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By: Francesca Kitch
The Central Collegiate Ski Association (CCSA) is composed of six competing schools spanning the Midwest. Each season there are four CCSA invites–weekends full of racing–and this year, these competitions are set to begin this Saturday. The first three US Nationals races in Anchorage, Alaska, also counted towards CCSA competition; the skate 10k was scored as an NCAA qualifier, while the classic sprint and 20k classic mass start served as an opportunity to accumulate points toward team standings. Although the CCSA is a small conference, it doesn’t lack enthusiasm. Spectators travel all over the Midwest–and even to Alaska–to watch their athletes race.
Across all NCAA conferences–the CCSA, Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA), and Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA)–distances and techniques are standardized. Every two years, the distance races at NCAA Championships alternate between skate and classic, and the races at the invites reflect this change. This year, the 20k mass start at NCAA’s will be skate and the 7.5k will be classic, so the CCSA qualifying races will consist mostly of 20k classic mass starts and 7.5k individual classic races. From the points earned in these races, skiers will be ranked within the CCSA, and the top 6 athletes of each gender will qualify for the NCAA Championships to compete in Hanover, New Hampshire, this March.
The CCSA invite this weekend will be hosted by the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay. The Green Bay team has undergone an impressive transformation from 4 years ago when head coach Sam Meyers started the job. With a full roster of 3 men in 2021, Meyers has built up the program to now carry 17 athletes (9 men and 8 women) for the 2025 season. “This is the first year that we’ve had an upperclassmen-heavy roster…it feels like everyone has a really good understanding of how we operate as a team.” Meyers is encouraged to see how helpful the team captains have been in the seamless running of the team and how this has aided the overall maturity of the team. “We work really hard, we have big goals. But we also remember that skiing is fun.” Meyers adds, “One of the big things I look for in recruits is someone that just simply loves the sport of nordic skiing, and that’s a big factor in creating the culture that we like….not only good skiers but love working hard and being outside.” Meyers predicts strong performances from senior Ryan Themie and Junior Noah Erikson, the two top finishers on the men’s team from last season, finishing in 15th and 23rd, respectively, in the CCSA rankings. On the women’s side, Sophomore Lily Franzen is looking to improve on her performance from last year as the leading women’s skier for the team, and Meyers is excited to see what freshman Hedda Samuelsson has to show.
Michigan Tech Head Coach Tom Smith looks forward to another season with his team, excited by individual standouts and a promising team as a whole. Michigan Tech finished 13th at NCAA’s last year, the highest rank of the central conference, despite being hindered in the rankings by its lack of an alpine team to supplement the nordic team’s scores. “I’m proud to say we have an amazing team, and that’s because we have amazing people that make it what it is!” Smith stresses the importance of the balance between student and athlete as well as competition and fun. “We have two overarching goals for our team: to always work for improved performance…and above all, for our student-athletes to love their experience as a member of the team!” 3 time NCAA Championship qualifier Colin Freed is having a standout Senior season so far with top 15 finishes in the Cable Supertour and a CCSA win in the 10km skate race at US Nationals. On the women’s side, Smith highlighted Marie Wangen, Alice McKnight, and Greta Hansen as promising this season. Wangen skied into the semi-finals of both the skate and classic sprints at US Nationals as the top CCSA finisher and skied similarly well at the Super Tour in December with a top 6 performance. Of McKnight, Smith says she has “really made a performance jump in her senior season” with the first CCSA podium of her career in the 10km skate race at US Nationals. Hansen has been consistent all-around with CCSA podiums in distance races so far this season and finished as the 5th U23 American in the skate sprint at US Nationals.
St. Olaf’s team has come into new leadership this year with head coach Tor Hanson, a recent graduate of St. Olaf himself (‘23) who stayed on as an assistant coach last season. Hanson describes that “working from the team Brochman provided and now laying down my own foundation, I’m incredibly encouraged by the development seen amongst our team.” The team has indeed been making their mark on the local and international stage: Senior Lily Hubanks and Sophomore Amaeli Kam-Magruder are currently in Italy for the World University Games after impressive performances at the Cable Supertour. Hansen is encouraged by the incoming speed of the first-year class on both the men’s and women’s teams, and combined with the experience of older members of the team, it will be interesting to see how the season progresses.
Jason Kask, Head Coach for the College of St. Scholastica (CSS) team, started his job in the fall of 2023. “With an excellent freshman class and our veterans in great form, it’s shaping up to be a fun winter,” Kask remarks. Senior captains Chase High and Mae Whitcomb have bright seasons ahead after a great year of training and some promising early-season results. Freshman Leevi Tarjanne and junior Greta Leitheiser also look promising after the Supertour, Leitheiser coming home with multiple top 20 finishes and Tarjanne with top 30 performances. “We are excited to see their hard work in the off-season shine this winter.”
Northern Michigan University is consistently a top school in the CCSA, and last year their men’s team won the conference title. Sophomore Henriette Nilssen was last year’s highest-ranked CCSA woman and currently leads the standings after a CCSA win in the 10km skate at US Nationals. Her teammate, Senior Victoria Dybwad, was the third CCSA finisher last season and finished second in the 10km at US Nationals. Junior Luke Fricker was last year’s top men’s skier and finished second place in the US Nationals 10km skate. Sophomore Adrik Kraftson finished the podium off in the skate 10km at nationals in 3rd place.
St. Cloud University will also participate in these invitationals, but currently only has one member of the women’s team, and no men. Head coach Mike Schroden was unavailable for comment.
