November 19, 2012 (Fairbanks, AK) – The Alaska Nanooks wrapped up a solid three-day weekend of skiing competition in winning fashion as they completed a sweep of Alaska Anchorage on their way to capturing the 2012 Nordic Cup. The Nanooks have won the title that pairs the Alaska schools against one another six times in the Cup’s nine-year history (6-2-1).
“The Seawolves are a good team and it was quite a thrill to beat them on our home course at Birch Hill,” head coach Scott Jerome said. “Losing in Anchorage last year left a bad taste in our mouths and I am very happy we were able to bring the cup back home.”
UAA had the top finishers in the men’s and women’s 10 kilometer freestyle technique races on Sunday at Birch Hill, but the Nanooks depth prevailed as they outscored the visitors 12-9 in both the men’s and women’s races, for a 24-18 win on the day. The Day Three victory gave the Nanooks a 78-48 margin of victory over the three-day Nordic Cup series.
“I am proud of the way the team members handled themselves this weekend; it was cold and windy but everyone stepped up without complaint and raced,” Jerome said. “This win was a true team effort – five different men and five different women scored points for us.”
For the women, UAA’s Marine Dusser posted the best course time in 33 minutes and 49.6 seconds. Alaska senior Raphaela Sieber (Business Administration) was second in 34:05.1 and was followed by teammates Alyson McPhetres (35:09.6/Geological Engineering) and Heather Edic (35:35.6/Civil Engineering) in third and fourth, respectively.
The Seawolves scoring team included Patricia Sprecher in 5th (36:10.3) and Karina Smith in 10th (37:54.0) overall.
Although not counted in the team standings, Alaska also got top-10 finishes from Crystal Pitney (6th, 36:20.0/Business Administration), Rebecca Konieczny (7th, 36:50.0/Biological Sciences), Julia Ebner (8th, 37:15.1/General Studies) and Marit Rjabov (9th, 37:33.3/Psychology).
For the men’s race, Seawolf Viktor Braennmark was the best on the day in 28 minutes and five seconds, beatting senior Lex Treinen (2nd, 28:13.0/Northern Studies) by eight seconds for the day’s title.
Logan Hanneman (Mechanical Engineering) managed a spot on the podium for the third straight day, taking third overall in 28:31.4.
While it didn’t play into the final standings, one of the more exciting points of the pursuit race came when Nanook senior Ian Wilkinson (Art) outsprinted UAA’s Lukas Ebner down the stretch to put 13.2 seconds between them in the bid for fifth place. Wilkinson finished in 28:32.8, while Ebner had a course time of 28:46.0.
The Blue and Gold had two other racers in the top 10 with Max Olex (Northern Studies) taking 6th in 28:50.2 and Stefan Hajdukovich (Biological Sciences) landing 10th in 29:38.1.
“We had some very good individual results this weekend, and we had some disappointing results, but this is a sport that takes time,” Jerome said. “It’s a long season and we have much hard work to do before March. I am very happy that we beat UAA. Now we must turn our attention to qualifying for NCAAs and turning in our best performances in March.”
Both teams will train for the next seven weeks before their next competition, the U.S. Cross Country Skiing Nationals being held in Midway, Utah, Jan. 2-8, 2013.
Women’s 10Km Pursuit Start Free Technique
1. Marine Dusser, UAA – 33:49.6
2. Raphaela Sieber, UAF – 34:05.1
3. Alyson McPhetres, UAF – 35:09.6
4. Heather Edic, UAF – 35:35.6
5. Patricia Sprecher, UAA – 36:10.3
6. Crystal Pitney, UAF – 36:20.0
7. Rebecca Konieczny, UAF – 36:49.9
8. Julia Ebner, UAF – 37:15.0
9. Marit Rjabov, UAF – 37:33.3
10. Karina Smith, UAA – 37:54.0
11. Theresia Schnurr, UAF – 38:17.0
12. Cara McCulloch, UAA – 38:38.1
13. Heidi Brook, UAF – 40:03.7
14. Maya Radonich, UAA – 41:04.8
Men’s 10Km Pursuit Start Free Technique
1. Viktor Braennmark, UAA – 28:05.0
2. Lex Treinen, UAF – 28:13.0
3. Logan Hanneman, UAF – 28:31.5
4. Ian Wilkinson, UAF – 28:32.8
5. Lukas Ebner, UAA – 28:46.0
6. Max Olex, UAF – 28:50.2
7. Lasse Moelgaard, UAA – 28:51.8
8. Galen Johnston, UAA – 29:28.4
9. Davis Dunlap, UAA – 29:37.7
10. Stefan Hajdukovich, UAF – 29:38.1
12. Kenneth Brewer, UAF – 30:34.2
13. Andrew Arnold, UAF – 30:39.6
15. Lars Arneson, UAF – 30:56.4
17. Jonas Loeffler, UAF – 31:09.2
18. Brandon Brewster, UAA – 31:10.1
21. John Glen, UAA – 32:07.3
23. Wyatt Mayo, UAF – 33:25.7