February 8, 2009 (Birch Hill, Alaska) – The weather gods smiled on Birch Hill Saturday, February 7, for the fifth of six Besh Cup Junior Olympic Qualifying races. The race was relocated from the Salcha Ski Trails to the Jim Whisenhant Ski Trails at Birch Hill. More than 160 skiers competed in the races under bright sun at temperatures of approximately +2F to +3F.

Fairbanksan David Norris (OJ)J of the FAST team was the winner for the day. Starting next-to-last in the J1-OJ-SR-MA men’s 10K field, he skied away from the only skier to start behind him, teammate Reese Hanneman (2nd OJ), and passed most of his closest competitors with the exception of runner-up Dylan Watts (1st SR), and APUNSC coach. The men skied two laps of the 5Km “Three Hills” course used for the women’s 5Km. The same course will be used for the Girls Classic 5Km in the ASAA Championships later this
month.

After Norris and Watts, Reese Hanneman was third, 2008 NCAA Champion Marius Korthauer (2nd SR) was fourth, and Alaska Nanook Erik Soderstroem (3rd SR)was fifth. Bobby Miller and Erin Phillips of APU were 6th and 7th overall and 3rd and 4th among OJ’s.

Team FAST skier Werner Hoefler was 1st among J1’s (5th in the combined J1/OJ class for scoring JOQ points). Other top local skiers were Jordan Buetow (FXC, 9th J1/OJ, 12th overall), Wyatt Mayo (FAST, 14th J1/OJ and 17th overall) and Kelsey Boyer (FXC, 15th J1/OJ and 18th overall).

UAF redshirt Aurelia Korthauer put 19 seconds on her closest competitor despite complaining after the race of sore legs from doing intervals on a treadmill. APUNSC’s Kate Fitzgerald was 2nd overall.

Karina Packer (AWS), Kinsey Loan (ANR) and Marisa Rorabaugh (FXC, Fairbanks) were the top three juniors (all are J1’s). It was Rorabaugh’s best Besh Cup performance of the season. Erika Klaar was first among OJ’s, fourth among all juniors, and 6th overall.

Among local skiers, UAF Assistant Coach Ingrid Olson was 10th overall and third among seniors, Rebecca Konieczny (Alaska Nanooks) was 13th overall and 8th in the J1/OJ group, Hannah Boyer (FXC) was 5th J2 and 17th overall, Heather Edic (FXC) was 10th in the J1/OJ class and 18th overall and Wendy Boger (WVHS) was 13th in J1/OJ and 24th overall.

In the 1Km race, Fairbanks’ Jenna DiFolco (FJC) won the J5 girls, Ethan Hamlin won the J6 boys, and Amber Hajdukovich won the J6 girls. At 2Km it was Kiana Hamlin (FJC) 1st in J4 girls, Jane Hoefler (APU) in J3 girls, Tracen Knopp (ANR) first in J4 boys and Jack Parke (APU) first in J3 boys.

Annie Liotta was the 5Km winner among J2 girls. After Hannah Boyer’s fifth, the next Fairbanks skiers were Eliza Rorabaugh, Elizabeth Whisenhant, Mikayla Hamlin and Maddie Button in places 12-13-15 and 20.

Logan Hanneman (FAST) won the J2 boys 5Km by more than half a minute, and was one of three Fairbanks skiers in the top 6, with Robert Hovda (FAST) 5th and Pat Nugent (FXC) 6th. Vanya Rybkin was 10th, Stefan Hajdukovich (FXC) was 14th and Kipp Wilkinson (FXC) 16th.

Roger Sayre was the only other local winner, taking first place in the Masters 5 class by three-and-a-half minutes. Anchorage area master skiers Mark Larsen (M4) and Gunnar Knapp (M6) and Sheryl Loan (M4) won their respective classes, as did Salcha’s Jamie Johnson in the M1 class.