University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

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FAIRBANKS – The only athletic department in the entire country without a spring sport is Alaska. But that didn't stop these student-athletes from having the first-ever spring sporting event as the Nanooks partook in the inaugural Nanooks Spring Sports Showdown on Friday night, which pitted each of the programs against one other in six different events.
 
The department broke itself up into eight teams: Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Cross Country/Ski, American Hockey, Canadian Hockey, Rifle, Swimming and Volleyball.
 
In what is sure to become an annual bragging-rights event, American Hockey took home the departmental crown by a five-point margin over their in-season teammates from Canadian Hockey. American Hockey didn't have to win an event as it put together three runner-up finishes and a third-place showing to tally 32 points – five ahead of Canadian Hockey's 27 points.
 
The teams, which had four competitors per event, aside from cheerleading, which comprised of all team members, competed in volleyball (single elimination), rifle (four shots per shooter), skiing (four-lap relay), basketball (single elimination), swimming (timed, two heats) and cheerleading (judged by four coaches).
 
The American Hockey team, made up of juniors Trevor Campbell, Jared Larson, Garrick Perry, and Nolan Youngmun, sophomores Richard Coyne, Matthew Friese, Alec Hajdukovich, John Keeney and J.D. Peterson and freshmen Josh Erickson, Jared Linnell and Justin Woods, took second place in rifle, skiing and swimming while grabbing a third-place nod in volleyball.
 
Canadian Hockey took runner-up in the event and captivated the crowd with their stunning upset over Men's Basketball on the hardwood with a last-second three pointer by junior goaltender Sean Cahill. They also claimed third in rifle and fourth in both swimming and cheerleading.
 
Men's Basketball was third in the Showdown with 24 points, followed by Women's Basketball (20), Rifle (16) Cross Country/Ski (11), Swimming (11) and Volleyball (6).
 
In the opening event, Volleyball, which wore mittens while hitting, won their own event with ease, dispatching Men's Basketball in the final.
 
Down on the range, Rifle overcame standing on foam pads to win their sport in a competition which saw each shooter shoot at four small targets.
 
The competition moved outdoors across the street from the Patty Center for the skiing relay. Cross Country/Ski had a 10-second delay in beginning the event but after cruising past the field, the host racers were notified they would not be able to ski with poles and with only one ski – it didn't affect them as they won their own event by a wide margin.
 
One thing we did learn is that most student-athletes not only had never skied before, but should probably never try it again unless for a good laugh by their peers and the constant wipeouts.
 
Back inside, the basketball games got underway and in the semifinals, Women's Basketball and Men's Basketball were both upset. Cross Country took down Women's Basketball before Canadian Hockey electrified the crowd with the Cahill game winner. In the final, it was a defensive struggle, which saw Canadian Hockey triumph, 3-2.
 
The fifth event was the 200-yard swimming relay, which saw Swimming cruise to the victory while wearing t-shirts over their suits. It was that event which saw senior center Sergej Pucar, who stands 6-foot, 11-inches tall, swim the anchor leg for Men's Basketball.
 
In the final event – cheerleading – the teams were judged by a panel made up of hockey assistant coach Lance West, hockey Champs Life coach Ryan Reinheller, cross country assistant coach Joey Nunes and skiing assistant coach Christina Turman.
 
Women's Basketball took home the final victory of the night, with Men's Basketball claiming second. American Hockey's routine did not go over well with the judges, resulting in a dead-last performance.
  
POINT SCALE: 1st – 10, 2nd – 8, 3rd – 6, 4th – 4, 5th – 2, 6th – 1, 7th & 8th – 0
**Teams competing in their own event could not score points**
 
RESULTS BY EVENT:
Volleyball: Volleyball 1st, Men's Basketball 2nd, American Hockey 3rd, Women's Basketball 4th, Canadian Hockey 5th, Swim 6th, Cross Country/Ski 7th, Rifle 8th.
 
Rifle: Rifle 1st, American Hockey 2nd, Canadian Hockey t-3rd, Men's Basketball t-3rd, Volleyball t-5th, Women's Basketball t-5th, Cross Country/Ski t-7th, Swimming t-7th.
 
Skiing: Cross Country/Ski 1st, American Hockey 2nd, Swim 3rd, Rifle 4th, Women's Basketball 5th, Canada 6th, Men's Basketball 7th, Volleyball 8th.
 
Basketball: Canadian Hockey 1st, Cross Country/Ski 2nd, Men's Basketball 3rd, Women's Basketball 4th, American Hockey 5th, Volleyball 6th, Rifle 7th, Swim 8th.
 
Swimming: Swimming 1st, American Hockey 2nd, Rifle 3rd, Canadian Hockey 4th, Men's Basketball 5th, Cross Country/Ski 6th, Volleyball 7th, Women's Basketball 8th.
 
Cheerleading: Women's Basketball 1st, Men's Basketball 2nd, Rifle 3rd, Canadian Hockey 4th, Swim 5th, Volleyball 6th,  Cross Country/Ski 7th, American Hockey 8th.