MIDWAY, Utah – The Alaska Nanooks Nordic skiing team concluded its time in Utah on Sunday, skiing in the 15k classic mass start races at the Utah Invitational. After collecting 97 points in the classic races, the 'Nooks ended the invite in fifth with 215 points.
"Another good day for the team!" said interim head coach Ben Buck following Alaska's performances in the classic races today. "Õnnela (Rodendau) did not start due to illness, leaving us with just two women today, but Piper (Sears) took the reins and skied confidently up through the field to grab her second top-15 performance this season so far."
The 'Nooks had just two skiers competing in the women's race, with Piper Sears leading the way with a 15th-place result after finishing in 46:03.3. Viktorie Kahounova was the other Nanooks finisher in the women's 15k classic, placing 20th with a time of 50:18.6. The Nanooks women's team earned 33 points during the race, which was good for sixth, and their 78 points over the weekend put them in fifth.
In the men's race, Alaska had another solid showing, recording one top-10 finish and securing fourth place with 64 points. That gave them third place over the two races at the Utah Invitational, with 137 points. "The men were strong once again," said Buck, "with Ben Dohlby and Philipp Moosmayer helping to set the pace for the majority of the race. Blake (Hanley) doubled down on his strong performance from yesterday, skiing solidly in the chase pack to finish just outside the top-10."
Dohlby followed up his fourth-place result from yesterday's 7.5k freestyle by matching it in the 15k classic, finishing in 36:47.1 to put him less than four seconds outside of a podium finish. Blake Hanley recorded another top-15 result after his 12th-place finish on Saturday, finishing 13th after crossing the line in 37:37.7. Gabriele Rigaudo (39:00.4), Matyas Pavek (39:07.9) and Moosmayer (39:10.8) gave the 'Nooks three more top-20 finishes, placing 18th, 19th and 20th, while Josh Baurick (39:55.8) and Cole Flowers (40:00.8) followed in 26th and 27th.
"As expected, conditions were fast and firm," said Buck. "The men's race stayed together for the first two laps before a lead group formed, but once the top 5 broke away, it was full gas all the way to the finish. The women's race went off fast, with the leaders establishing themselves on the very first climb. From there, it was a war of attrition, and those who chose to start more conservatively were able to climb through the field past those who were too overzealous."
The Nanooks are off next weekend, returning to action on Feb. 7-8 at the Denver Invitational. They begin the invite with a 10k classic mass start, then ski in a 7.5k freestyle interval start the following day.
Follow the 'Nooks
IG - @NanookSkiing
X - @NanooksSki
FB - Alaska Nanooks XC
