The Next Level

Hakkinen takes 25th in pursuit, 18th in relay

Kasilof’s Jay Hakkinen wrapped up action at the World Cup biathlon in Pokljuka, Slovenia, by taking 25th in the 12.5-kilometer pursuit on Saturday and 18th in the World Championships mixed relay on Sunday.

Hakkinen started the pursuit in 11th place, but a poor shooting day had him gradually falling through the standings. In the pursuit, athletes have four shooting stages — the first two prone and the next two standing. For each of five targets missed, a 150-meter penalty loop is assessed. Hakkinen had one miss in the first stage, two misses in the second stage, one miss in the third stage and one miss in the fourth stage.

“The shooting did not go as I hoped today,” Hakkinen said in a released statement. “I fell back into some bad habits, which resulted in some penalties.”

Hakkinen had a better day Sunday, when he anchored the U.S. relay. In harsh, windy conditions Hakkinen moved the U.S. team from 23rd to 18th place by skiing the seventh-fastest anchor leg of the day.

In the relay, competitors get eight bullets to hit five targets at a prone and standing stage. The first five bullets are in a magazine, while the next three must be manually loaded. For each target left standing, athletes ski a penalty loop. Hakkinen shot cleanly at the prone stage and needed two extra bullets at the standing stage.

Leman, Matson make nationals

Ninilchik graduates Whitney Leman and Amanda Matson made it to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Division II Women’s National Tournament with Eastern Oregon University’s basketball team.

In the first round of the tournament, Eastern Oregon was defeated by Tabor College (Kan.) 65-48. Matson did not play in the loss, but Leman played over 18 minutes and had two steals and two assists but did not score.

Eastern Oregon had reached the national tournament by winning the Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament. In the first round, Eastern defeated Evergreen 68-53, with Leman scoring eight points and Matson scoring a point. In the semifinals, Eastern defeated Corban 67-48, with Leman scoring five points. In the finals, Eastern defeated Oregon Tech 62-35, with Leman scoring nine points.

Lansing makes college golf team

Josh Lansing, a 2005 graduate of Skyview High School, has made the golf team at College of the Desert in Palm Desert, Calif.

In January, Lansing was one of 32 golfers to try to get one of the 12 spots on the team. Those trying out played one round each at Desert Springs Marriott Resort, Desert Princess Resort, Marriott Rancho Las Palmas and Mission Lakes Golf Club.

The Next Level highlights Kenai Peninsula athletes who have gone on to participate in athletics after high school. If you know of such an athlete, contact the Peninsula Clarion sports staff by phone at 283-7551, by fax at 283-3299 or by e-mail at sports@peninsulaclarion.com.