 6th. Again represented well in the women's field, the Midwest had an additional seven skiers who made the heats which included Emma Albrecht and Renae Anderson who both made the semifinals, finishing 8th and 11th respectively. The senior men's final was a much closer contest with Andreas Kirkeng of Norway just edging out Luke Jager for the win, although Jager would still earn the title of national champion as the top American. Finishing third was Michael Earnhart who was also the second American, and the third and final spot on the all-American podium went to Murphy Kimball who finished 5th. Kristoffer Alm Karsrud of Northern Michigan University led the way for the Midwest men in 10th. Both of the junior competitions came down to tight finishes, with Dane Karch and Neve Gerard ultimately emerging victorious in their respective men's and women's finals. Looking ahead to the third day of racing at the 2025 US Cross-Country Ski Championships, Sunday will feature a mass-start 20K classic race for the senior skiers, and half that distance for the juniors.
US Nationals: Freestyle Distance Results
January 2, 2025The new year presented new opportunities for national champions to be crowned as Thursday marked the start of the 2025 US Cross-Country Ski Championships. An individual-start freestyle event covering 10K on the trails at Kincaid Park opened the competition in Anchorage, Alaska, and John Steel Hagenbuch would be the first to take home a title, winning out by less than a second over Andreas Kirking of Norway in the men's race. Joining the pair on the overall podium was Walker Hall in third who was the second American, while Luke Jager rounded out the all-American podium in third as the fourth overall finisher. The women's race shook out much more decisively, with Kate Oldham taking home a title with over 10 seconds to spare. Kendall Kramer would join her on the overall podium as the second overall finisher and second American, while Erica Laven of Sweden also claimed a spot on the overall podium in third. Finishing 4th overall as the top Midwest athlete on the day, Luci Anderson would complete the all-American podium in third, topping off a host of impressive finishes by Midwest women which included Erin Bianco in 11th, Emma Albrecht in 14th, Margie Freed in 17th, and Michaela Keller-Miller in 19th. Reid Goble posted the fastest time of the Midwest men, finishing 9th overall. Of the juniors, Lucas Wilmont was the fastest man in 26th, while Samantha Smith was the fastest woman in 12th. After a day off tomorrow the competition continues on Saturday with classic sprints.
Coleraine JNQ: Individual Classic Results
December 22, 2024Sunday was the second and final day of Midwest JNQ racing in Coleraine, MN where skiers were greeted with warmer temperatures than the day before. Logan Drevlow (U18) of Loppet Nordic Racing cruised to victory in the men's 7.5K race, winning the individual-start classic competition by 20 seconds over yesterday's sprint champion, Declan Hutchinson (U23) of Saint Michale's College, while Oliver Miatke (U20), also of Saint Michael's College, rounded out the men's podium in third. Opting to compete in the U18/U20/Sr division, Loppet Nordic Racing's Linnea Ousdigian (U16) proved she made the right decision, winning the women's race by just under 10 seconds over her teammate, Sydney Drevlow (U20), with a virtual tie splitting third between Zoe Devine (U20) of Saint Michael's College and Hanna Koch (U20) of Minneapolis Ski Club. The top U18 skier in the women's competition was Elsa Lindfors of Endurance United, and Reid Thompson of Big Thunder Nordic had the top time in the U16 boy's 5K race. Results are linked in.
Coleraine JNQ: Freestyle Sprints Results
December 21, 2024With temperatures in the teens the second batch of Midwest JNQ racing got underway on Saturday with a round freestyle sprints at Mount Itasca. Declan Hutchinson (U23) of Saint Michael's College was the fastest of the Men's field, besting Loppet Nordic Racing's Logan Drevlow by three seconds, who in turn bested his teammate Anders Westanmo (U20) by three seconds. Loppet Nordic Racing put two more on the podium in the women's competition, with Helen Townley (U18) taking the top spot over her teammate Sydney Drevlow (U20) by two seconds, and Elsa Lindfors (U18) of Endurance United joined them a second later in third. Winning the U16 girl's final in dominant fashion was Linnea Ousdigian, while Jack Rudolph came out on top after a tight finish in the U16 boy's final. Both represented Loppet Nordic Racing. Results are linked in.
2023-24 Season Highlights
May 1, 2024Catch highlights plus full results and photos from the 2023-2024 collegiate racing season.