HAMILTON, Ont. - McMaster's Nordic Skiing team is heading over to the snowy trails of Thunder Bay this weekend to compete in the 2024 OUA Championships. The team has been looking forward to the event all year and hopes to finish strong as they race against the top athletes in the province. 

Last year, the Marauders took home their first ever medal in the history of the program as their women's team finished in third place. The men's team placed ninth.

This year's event is being hosted by the reigning men's champions, the Lakehead Thunderwolves. 11 Ontario schools are set to take part: the Algoma Thunderbirds, Carleton Ravens, Guelph Gryphons, Lakehead Thunderwolves, Laurentian Voyageurs, McMaster Marauders, Nipissing Lakers, Ottawa Gee-Gees, Queen's Gaels, Toronto Varsity Blues, and Waterloo Warriors. 

ATHLETES TO WATCH

Marika Wechsler, a first-year student from Ottawa, is eager to make her mark as she enters her first OUA Championships. She is an experienced racer from the Nakkertok Nordics racing program. At the OFSAA Nordic high school competition in 2023, Wechsler was a key member of the Glebe Collegiate Institute's gold medal relay team. She also placed 16th out of over 100 racers in the individual freestyle race. 

Another first-year student looking for a strong OUA debut is David Harris from Thunder Bay. While this is Harris' first winter season fully focused on Nordic Skiing, his training and dedication has brought impressive results. In the North Bay Nordic Blue Sky Loppet, which was held on February 11th, he finished fourth place and was just 30 seconds shy of the bronze medal. 

MORE TEAM STORYLINES

Being a student-athlete is difficult, but fourth-year skier Laura Harris from Ottawa seems to have it all figured out. She is extremely busy as she acts as a student field therapist for McMaster's Cross Country/Track team as well as a group fitness instructor at the Pulse. Making her third OUA appearance this weekend, Harris has shown unwavering commitment to her training. She aims to leave her mark one last time as a Marauder before she graduates this year.

Excited for his chance to prove himself, Nils Nordstrom is a fourth-year student from Ottawa who is competing in his first ever OUA Championships. Nordstrom came to the McMaster Nordic Skiing program from Nakkertok Nordics racing program and has been training with the McMaster team for the past 3 seasons. He is ready to add to McMaster's team grit and leave everything he has out there this weekend.

As an Arts & Science graduate, Coach Todd Harris has long been a part of the McMaster community, but this is his first season in the role of head coach. Harris picked up the reins after the Marauders women's team's bronze medal finish at last year's OUA Championships and has continued to develop the team's skills and high-performance habits. This year, the Marauders are sending 10 athletes (5 female, 5 male) to the OUA Championships with depth on both sides. The athletes are eager to ski fast and have a blast.

WORDS FROM THE TEAM CAPTAIN

"As a school in Southern Ontario, each winter we face the challenge of getting time on snow. This puts us in a situation where every time we are able to ski our team is focused, grateful, and hungry to put in the work. Seeing the commitment my teammates have given to the program this year has made me very excited to see how we can perform at OUA's." - Nick Sammon, Team Captain.

Hopefully the Marauders can catch some silky snow to glide through the weekend successfully.