Results (PDF)

ANCHORAGE - The Alaska Nanooks Nordic ski team had a big day in the freestyle race at the 2023 RMISA Regionals hosted by UAA. Alaska had three total podium appearances with two in the women's 5k freestyle and one in the men's 10k freestyle. 

In the women's race, the Nanooks were led by Mariel Pulles. Pulles posted a strong day in the freestyle, taking second-place only 3.1 seconds behind the 5k freestyle winner, Novie McCabe of Utah. Pulles posted a race time of 13:54.4, scoring 37 points for Alaska. The top-two were well separated from the rest of the pack as Kendall Kramer followed Pulles in third-place and 29.5 seconds behind McCabe's winning time. Kramer took third with a time of 14:20.8 and earned 34 points for the 'Nooks. Rosie Fordham followed with the third top-five finish for the Nanooks; she placed fifth with a time of 14:34.4, trailing the winner's time by 43.1 seconds and scored the Nanooks final points, grabbing 29. 

Aila Berrigan and Sarah Olson just missed out on top-20 finishes with Berrigan taking 21st-place with a time of 15:16.3. Olson was right behind her teammate, taking 22nd with a finishing time of 15:29.9. Abigail Haas was the final Nanooks women's racer to finish on day one, taking 27th-overall with a time of 15:45.5.

On the men's side, Mike Ophoff was the third Nanooks racer to reach the podium, finishing third-place. He It was a sprint to the finish for the top-three finishers as they finished 2.4 seconds within each other. The winner, Bernhard Flaschberger of Denver, finished in a time of 26:02.8. 1.1 seconds behind him was Magnus Noroey of UAA and 2.4 seconds behind the winner was Mike Ophoff of Alaska, finishing with a time of 26:05.2. The fourth-place finisher finished 10.4 seconds behind Ophoff. With his third-place finish, Ophoff grabbed the 'Nooks 34 points. 

Christopher Kalev was the next men's racer to finish the 10k freestyle. Kalev took 22nd-place with a time of 27:47.8, trailing the winner by 1:45.0. He earned 14 points. Just under a minute later, Josh Baurick finished in 30th-place. He finished with a time of 28:46.2. The three were the only racers for Alaska in the men's 10k freestyle as Max Beiergrohslein and Philipp Moosmayer did not start the race. 

Alaska led the way in the women's team scores, posting 100, besting second-place UU (78.5). The Nanooks posted the fourth-best score in the men's scores with 61, following UAA, who scored 76. The Nanooks as a whole lead the Nordic point scorers with their 161, holding a slim lead over Utah (159.5).

The Nanooks are back in action tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. AKT. 

For more information on the Alaska Nanooks Nordic ski team, follow @NanookSkiing on Instagram, @NanooksSki on Twitter, or like the Alaska Nanooks XC team page on Facebook.