SOLDIER HOLLOW, Utah â€Â“ Past and present NMU skiershave been competing at the 2005 U.S Cross Country Championships on the Olympictrails at Soldier Hollow.  Lindsay Williams captured the womenâ€Â™s classic sprintrace on Saturday (Jan. 8) for her first national title.  The skiers competed inthe menâ€Â™s 10K and womenâ€Â™s 5K freestyle events and the menâ€Â™s and womenâ€Â™s classicsprints.  Also the 2005 College Cup was decided from the womenâ€Â™s 5K classic andfreestyle event and the menâ€Â™s 10K freestyle and classic events.

Williams won the womenâ€Â™s classic sprint event on Saturday(Jan. 8) in a time of 3:49.94 which was a little more than a second faster thanthe second place finisher, Wendy Wagner from the U.S. Ski Team (3:50.97). Ã‚  FormerNMU skier Lindsey Weier was 14^th (3:58.21) as she was followed byMorgan Smyth in 17^th (3:55.05) and Tami Kochen in  19^thplace (4:00.86).  Four other skiers with NMU ties finished in 25^ththrough 40^th place.  Hilary Patzer was 25^th (4:07.09)followed by Maria Stuber in 29^th (4:11.53), 30^th wasCaitlin Compton (4:11.67) and Jennifer Wygant in 35^th place(4:16.84). 

Bryan Cook and Gus Kaeding were the only men skiers to placeon the menâ€Â™s side of classic sprint.  Cook was 25^th (3:27.45) asteammate Kaeding was 27^th (3:28.02).

Williams and Kochen placed in the top 12 in the womenâ€Â™s 5Kfreestyle race on Thursday, Jan. 6.  Williams was ninth as she covered thecourse in a time of 15:55.6 with Kochen about eight seconds behind in 12^thplace (16:03.5).  Smyth was 19^th (16:11.5) as she was followed byPatzer in 29^th (16:33.4) and Compton in 30^th (16:34.2). Ã‚ Placing in the top 55 were Stuber in 45^th (16:58.4) and Wygant in 54^th(17:16.1).

The men raced the 10K freestyle event on the same day.  BretBedard was the top junior in 25^th place overall in a time of27:36.9.  Cook was 31^st with a clocking of 27:58.6.  Kaedingfinished in 93^rd place overall with a time of 30:12.7.

The NMU women captured the College Cup with 27 points as the University of New Mexico was second with 90 points.  On the menâ€Â™s side theNMU men were fifth with 139 points as Denver was the top team with 37 points.