ST. CLOUD — The friend of a college student who had severe hypothermia after spending the night in subzero temperatures said she is improving slowly.

Police said 19-year-old Alyssa Jo Lommel had been out drinking with friends Dec. 6 and was dropped off at her Duluth house around midnight. A passer-by spotted Lommel on the front stoop of the house about nine hours later.

Friends and family gathered Friday at Cathedral High School to pray for Lommel. The University of Minnesota Duluth student remains in critical condition at a St. Paul hospital.

Lommel’s roommate Abbie Hagen says Lommel’s condition is improving. She described it as “baby steps” but that it’s “very positive.”

A fund has been set up for her at Bremer Bank in St. Cloud.