January 04, 2015 (Houghton, Michigan) – Cold and windy conditions greeted skiers for the opening of the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships with the 10/15 km FR race. Snow conditions have be great in Houghton, Michigan which was a welcome sight for the nearly 400 athletes who have converged here for the coveted titles on Michigan Tech’s renowned Nordic ski trails.

Men 15K podium © Andrew Gardner

Kyle Bratrud (Northern Michigan University), 21, took home the first national title besting Kris Freeman (Freebird) in the men’s 15km FR contest by a comfortable margin with Patrick Caldwell (Dartmouth College) edging out Matthew Gelso (Sun Valley SEF) for the final podium spot.

Freeman, Bolger © Andrew Gardner

“My goal coming into today was to get a top ten,” said Bratrud. “Coming from NMU, I ski this course all the time and I know it pretty well and I was excited when I saw this snow.”

Caitlin Gregg (Team Gregg/Madshus), fresh off the period one World Cup schedule, raced to victory in the women’s 10km FR contest with APU Nordic Ski Center’s Chelsea Holmes taking second followed closely by her teammate Rosie Brennan in third – check out our pre-race interview with Brennan here.

Women's 10K FR podium © Peter Graves

“It feels absolutely great to come back to the U.S. and race so well at the national championships. The race today was hard and I had to fight the whole way! I am so grateful for the awesome support from the U.S. Ski Team while I was over in Europe this fall on the World Cup,” commented Gregg.

Caitlin Gregg © Andrew Gardner

“The race was quite tough,” said second-placed Holmes. “The nature of the course and the cold snow meant there was no rest out there.  I am happy with the effort I gave, it was a great way to kick off the week!”

Chelsea Holmes © Andrew Gardner

Due to forecast sub-zero temperatures the classic sprints has been moved back one day and will now be held on Jan. 6 with the same timing as originally planned on Jan. 5.

Results

Men

1. Kyle Bratrud (Northern Michigan University) 42:01.6
2. Kris Freeman (Freebird) 42:51.6
3. Patrick Caldwell (Dartmouth College) 42:54.3
4. Matthew Gelso (Sun Valley SEF) 42:54.4
5. Fredrik Schwencke (Northern Michigan University) 43:13

Full results here.

Women

1. Caitlin Gregg (Team Gregg/Madshus) 30:31.5
2. Chelsea Holmes (APU Nordic Ski Center) 30:43.6
3. Rosie Brennan (APU Nordic Ski Center) 30:44.2
4. Caitlin Patterson (Craftsbury Green Racing Project) 31:03.2
5. Jessica Yeaton (APU Nordic Ski Center) 31:03.8

Full results here.