Kenai Central seniors Karl Danielson and Addison Gibson wrapped up a full week of racing in Soldier Hollow, Utah, at the 2018 Junior National nordic ski championships Saturday with team relays.
Danielson teamed up with Alaska teammates Robert Schoff and Kelly Martin to finish 12th out of 18 squads in the Under-20 men’s 3-by-3.3 kilometer relay. Danielson started fast and handed off to Schoff in fourth place, but Schoff returned to hand off to Martin in ninth. The three-person team finished 2:46 behind the winning squad.
Team Alaska won the U-20 relay with Alaska Pacific University teammates Dawson Knopp, Canyon Tobin and Hunter Wonders winning with a time of 21 minutes, 54.7 seconds.
In the women’s Under-18 relay, Gibson teamed up with Ellie Mitchell and Maggie Whitaker to take 20th out of 23 squads with a total time of 41:33.6, about 4:47 behind the championship team from Methow Valley (Washington) Nordic.
In Friday’s freestyle mass start distance race, Danielson finished 38th off 44 racers in the Under-20 men’s 15-kilometer race. Danielson covered the course in 38 minutes, 16 seconds, about 4:45 behind race winner Hunter Wonders of APU. Wonders beat APU teammate Canyon Tobin by 6.1 seconds for the win.
Gibson finished 56th out of 61 finishers in the women’s Under-18 race, a 10K freestyle mass start. Gibson finished in 41:50, about 8:12 behind race winner Novie McCabe of Methow Valley (Washington) Nordic club in the Pacific Northwest region. Heidi Booher of Alaska Nordic Racing was the top Alaskan finisher in 11th.
Following Saturday’s relays, it was New England securing the Alaska Cup with a four-day total of 1,178 points, while Rocky Mountain was second with 1,054 and Alaska took third with 1,014.
Elsewhere, 2015 Soldotna grad Sadie Fox wrapped up her junior season with a 38th-place finish at the 2018 NCAA Division II Championships Saturday in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Fox finished almost seven minutes behind the winner with a time of 50:02.2 in the 15-kilometer freestyle race.
