HOUGHTON, Mich. – Michigan Tech Nordic skiing has added six student-athletes for the 2026-27 season.
 
Coach Tom Monahan Smith:
"This is a truly outstanding recruiting class! All six of our incoming student-athletes have achieved top finishes nationally and internationally, and they will all make an immediate impact on our team performance! They come to us from across the country and across the globe, which we love, as this diversity promotes a culture of learning and growth in our sport development as a team.
 
"All of our recruits chose Michigan Tech because of the unique and premier academic programs they get to pursue, and this gives us the utmost confidence that this recruiting class will continue our team's legacy of achieving academic and athletic excellence. We also greatly look forward to welcoming our new Graduate Assistant Coach who comes to us from Norway and brings a depth of competitive experience, especially having coached at the highest level of the Ski Classics - the long-distance cross country ski championship series."

Jan Lebard

Class: Freshman Season (1st year Graduate School)
Hometown: Autrans, Isère, France
Major: Data Science MS
Previous Team: Team Vercors-Isère
 
• 2025-26: *17th Engadin Ski Marathon
• 2025-26: *11th Senior French Cup
• 2024-25: *14th Senior French Cup
• 2024-25: *20th Senior French Distance Championship
 
Why I chose Michigan Tech: My conversations with the coaches, faculty, and current students convinced me that this is a close-knit community where I can grow both as an athlete and as a person. I'm also very grateful to Félix Cottet, whose advice and recommendation first introduced me to Michigan Tech and played an important role in my decision. The more I learned about Michigan Tech, the more I felt it was a place where I would thrive.

Gard Lindby

Class: Freshman Season (1st year of graduate school)
Hometown: Oslo, Norway
Major: MBA
Previous Team: Røa IL
2025-26: *Top 50 at the Norwegian National Championships in both the 10 km and 50 km freestyle events.
2025-26: *Competed regularly in both the Norwegian Cup and the Scandinavian Cup.
2024-25: • 5th place – Norwegian U23 Championships (5 km freestyle)
2024-25: • Top-50 – Norwegian National Championships (10 km freestyle)
2024-25: • Competed extensively in the Norwegian Cup and Scandinavian Cup
 
Why you chose Michigan Tech: Michigan Tech stood out because of its excellent MBA program, outstanding training facilities, and long winters. It offers the perfect environment to develop both academically and athletically.

Everett Roberson

Class: Freshman
Hometown: Casper, Wyoming
Major: Aerospace Engineering
Previous Team: Casper Nordic
 
Prior to Michigan Tech: 2026 U.S. Cross Country Ski National Championships:
• 4th U18 10km Classic Individual Start
• 9th U18 10km Skate Mass Start
• Named Alternate for Team USA U18 Scandinavian SuperTrip

Cross Country/Track:
• 9th - 2025 Wyoming High School State Championship, Cross Country
• 7th - 2026 Wyoming High School State Championship, 800m

2025 Wyoming High School State Ski Championships:
• 3rd - 5km Classic Individual
• 5th - 10km Skate Mass Start
 
Why you chose Michigan Tech: The amazing coaching staff and the strong team culture drew me in, along with Tech's opportunities not only on the ski trails but also in the classroom.

Odin Berryman

Class: Freshman
Hometown: Missoula, Montana
Major: Chemistry
Previous Team: Missoula Ice Badgers
 
Prior to Michigan Tech:
2025-26: 2026 U.S. Cross Country Ski National Championships
• 5th place U18 in Classic 10km Interval Start
• 5th place U18 in Skate 10km Mass Start

• Qualified for the Team USA U18 Scandinavian SuperTrip where I got to compete for the U.S. in races in Trondheim, Norway & Ulricehamn, Sweden

• 3x Junior National All-American, 10 Junior National Qualifier Podium Finishes in the Intermountain Region through high school athletic career.
 
Why you chose Michigan Tech: I chose Tech because of the excellent academic programs and access to snow.

Johanne Gylthe Berget

Class: Freshman
Hometown: Hamar, Innlandet, Norway
Major: Engineering Management
Previous Team: Team Kraftriket Hedmark-Sjusjoen & Vang Skiloperforening
 
Prior to Michigan Tech:
• 19th place in the Norwegian National Junior Championships, Classic 5km Interval Start (12th place for 2006 birth year) in Lygna in 2025.
• 18th place in the Norwegian Junior Cup, Classic 10km mass start at Skeikampen in 2024.
• Several quarterfinal finishes in Norwegian Junior Cup races in both skate and classic sprint through junior athletic career.
 
Why you chose Michigan Tech: I chose Tech because of its strong academic reputation, and it seemed like a place where I could reach my academic and athletic goals. I was also drawn to the good snow conditions and the positive team experience.

Axel Hostyn

Class: Sophomore Season
Hometown: Vernon, British Columbia, Canada
Major: Civil Engineering
Previous Team: Black Jack Ski Team
 
Prior to Michigan Tech:
2024-25 season:
• 7.5k individual Classic, US Super Tour. 5th U20
• 10k individual skate, Canadian national champs. 6th.
• Classic sprint, Canadian national champs. 3rd.
• National champs aggregate, U18. 3rd place.

2025-26 season:
• 10k individual Classic, Sovereign Invitational. 1st place U20
• 7.5k individual Skate, Sovereign Invitational. 4th place U20
 
Why you chose Michigan Tech: I chose Tech because of the strong engineering program, the strong Nordic Ski team, and the long on-snow ski season on the local trails.

Lauritz Sogn-Larssen

Position: Graduate Assistant Coach
Hometown: Oslo, Norway
Major: Mechanical Engineering MS, specialization in Industrial Engineering
Previous Team: Coach with NTNUI Langrenn
2025-26: Deputy Leader of NTNUI Langrenn (NTNUI Ski Team)
2024-25: Pro Team Director of NTNUI Ski Team.
2024-25: *Sole student-led team in Visma Ski Classics.
2024-25: Team Leader for Norway at World University Games in Torino, Italy
2024-25: *Secured Norway's first gold medal in 12 years.
 
Prior to Michigan Tech: NTNU - Norwegian university of science and technology
 
Why you chose Michigan Tech: The opportunity to combine a high level of education and sports.