BOZEMAN, Mont. - It was a snowy start to the Montana State Invitational on Friday morning as the Alaska Nanooks Nordic skiing teams kicked off their weekend in Bozeman with the 20k freestyle. Alaska had one skier competing on the women's side and six on the men's, with Gabriele Rigaudo participating in his first RMISA race today.
The Blue & Gold finished the day in sixth place, earning 68 points.
The 'Nooks raced one skier in the women's race, as Aila Berrigan competed in the women's 20k. Skiing for over an hour in the deep snow, Berrigan finished her race in 22nd place, skating to a time of 1:08:39.4. This result earned the Nanooks 15 points, putting them sixth in the women's Nordic skiing standings after day one of the invite.
On the men's side, the 'Nooks had strong showings from their skiers in the tricky conditions, with racers keeping themselves in the first pack for a long time in the race. Philipp Moosmayer and Ben Dohlby had solid outings, getting close to the top 10, with Moosmayer earning a 14th-place result. He finished the 20k in 56:19.5, just 0.3 seconds behind Colorado's Johannes Flaaten in 13th. Dohlby came in right behind him, completing the race 5.3 seconds after Moosmayer in 16th. Just 5.6 seconds separated 13th and 16th place.
Aidan Hay followed, recording a top-20 finish. He placed 19th with a time of 56:43.1, putting in a strong second half of his race. He posted the eighth-fastest time of the third lap, completing it in 14:25 to help him pick off skiers in front of him. Rigaudo completed his first RMISA race, finishing 26th with a time of 59:40.5. Blake Hanley raced for the first time since the Seawolf Invite, competing in his first collegiate race at altitude. He finished 31st, skiing to a 1:02:21.2 in the 20k freestyle. Josh Baurick finished the race in 33rd with a time of 1:07:06.8.
The men earned 53 points on the day, taking fifth in the men's standings.
Team Nordic Standings (Through Day One)
Utah 209, Denver 158, Colorado 154, UAA 125, MSU 101, Alaska 68
Men's Nordic Standings (Through Day One)
Utah 104, Denver 85, Colorado 69, UAA 66, Alaska 53, MSU 44
Women's Nordic Standings (Through Day One)
Utah 105, Colorado 85, Denver 73, UAA 59, MSU 57, Alaska 15
Up Next
The Nanooks will be off tomorrow, with the Freestyle Sprint SuperTour taking place. They will be back on the trails on Sunday with the 7.5k classic individual start.
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