From the FasterSkier archive — posts syndicated from athletes’ and coaches’ own blogs between 2004 and 2012, kept online as published. Current coverage is at fasterskier.com.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/IMGP4001.jpg" "OJ/J1 girls relay start, 2012 Junior Nationals")
MIDWAY, Utah — The 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals wrapped up at Soldier Hollow last weekend, and if you’re longing for more (or missed any of the action), check out our comprehensive videos and photo galleries of each day’s events.
For photos, visit our 2012 Junior Nationals gallery series via SmugMug.
For videos, visit FasterSkier’s YouTube channel and scroll down for the most to least recent.
All 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals coverage is brought to you through the generous support of The Memory Clinic, in Bennington, Vt., committed to caring for the mind since 1987. Currently conducting clinical research on the Alzheimer’s disease vaccine.
MIDWAY, Utah — Racing concluded at Junior Nationals on Saturday with a series of incredibly close relays. The 3×3 k course took the top skiers a mere five-and-a-half to seven minutes to complete, and the blisteringly fast descents created drafts that could change the entire race. Shown above is the J1/OJ boys’ relay, in which Rocky Mountain swept both age divisions.
An exciting week of skiing preceded the relay, and in case you missed any of the action, we’ve compiled links to all our video coverage below — because embedding all 19 of them in one post would be a bit crowded.
Day 1: Classic Sprints
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/sprint.png" "sprint")
Watch:
Day 2: Freestyle Mass Start
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/skate-mass.png" "skate mass")
Watch:
Day 3: 5/10/15 k Classic
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/classic-ind.png" "classic ind")
Watch:
Day 4: 3×3 k Freestyle Relay
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/relay.png" "relay")
Watch:
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j2.girls_.kern_.finish.jpg" "Julia Kern, Lydia Blanchet")
All 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals coverage is brought to you through the generous support of The Memory Clinic, in Bennington, Vt., committed to caring for the mind since 1987. Currently conducting clinical research on the Alzheimer’s disease vaccine.
MIDWAY, Utah – For a few minutes on Saturday, it appeared to have happened again.
According to the live-timing board, Julia Kern of New England and Alaska’s Lydia Blanchet tied for the second straight race at the 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals, this time with the help of their respective teams in the 3×3-kilometer freestyle relay.
It couldn’t be, and it wasn’t.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j2girls.kern_.blanchet.jpg" "Julia Kern, Lydia Blanchet")
Upon video review, race officials at Soldier Hollow determined that Kern had the edge in the finish-line lunge, giving New England (with Zoe Snow and Katharine Ogden) the J2 girls relay victory.
Blanchet and her teammates, Sarrissa Lammers and Taryn Hunt-Smith, were second by 0.2 seconds.
After tying Blanchet’s time in the 5 k classic individual start on Friday, Kern couldn’t believe they could be dead-even again.
“It’s kind of crazy that we had a photo finish again,” she said. “They gave us a really good challenge.”
After Ogden (Stratton Mountain School) passed off to Kern (Cambridge Sports Union) in second, Kern had the fastest anchor time in 6:41.1. Blanchet wasn’t far off, tagging off in first and skiing the second fastest split in 6:41.8.
Kern had to pass her for the victory and her third Junior Nationals title of the week. She essentially did so at the line.
“It was a really amazing finish,” Kern said.
Earlier in the race, she played it safe.
“I decided to go behind her,” Kern said. “[Blanchet] paced it slow, and I didn’t want her to pull away. At top of bridge she stopped; she didn’t want me to draft her.”
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j2.girls_.kern_.fall_.finish.jpg" "Julia Kern, Lydia Blanchet")
By the long downhill before the last climb, Kern was in front. Blanchet of Alaska Pacific University held on until the very end and the two sprinted alone to the line, where Kern collapsed after the finish and sent Blanchet swerving.
The Midwest’s team of Racquel Wohlk, Vivian Hett and Alayna Sonnesyn finished third, 31.4 seconds out of first.
