March 29, 2009 (Fairbanks, Alaska) – Liz Stephen (USST) from East Montpelier, VT successfully defended her title on Sunday taking the 30km classic win over Morgan Arritola (USST/SVSEF) in second with Kikkan Randall (USST/APU) in 3rd. The win marked Stephen’s third victory of the 2009 USA XC Ski Nationals.

In the men’s 50km race Canada’s Stefan Kuhn lead the charge with Ivan Babikov in second and James Southam (USST/APU) in 3rd – with the title going to Southam from Anchorage, Alaska. Noah Hoffman (USST/SVSEF) wins the silver and Glenn Randall (Dartmouth College/Grand Mesa) the bronze.

USSA Release – Stephen, Southam Win Distance Titles
FAIRBANKS, AK (March 29) – Liz Stephen (East Montpelier, VT) and James Southam (Anchorage) each notched off one final U.S title as Stephen won the women’s 30K and Southam finished third in the men’s 50K classic race at the close of the 2009 U.S. Cross Country Distance Championships on Sunday. It was Stephen’s third and Southam’s second title of the 2009 Championships.

“It’s great to end the season confident going into next year. It’s fun to be able to be tired, but to still be able to hold on and pull off some great races at the end of the season,” Stephen said. “It definitely makes me excited to get ready this summer for next season.”

Morgan Arritola (Ketchum, ID) followed Stephen in second place and Kikkan Randall (Anchorage) was third. According to Stephen, earning her win on Sunday was not an easy task. “The battle was really good. Morgan led for most of the race. There were about five of us. She was really pushing the pace and I was struggling to keep up,” Stephen said. “There was a lap and a half to go and I started reeling people in and on the last huge hill I got some space from Morgan and was able to keep it.”

For Stephen, winning her third title of the season was sweeter than it normally would have been because she got to do it in Fairbanks. “It means a lot to me. I’ve raced pretty well in Fairbanks before. The hills here are really hard but I know them really well. It means a lot to win the championships for sure, but to win them in Fairbanks is pretty fun for me,” Stephen said. “The volunteers and the fans are all out in full force every day and they do a great job.”

In the men’s race Canadians Stefan Kuhn and Ivan Babikov finished first and second, respectively. Southam, who was third, took the title as the top U.S. finisher.

To cap the weekend off, Stephen and Leif Zimmermann (Bozeman, MT) were named the 2009 overall U.S. champions. The U.S. championships put a cap on the 2009 U.S. Cross Country season. Athletes now head into their training period in preparation for the 2010 season.

Full results here.

Results (brief)

Women

1. Liz Stephen (USST) 1:38:20.51
2. Morgan Arritola (USST/SVSEF) 1:38:34.62
3. Kikkan Randall (USST/APU) 1:39:09.63
4. Kristina Strandberg (Sweden/Saab Salomon) 1:40:03.6
5. Rebecca Dussault (Saab Salomon) 1:40:16.9
6. Caitlin Compton (CXC Elite) 1:40:52.0
7. Morgan Smyth (USST) 1:42:24.8
8. Becca Rorabaugh (APU) 1:42:28.9
9. Kate Pearson Arduser (APU) 1:42:39.4
10. Holly Brooks (APU) 1:43:28.0

Men

1. Stefan Kuhn (Can) 2:30:06.81
2. Ivan Babikov (Can) 2:30:14.2 2
3. James Southam (USST/APU) 2:31:40.5
4. Noah Hoffman (USST/SVSEF) 2:32:21.
5. Glenn Randall (Dartmouth College / Grand Mesa) 2:33:29.5
6. Bryan Cook (CXC) 2:34:11.7
7. Torin Koos (USST) 2:34:48.2
8: Graham Nishikawa (Can) 2:34:57.5
9. Chris Cook (USST)2:36:24.8
10. Garrott Kuzzy (USST) 2:37:00.9