April 15, 2008
FAIRBANKS, AK- After terrific 2007-08 seasons for the Alaska ski team, Marius and Aurelia Korthauer once again found themselves in the spotlight, as they were named the men's and women's Most Valuable Skiers at the team's end of the year banquet held on Saturday.
The two Korthauers were mainstays atop the leaderboard for the Nanooks all season. Marius made Alaska history by capturing the men's first national title with a victory in the 20K classic race at the NCAA Championships in March. Korthauer, who also landed a podium spot with his second-place finish in the distance skate race at the national championships, would be the top overall finisher in six straight events at one point in the season: a run which included a Central Collegiate Ski Association crown in the 10K skate race. A six-time All-American, he was also the top collegiate finisher in both distance races at U.S. Nationals in January, taking fifth overall in the 10K freestyle and sixth in the 15K classic.
Aurelia, meanwhile, carved out a solid season for herself as well, coming on strong late in the season to earn a CCSA title in the women's 5K freestyle. Korthauer also took home a team-best 14th-place finish in the 15K classic race at the NCAA Championships. She finishes the year with eight overall top-ten finishes and eight top-five collegiate finishes, including a run of six straight from Jan. 19 to Feb. 17.
Whitehorse native John Parry and Michigan's Julia Coulter were named the team's Most Improved Skiers. Parry made a charge for NCAA qualification in just his first full season of competition with the Nanooks, staying in the running for a CCSA berth all the way to the final event of the season. Parry enjoyed a career-best race at the NTN Trails this season, taking seventh-place collegiately (11th overall) in the 10K skate race in Marquette, Mich.
Though she redshirted her third season with the Nanooks, Coulter impressed while skiing as an independent at the U.S. Cross Country Championships in January, taking 15th spot overall in the 5K freestyle event. Coulter also turned in the team's second-best performance at the U.S. Nationals classic race, finishing behind Korthauer in the 10K event.
Nanook seniors Vahur Teppan and Tamra Kornfield round out the list of award winners, claiming Teammate of the Year honors. Teppan has been a leader both on-and-off the course for Alaska since joining the team prior to last season. In addition to earning All-Academic honors with a perfect 4.00 GPA, he also grabbed two All-American awards, coming in fifth and eighth, respectively in the classical and freestyle races at the NCAA Championships. Kornfield, a member of the 2006 CCSA championship team, has been a solid performer in four years of competition for the Nanooks. She placed 38th in the 5K skate at the NTN Trails event in January.
