The North Wind

Issue date: 4/26/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Complements of Sten Fjeldheim NMU cross country coach Sten Fjeldheim urges on skier Lindsay Williams. Williams medaled twice at the NCAA Championships.

NMU head basketball coach Dean Ellis has won 340 games over the course of 21 seasons. Hockey head coach Walt Kyle has coached several players who have received national accolades. USOEC boxing coach Al Mitchell has played an instrumental role in the success of a number of Olympians.

And then there's Sten Fjeldheim, the highly successful, yet largely unheralded coach of the NMU cross country skiing program.

During his 18 years at NMU, Fjeldheim has coached 40 All-Americans, 12 Olympians, and three national champions in skiing. In addition he has coached the Wildcats women's cross country running team to six national championship appearances and two GLIAC championships. If that's not enough, he's also served as the head and assistant women's track coach for Northern.

"Sten has played a huge role in my development as a skier. Choosing to come to NMU to be coached by him was the best decision I have ever made," said Lindsay Williams, a senior on NMU's cross country ski team.

Williams won the NCAA championship in the 5k freestyle this year and finished second place in the 15k classic.

Fjeldheim is a very tough coach who has the highest expectations for all his athletes and demands excellence from them constantly, Williams said.

Williams said that her most vivid memory of Fjeldheim was from her initial season on the team.

"It was my first 15k race ever and I was pretty intimidated by the distance," she said. "I started the race and was really stiff and going a lot slower than I ever should have been. So I get to the one kilometer mark and Sten is running up the hill after me screaming 'What the hell are you doing! This isn't a 50k. I know you can go faster.' I didn't want to disappoint him and I ended up speeding up and finishing with an OK time."

Despite his demanding and tough approach toward his athletes, Williams said that Fjeldheim always has the respect of the team.

"He does a ton to motivate us all. He is right there next to us on most of our workouts and practices and we all know that he really cares about us," she said.

Athletic Director Ken Godfrey agrees.

Continued...

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