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Men's Skiing 3/14/2026 1:25:00 PM Jack Belcher - Athletics Communications Assistant

Kraftson, Fricker, and Clarke Compete in 20k at NCAA Championships

Midway, Utah -- The NMU nordic ski team sent three male student-athletes to the NCAA National Championships, with day two coming to a close.

Despite warm conditions and high altitude that made racing difficult, the NMU men's nordic ski team finished strong in the 20k Mass Start on the second and final day of competition.

In a field of 40 racers, Adrik Kraftson led the way for the Green and Gold as he finished in 17th place and second place in the CCSA with his final time of 47:59.5. Kraftson remained amongst the lead pack through lap 3. Kraftson's best times were sub-6 laps, which he posted in laps 1-4. He finished strong with a final lap time of 6:15.7, which pushed him into 17th place overall.

Right behind Kraftson was Luke Fricker, who finished 19th overall and third amongst CCSA skaters. Fricker finished with a final time of 48:27.3 and also remained in the lead pack through the first several laps. Fricker posted multiple fast laps as his fifth lap time was the fastest in the field at 5:56.3, and the third-best in the field during the third lap. His final lap time of 6:21.3 helped him finish strong in 19th.

Rounding it out for NMU was Jonathan Clarke in 26th place. Clarke moved up the field throughout the race as he posted a strong final lap time of 6:03.9 that helped move him up to 26th. He started towards the back in 32nd and moved through the field, including three spots in the final three laps.

Mons Melbye of the University of Utah won the race by just 0.4 seconds over US Olympian John Steel Hagenbuch of Dartmouth. Melbye finished with a time of 46:14.6, including a final lap time of 5:14.8, which was the best time that lap and helped propel him ahead of Hagenbuch to win in a photo finish. Wes Campbell in 12th paced the CCSA for Michigan Tech.

The Wildcats moved up to 13th in team points with 91 points as the men picked up an additional 31 points on their final day of competition. NMU is now two spots ahead of Michigan Tech in 15th (62.5 points), and also remains in second place among the teams that don't have NCAA alpine teams at the event, as Alaska Fairbanks remains ahead of them with 205.5 points in 10th place overall.

Fans can find individual results from today's race here, and team results from the weekend here.

The team now looks ahead to the final competition of the 2025/26 schedule, the US Spring National Championships in Two Weeks.

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Players Mentioned

Jonathan Clarke: 5' 11"; Senior

Luke Fricker: 5' 8"; Senior

Adrik Kraftson: Redshirt Junior

Players Mentioned

Jonathan Clarke
: 5' 11"; Senior

Luke Fricker
: 5' 8"; Senior

Adrik Kraftson
: Redshirt Junior