NMU Nordic Skiing 2021-22 Schedule Out Now
Courtesy: Northern Michigan Wildcats
MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan University Nordic skiing team and head coach Andy Keller have released their 2021-22 season race schedule and it includes events in four different states with two coming in Michigan.
The Duluth SuperTour at the Grand Avenue Nordic Center in Duluth, Minn. opens the season for NMU on December 4-5. The event opens with the Skate Sprint on day one and the Skate 5/10k on the second.
A trip to Cable, Wis. is next for the Wildcats as they head to the Birkie SuperTour for an event that spans Dec. 10-12. Day one at the Birkie Trails features the Skate Mass Start 15k race, day two will be the Classic Sprint, and the final day will be the Classic 10/15k.
NMU begins the 2022 portion of the schedule with a trip to the United States Cross Country Ski Championships at the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway, Utah. The four-day event will feature the Skate Sprint, Skate Mass Start, Classic 10/15k, and Classic Sprint from January 2-7.
The Wildcats will have a small break before taking part in the Central Collegiate Ski Association (CCSA) Mt. Itasca CXC Cup on Jan. 22-23 at the Mt. Itasca Ski Center in Coleraine, Minn. The following week NMU competes in their first of two events in the Upper Peninsula this season when they take part in the CCSA MTU Invite hosted by Michigan Tech at the Michigan Tech Trails in Houghton, Mich. Both meets have the Skate 10/15k on the schedule while the MTU Invite has a Classic Sprint and the CXC Cup features a Classic 5/10k.
The CCSA Championships are hosted by the Wildcats this year at the Al Quaal Cross Country & Snowshoe Trails in Ishpeming, Mich. The championship will take place February 12-13. The Skate Mass Start 15/20k will take up day one and the Classic 5/10k will close out the event.
A second trip to the Grand Avenue Nordic Center in Duluth, Minn. is on deck for the Wildcats for the NCAA Central Regional Championships. The event runs Feb. 19-20 and begins with the Classic 5/10k on day one and the Skate Mass Start 15/20k on the final day.
The NCAA Championships are in Midway, Utah at the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center this season. The Classic Individual Start 5/10k is on Wednesday, March 9 while the Skate Mass Start 15/20k is Friday, March 11.
As a combined team, the Nordic Ski team had a fourth-place finish among Nordic teams at last season’s NCAA Championships and swept both the CCSA Championship and the NCAA Central Regional Championship. The Wildcats ended 2020-21 with five All-America honorees.