FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Nanooks Nordic skiing team had a season to remember in 2024-25, recording five race wins, 11 podium finishes and an individual national champion.

Men's Recap
The men's Nordic skiing team's 2025 season was one of steady improvement, culminating in an RMISA individual champion and three All-American finishes at the NCAA Championships.

The Nanooks started things off with the Nordic Cup on Dec. 6-7, hosting the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves at the newly opened UAF Competition Ski Trails. The 'Nooks were led by Ben Dohlby in the 10k freestyle on day one, and day two saw Cole Flowers lead the way in the classic sprints. Both skiers notched second-place results, but the Nanooks would fall to UAA in the Nordic Cup.

The RMISA season began in Anchorage after the new year with the U.S. Nationals on Jan. 2-7, 2025. Philipp Moosmayer led the Nanooks in the 10k freestyle on the first day of competition, placing 13th, while Dohlby followed one spot behind him. Dohlby notched a top-10 result in the 20k classic, finishing ahead of Moosmayer, with the two Nanooks taking 10th and 11th in the race. Alaska would end the invite in fifth place, totaling 108 points over the two events. In addition to RMISA events, the Nanooks competed in the classic and skate sprints as a part of the U.S. Nationals. Cole Flowers placed a team-best 11th after advancing to the semifinals of the classic sprints, and Moosmayer advanced to the quarterfinals of the skate sprints, where he finished fifth in his heat.

The men placed fifth in the Nordic standings in each of the next three invites, starting with the Utah Invite on Jan. 18-19 which saw them compete in the 7.5k classic and 15k freestyle and accumulate 99.5 points. Dohlby was the Nanooks' highest finisher in the classic race, tying for a 10th-place result. Aidan Hay led Alaska in the freestyle, taking 17th, one spot ahead of Dohlby in the race. The following week saw them return to action in the Montana State Invite, where the Nanooks competed in the 20k freestyle. Moosmayer and Dohlby led the way in a snowstorm, with the two Nanooks placing 14th and 16th. Hay gave the Nanooks another top-20 result in the race, finishing 19th. Day two presented another challenge in frigid temperatures. Gabriele Rigaudo impressed for the Nanooks in his second collegiate race, notching a 16th-place finish in the 7.5k classic to lead the team, while Moosmayer took 20th. The men ended the invite with 104 total points. The Denver Invitational was next on Feb. 8-9, starting with the 7.5k classic. Dohlby and Moosmayer used strong finishes to record two top-10 results; Dohlby placed eighth while Moosmayer followed in 10th. Two more top-20 finishes from Hay (13th) and Matyas Pavek (17th) put the men third in the Nordic standings after the opening race of the invite. The following day, the 'Nooks participated in the 10k freestyle pursuit, where Moosmayer climbed up from his 10th-place finish the day before to take eighth. The Nanooks continued to show growth, with the men improving their points totals for the third consecutive race, tallying 133 at the Denver Invite.

A week later, the Blue & Gold returned home, looking to continue improving at the UAF Invitational. Their home invite kicked off with the classic sprints, where Flowers' fourth-place finish helped the Nanook men tally the third-most points on day one with 70. After a strong opening to Alaska's home invite, day two proved even better, with the men earning their first race victory of the season. Dohlby's 23:05.8 in the 10k freestyle put him 16.7 seconds ahead of second place, giving him his first collegiate victory. Moosmayer added another top-10 result by placing seventh in the race, and the men ended the invite in second place with 152.5 points, continuing to improve their points tally.

That was it for the regular season, as the Nanooks then headed to Anchorage for the RMISA Championships on Feb. 21-22. The first day of Nordic competition saw the teams participate in the 7.5k classic, where Flowers equaled his result from the classic sprints at the UAF Invite with a fourth-place finish. Moosmayer added a 12th-place result, and the Nanook men sat in fifth place after the first day. The conference championships concluded with a 20k freestyle, where Moosmayer grabbed his first collegiate victory, beating out Colorado's Hugo Hinckfuss in a sprint finish to nab the top spot by 0.2 seconds. Meanwhile, Dohlby nearly made it a 1-2 finish for Alaska, coming in 0.1 seconds behind Hinckfuss in second to secure a podium spot. These results helped the men tie for first in the Nordic standings at the conference championships, posting 157 points.

Dohlby, Flowers and Moosmayer represented the Nanooks at the NCAA Championships in Hanover, N.H., on March 6-8. Moosmayer's seventh and ninth-place finishes in the 7.5k classic and 20k freestyle gave him two All-American results. Meanwhile, Dohlby secured a spot on the All-American First Team by finishing fourth in the 20k freestyle, and the Nanook men placed sixth in the Nordic standings with 92 points.

