U-M at USCSA National Championships

Fri, Mar  11, 2016 - By Ellen Wiitala

The big story: UM Ladies are in 3rd place after day one in Lake Placid! The race was a 15km mass-start classic, and the warm, wet conditions made for an interesting event. The women's team was led by the strong performances of senior Ellen Wiitala in 4th, sophomore Abby Potts in 13th, and senior Erica Dombro in 22nd, out of a field of 48 women. The race was won by the University of Wyoming's Elise Sulser with a time of 1:01:37. The women's team standings after day one leaves the University of Wyoming in first, Clarkson University in second, and the University of Michigan in 3rd, out of 9 teams.

Senior Ellen Wiitala skiing to 4th place in the Women's 15km Classic at the USCSA National Championships in Lake Placid, NY

For the men's 15km classic, UM was led by senior Doug Watts, placing 26th, followed by freshman Mike Wiitala in 37th. There were 52 athletes in the Men's race. The race was won by Mason Vincent of the University of Wyoming with a time of 49:38. UM is ranked 7th out of 10 Men's teams after day one, with the University of Wyoming, Western State Colorado University, and the United States Airforce Academy in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, respectively.

Sophomores Matt Villalta (front) and Tay Tantivirun working together in the 15km Classic mass start at the USCSA National Championships in Lake Placid, NY

Five men and five women are competing from the University of Michigan, and this is the first-ever appearance by a nordic ski team from the state of Michigan at the USCSA National Championships. Participating athletes are from NCAA Division III and collegiate club teams from around the country.

Live streaming can be found at broadcast.uscsa.com, and a full results list can be found at http://www.uscsa.com/conferences-events/uscsa-results/