Tech Nordic skiers announce 2021-22 schedule
Courtesy: Michigan Tech Athletics
HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Tech Nordic ski team will participate in eight weekends of competition during the 2021-22 season. The season begins in early December in Duluth and wraps up at the NCAA Championship in Utah in early March. Tech hosts the MTU CCSA Invite & Great Lakes Division CXC Cup on January 29-30 at the Tech Trails.
Michigan Tech also recently received the bid to host the 2023 U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships at the Tech Trails. The event will take place in January 2023 and will be the fifth time Tech will host the nation’s top Nordic ski event (2007, 2015, 2016, and 2020).
December 4-5 “Spirit Mountain, Duluth SuperTour” at Duluth, Minn. – Grand Avenue Nordic Center
The SuperTour is a U.S. Ski & Snowboard Nordic race series consisting of four periods, each in different parts of the country. In these SuperTour events the Huskies will get to compete against fellow NCAA skiers in addition to professional athletes with aspirations of qualifying for the U.S. Ski Team and competing on the FIS World Cup circuit, and the 2023 Olympic Winter Games. Spirit Mountain will host this season opener at its Grand Avenue Nordic Center and will feature two skate races for this first race weekend including a skate sprint and a skate interval start distance (5K & 10K).
December 10-12 “Birkie Trails SuperTour” at Cable, Wis. – Birkie Trails
The American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation will host the second SuperTour race weekend at their historic venue and the site of the famed American Birkebeiner. The weekend will be a triple header with competitions on Friday (skate mass start 15K both women and men), Saturday (classic sprint), and Sunday (classic interval Start 10K women, 15K men). The Friday event features an equal distance race for both genders which is a great initiative moving forward this season for U.S. skiing. The Huskies will have exposure to not only outstanding NCAA competitions on the calendar but also SuperTour events that allow them to compete against truly the top U.S. racers in the sport.
January 2-7 “U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships” at Midway, Utah – Soldier Hollow
The U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships will take place at Soldier Hollow in Midway, UT, the site of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Soldier Hollow will also host the 2022 NCAA Skiing Championships. The US CCC will consist of four race events including skate sprint, skate mass start 7.5K junior women/10K junior men/20K senior women/30K senior men, classic interval start 10K women/15K men, and classic sprint. The classic interval start race on January 6 will also count as a Central Region NCAA qualifying race. The US CCC is also the qualifying event for the 2022 World Junior & U23 World Ski Championships that will be held in Zakopane, Poland.
January 22-23 “Mt. Itasca CCSA Invite & Midwest CXC Cup” at Coleraine, Minn. – Mt. Itasca
The Mount Itasca Winter Sports Center will host the second Central Region NCAA qualifying race weekend as a combined event with CCSA member institutions as well as the Midwest Division junior clubs competing for selection to the 2022 Junior Nationals. The weekend will feature a pair of interval start distance races with a classic 5K women/10K men on Saturday and then a skate 10K women/15K men on Sunday.
January 29-30 “MTU CCSA Invite & Great Lakes Division CXC Cup” at Houghton, Mich. – Tech Trails
Tech will host the third Central Region NCAA qualifier at the Tech Trails as a collaborative race weekend with CCSA member institutions as well as the Great Lakes Division junior clubs competing for selection to the 2022 Junior Nationals. The races will be a skate interval start 10K women/15K men on Saturday and a Classic sprint for all on Sunday. This will be the only NCAA Nordic event MTU hosts this season, so get out there to support your Nordic Huskies!
February 12-13 “CCSA Championships” at Ishpeming, Mich. – Al Quaal Recreation Area
Northern Michigan will host the CCSA Championships at Al Quaal. This event is both the conference championship event as well as a Central Regional NCAA qualifier. The races will be a skate mass start 15K women/20K men on Saturday and a classic interval start 5K women/10K men on Sunday.
February 19-20 “NCAA Central Regional Skiing Championships” at Duluth, Minn. – Grand Avenue Nordic Center
The NCAA Central Regional Skiing Championships will be held at the Grand Avenue Nordic Center in Duluth, hosted by Saint Scholastica. The races will mirror the NCAA Skiing Championship format with classic 5K women/10K men on Saturday and skate 15K women/20K men on Sunday.
March 9-12 “NCAA Skiing Championships” at Midway, Utah – Soldier Hollow
The 2022 NCAA Skiing Championships will be held at Soldier Hollow hosted by the University of Utah. The Championship races will be a classic interval start 5K women/10K men on Wednesday, March 9, and a skate mass start 15K women/20K men on Friday, March 11.