FAIRBANKS - The Nanooks Nordic skiing teams are back home this week as they host the UAF Invitational on Sunday and Monday at the UAF Competition Ski Trails. This is their first race in Fairbanks since the Nordic Cup last December.
Sunday, Feb. 16
vs. RMISA | Classic Sprint | 11 a.m.
Fairbanks | UAF Competition Ski Trails
Sunday, Feb. 17
vs. RMISA | Freestyle Individual Skate 10k | 11 a.m.
Fairbanks | UAF Competition Ski Trails
Watch Live | Live Timing | Race Information
Last Time Out
The Nanooks are coming off a seventh overall finish at the Denver Invite, collecting 185 points over the two days of competition at the Maloit Park Trails in Minturn, Colo., which put them fifth in the Nordic standings. The men posted 133 points to finish fifth overall and fourth in Nordic, while the women finished with 52 points, putting them ninth overall and fifth in Nordic.
The women had just two skiers racing in the 7.5k classic individual start on Saturday and one in the 10k freestyle pursuit on Sunday. Elsie Weiss led the women with a 20th-place finish in the 7.5k classic, and Aila Berrigan came in with a time of 35:00.1 in the 10k freestyle pursuit, putting her 21st after placing 23rd in the 7.5k classic.
The men had several standout performances on day one, highlighted by a top-eight finish from Ben Dohlby to lead the way for the 'Nooks, racing back from being 10th at the 2.5k mark to take eighth place. He finished his race in 23:39.2, nearly five seconds faster than the ninth-place finisher. Philipp Moosmayer joined him in the top 10, placing 10th with a time of 23:47.7. Like his teammate, Moosmayer finished strong, coming back from being 12th at the 5k mark to get into the top 10. Moosmayer followed that up the next day by improving to eighth place in the 10k freestyle pursuit, finishing the 10k in 26:29.9 to give him a combined time of 50:17.6 over the two races.
#NookNotes
- Kendall Kramer, Tabitha Williams and Cole Flowers all return to the team after competing internationally. They all competed in the U23 and Junior World Championships in Schilpario, Italy, from Feb. 3-9, while Kramer also raced in the World Cup in Cogne, Italy.
- Kramer has finished on the podium in each RMISA race she has competed in this season. She took third in the 7.5k classic at the Utah Invite, earned a pair of second-place results in the 15k freestyle and 10k freestyle and took the top spot in the 20k classic in Anchorage.
Making History
Rosie Fordham had a historic result at the U23 World Championships, earning a silver medal finish in the 10k freestyle on Saturday, Feb. 8. This monumental achievement marks the first medal for Australia in an international cross-country skiing event. Racing in the deep snow, Fordham shined, coming in second behind Germany's Helen Hoffman. Rounding out the top three was Canada's Liliane Gagnon. Fordham finished the 10k freestyle in 33:02.1, 25.7 seconds behind Hoffman and 11.6 seconds in front of Gagnon. She held the lead until Hoffman overtook the senior Nanook from Australia.
Kendall Kramer (33:36.7) followed with an outstanding fourth-place finish in the 10k freestyle, while Tabitha Williams (35:00.3) took 19th to give the Nanooks three skiers in the top 20. Meanwhile, Cole Flowers picked up a 15th-place finish in the Junior classic sprint.
Sledding Hill Closure
The sledding hill at the UAF Competition Ski Trails will be closed from Saturday, Feb. 15 - Tuesday, Feb. 17.
What's to Come
Alaska will race at the RMISA Championships next week, hosted by Alaska Anchorage on Feb. 21-22. Day one will see the skiers compete in a 7.5k classic individual start at Kincaid Park, and the championships will conclude with a 20k freestyle mass start the next day.
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