FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Nanooks Nordic skiing team has announced another signing in Piper Sears. Sears joins the Nanooks after graduating from West High School in Anchorage, Alaska.

"Piper had a bit of a breakout season this year with some top results at U.S. Nationals in Anchorage, so when she came to introduce herself to us after the races there, we were stoked! She's not just a great athlete, she's an awesome personality, and she will make a great addition to the team."

Sears, an Anchorage native, comes to Fairbanks after racing for the APU Nordic Ski Team. Last season, she notched five podium finishes, highlighted by a first-place result in the freestyle sprint at the Besh Cup 3 & 4 on Jan. 18 at Birch Hill. She added another podium with a third-place finish in the 15k classic the following day. On Dec. 21 at Besh Cup 1 & 2, she placed third in the classic sprint, coming two spots behind former Nanook Kendall Kramer. Sears also nabbed a third-place finish in the freestyle sprint at the National Junior Championships in Midway, Utah, on Mar. 12. At the U.S. Nationals, she placed 53rd in the classic sprint and grabbed a 48th-place finish in the freestyle sprint in the U.S. Super Tour.

Sears was a two-time cross-country skiing MVP, an IB diploma student and a UA Scholar. She is the daughter of Andrea and William Sears and intends to study Biological Sciences at UAF.

Additional signings will be announced throughout the summer.

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