Women's Recap
There was no shortage of highlights for the women's Nordic skiing team during the 2024-25 season, with the biggest one coming last. This season was the one that saw senior Fairbanks native Kendall Kramer become a national champion and cement herself as one of the best skiers in the country. Additionally, Tabitha Williams stepped up for the Nanooks en route to an All-RMISA selection.

Kramer picked up two victories at the Nordic Cup prior to the start of the RMISA season, claiming the top spot in the 10k freestyle and classic sprint. Williams joined her on the podium in both races, placing second in the freestyle and third in the sprints.

During the U.S. Nationals in Anchorage, Kramer finished on the podium in the 10k freestyle and 20k classic, finishing second in the freestyle before earning her first individual victory of the season in the classic. She finished the 20k classic in 58:17.2, 2.4 seconds ahead of Utah's Erica Laven in second, helping the Nanooks place fourth in the RMISA standings with 123 total points over the two days. Kramer would add a 10th-place finish in the non-RMISA classic sprints. Kramer notched two more podiums at the Utah Invite, giving her four podiums in four attempts to start the RMISA season. She placed third in the 7.5k classic and second in the 15k freestyle, while Williams notched a pair of top-20 finishes over the two races, placing 18th in the classic and 14th in the freestyle. The Nanook women ended the invite in fourth place with 118 points. Kramer and Williams would miss the following four races due to the U23 World Championships, meaning Aila Berrigan and Elsie Weiss were the two women's skiers to represent the Nanooks at the Montana State and Denver Invitationals. Berrigan was the only Nanooks women's skier to compete in the 20k freestyle at the MSU Invite, taking 22nd place to give Alaska 15 points on day one. Weiss joined her in the 7.5k classic two days later and placed 30th in the race, while Berrigan took 28th. This put the 'Nooks in sixth place in the women's Nordic standings with 44 total points. The duo of Weiss and Berrigan represented the 'Nooks in the 7.5k classic at the Denver Invite, placing 20th and 23rd in the race, while Berrigan was the lone skier in the 10k freestyle pursuit where she made up two spots to end the day in 21st. Their points total of 52 put them fifth in the Nordic standings for the invite.

The Nanooks returned home with reinforcements as Kramer and Williams returned from international competition to participate in the UAF Invite. They joined Weiss, Berrigan, and Lucca Duke to give them a full squad for the two home races. In the classic sprints, Kramer used the second-fastest time in her quarterfinal heat to advance to the semifinals, where she placed eighth overall. Williams and Berrigan were the other two Nanooks to advance to the quarterfinals and would place 19th and 28th, respectively. Alaska shined in the second race of the invitational, as Kramer claimed her second race win of the season in the 10k freestyle, using a strong finish to overtake Utah's Laven for first place. Williams joined her on the podium, placing third to give the sophomore her first career podium result. The women placed fourth at the invite with 139 points.

At the RMISA Championships, Kramer and Williams kicked things off with fourth and fifth-place finishes in the 7.5k classic, with Kramer coming within two seconds of claiming her sixth podium of the season. A 32nd-place finish from Berrigan gave the women 73 points to put them third in the Nordic standings after day one. In the 20k freestyle, Kramer and Utah's Laven were in a race of their own at the front of the pack, with Kramer just losing out on the sprint finish, finishing 0.4 seconds off first place but earning another podium for the Nanooks. Williams added her third straight top-10 finish, placing sixth to put the women in third with 150 points following the conference championships.

Kramer and Williams were the two Nanook women to represent Alaska at the NCAA Championships, where they competed in a 7.5k classic and 20k freestyle. In the classic, Kramer earned her fifth career All-American honor after finishing ninth in the race, while Williams notched a 19th-place result. Last up was the 20k freestyle, the highlight of the season for the Nanooks. Racing alongside Utah's Erica Laven, Colorado's Tilde Baangman and Denver's Lea Wenaas in a group at the front of the pack, Kramer eventually broke free, building a comfortable lead and finishing 36 seconds ahead of second place, ending her illustrious collegiate career as a national champion. Williams placed 21st in the race, ending a strong season for the sophomore, and the women placed sixth in the nation with 84 points at the championships.

International Highlights
While not skiing for the Nanooks during the season, senior Rosie Fordham made her presence felt with Team Australia. At the U23 World Championships in Schilpario, Italy, Fordham claimed Australia's first medal in an international cross-country skiing event. She placed second behind Germany's Helen Hoffman in the 10k freestyle. However, she was not the only Nanook to impress, as Kendall Kramer followed right behind her in fourth, while Tabitha Williams took 19th to give the 'Nooks three skiers in the top 20. Additionally, Cole Flowers recorded a 15th-place finish in the classic sprints at the Junior World Championships.

Looking Ahead
Losing someone like Kendall Kramer is never easy, but the Nanooks are returning a strong core that looks to continue to grow and challenge for wins. With Ben Dohlby and Philipp Moosmayer claiming victories this past season and several more skiers showing their strength as the season progressed, the Nanooks are in a good position moving forward.

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