Looking back at the 2016 college season in review, we couldn't ignore two standouts and NCAA championships: Mads Strøm of the University of Colorado-Boulder and the University of Denver's Linn Eriksen, both originally from Oslo, Norway.
Led by Linn Eriksen, who won the women's 15 k classic mass start by nearly 20 seconds, and Moritz Madlener, second in the men's 20 k, Denver locked up its 23rd national championship on Saturday. Meanwhile, Mads Strøm completed a clean sweep of the men's individual races.
NMU's Fredrik Schwencke skied to victory in Friday's 20 k classic mass start, avoiding a crash in the final meters of the race which took out Colorado's Rune Malo Ødegård and New Mexico's Aku Nikander. In the women's 15 k New Mexico's Emilie Cedervaern double-poled past Utah's Veronika Mayerhofer to her first NCAA victory.
Rosie Brennan (APU) earned her second national title in a week after striding to a 5.5 second win in the women's 20 k classic mass start in northern Michigan. APU coach Erik Flora said that he believes Brennan is ready for the next level of racing saying, “she is one of our top ladies and she is right at that point to make that next step and jump in with the World Cup crew.”
A two-time runner-up at this year's nationals, Sadie Bjornsen proved to herself that she can achieve gold, winning her second national title in three years in her first-ever 20 k. Bjornsen skied away from the pack late, beating teammate Kate Fitzgerald by nearly 13 seconds.