SOLDIER HOLLOW, Utah – The Alaska Nanooks Nordic ski team raced to a sixth place finish on day one of the Utah Invitational in Soldier Hollow, Utah. The 'Nooks picked up 100 day one points, 47 in the men's race and 53 in the women's.
The Nanooks men's team raced the first leg of the day, competing in a 10km freestyle interval start.
Tristian Sayre finished on top for Alaska racers, placing 15th overall, putting up a time of 21:49.7. Just behind him was
Mike Ophoff, as he placed 23rd with a time of 22:30.0. In the middle of the pack was
Christopher Kalev,
Lukash Platil and
Logan Mowry, who placed 27th, 29th and 31st. Kalev raced to a time of 22:40.1, Platil put up a time of 22:57.5 and Mowry followed with a time of 23:22.5.
Josiah Alverts was the final Nanook to cross the finish line, placing 35th overall with a time of 24:28.5.
Over in the women's race, the Nanooks competed in a 5km interval start.
Mariel Pulles was the top-dog for the 'Nooks on the women's side, finishing seventh overall with a time of 13:46.7. That finish and time got Alaska 25 team points. Unfortunately, no other Nanook finished in the top-20 as
Anja Maijala was the next 'Nook to cross the finish line. She placed 21st with a time of 14:32.1.
Catherine Reed-Metayer and Hannah Deuling were the next Alaska racers, placing 26th and 28th, only 19 seconds apart from each other.
Sarah Olson and
Sage Robine finished the race off for Alaska, claiming 32nd and 33rd overall with times of 15:47.5 and 17:01.7.
The Nanooks return to the site of the 2002 Olympics tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 15 to compete in 10km classics with a mass start for both the men and women races.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks Nordic ski teams, follow @AlaskaNanooksXC on Twitter, or like the Alaska Nanooks XC team page on Facebook.
