HOUGHTON, Mich. - Michigan Tech Cross Country and Nordic Skiing and Track and Field coach Joe Haggenmiller announced Thursday (May 29) that two athletes have signed National Letters of Intent. Lauren Rantala of Eden Prairie, Minn., and Melanie Hoffman of Sobieski, Wis., will join the programs starting in 2008-09.
“These two women should have a positive impact on our program next year,” said Haggenmiller. “They will add depth to our team as we continue to battle in the top tier of the region and compete with the national elite.”
Rantala joins the Huskies after competing in the junior national championships for Team Midwest. In Anchorage, this year’s junior national host, she was consistently in the middle third of the tough J1 Class. She competed in Nordic skiing and track and field for four years and cross country for three years for the Eden Prairie Eagles. She was a member of the Eagle’s 4x800 meter relay team that placed fourth at the 2006 Minnesota State Track and Field Meet. She was also an accomplished swimmer winning four state titles before turning her focus to running and skiing.
Hoffman is a four-year veteran of the Midwest junior national championship team. She is a multi-time junior national all-american and turned in a top 10 performance in the 2008 female OJ Sprint where she won the B final. She earned four letters in cross country, three in Nordic skiing and two in track and field at Pulaski High School. She is a two time state high school champion in Nordic skiing. Hoffman earned first team all-conference and all-county honors as a freshman helping the Raiders to a conference championship and a state runner-up finish in cross country. She also qualified for the Wisconsin State track meet three times including a runner-up finish in the 4x400 meter relay. Hoffman is also an excellent student. She is currently ranked first in her class and has been a member of the honor roll every year.
Photo Credit: Michigan Tech