“I planned on holding back the pace and killing it on Hermod’s [Hill],” Blanchet said of her race strategy. “She stayed with me the whole way. … I was gonna try to slingshot around her on the hill and that didn’t really work. I don’t know, my downhills weren’t that great today.”
Fourth at the first handoff, Hunt-Smith (APU) brought them to first. She planned to hold back on the first hill, but feeling good, decided to go for it and ended up behind the leader, Abbey Habermehl of Rocky Mountain.
“I had super-fast skis and passed her on a tuck,” Hunt-Smith said. “I went for it on Hermod’s and heard [Ogden] behind me. It was such a motivator.”
“Alaska pushed us so hard,” Ogden said, after trailing Hunt-Smith and Habermehl on the infamous climb. “I started out pretty much right in there with top four. I ended up being pretty far behind the leader until the downhill on bottom of Hermod’s, then I passed the two Rocky Mountain girls. The hill was probably my strong point.”
Snow, who jumped out to the second-place position for New England, said she was initially boxed out, but double poled her way to the front by the first hill.
“On the last hill, I really tried to kick it in, finish strong,” Snow said.
She came in 0.8 seconds behind the leader, Gretchen Burkholder of Steamboat Springs. Her Rocky Mountain team went on to place fifth after another Rocky Mountain squad in fourth.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j2.girls_.podium.jpg" "J2 girls relay podium Junior Nationals")
Alaskan Boys Win Relay
Things were pretty hectic from the start of the J2 boys relay on Saturday. With 19 eager 14- and 15-year-olds vying for first, the field remained thick and tough to navigate.
A select few made it through.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j2tag.jpg" "Jacob Volz, Thomas O'Harra, Jack Elder, Koby Gordon")
Sam Miller of the Bridger Ski Foundation gave a solid effort to put his Intermountain squad ahead at the first handoff, and Jack Elder (New England/Cumberland) skied a blistering second leg to bring his team to second.
At the end of the day, consistency mattered, and Alaska came out on top.
After Tanner Ramey (Alaska Winter Stars) initially put the team in third, Jacob Volz picked off racers to tag off in first. Friday’s 5 k classic winner, Thomas O’Harra held the lead and edged Intermountain’s Karsten Hokanson (Wasatch Nordic Ski Academy) for the win.
The Alaskans completed the course in 17:57.3, and Intermountain (Miller, Peter Neal and Hokanson) finished 2.5 seconds behind for second place. New England (Ben Hegman, Elder and Koby Gordon) placed third (+17.1).
“The tag-off was crazy; the second leg on our other team [Matthew Muffolato] broke a pole,” Ramey said. “I planned to draft off the leaders for most of it and try to take the lead at the end, which worked decently.”
After Ramey positioned his team in third, Volz (APU) picked off the two skiers in front of him, one from Intermountain and the other from Far West.
![2012 Junior Nationals](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/jack.elder_.ne_.j2boys.jpg" "Jack Elder, Jacob Volz")
“I just got in behind a few people up the hollow,” Volz said of the first climb. “Down at bottom of Hermod’s, I felt good so just took it up the hill and passed a bunch of people.”
With a bond between the three teammates that dates back to middle school, O’Harra (APU) said he was bursting with excitement in the exchange zone.
“I saw that Jacob was winning and that pumped me up,” O’Harra said. “I just went out there and kept nothing from myself, you know?”
Second heading up the final climb, his skis helped him on the descent.
“My coaches are really good waxers; they had awesome skis in general,” O’Harra said. “I was pretty confident I could win.”
The win was O’Harra’s second Junior Nationals victory in as many days. He had not topped the podium before Friday.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j2boysrelay.podium.jpg" "2012 Junior Nationals J2 boys 3x3 k relay podium")
Audrey Mangan contributed reporting.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j1.rm_.wins_.jpg" "Max Scrimgeour (Steamboat Sprints WSC) celebrating Rocky Mountain's win in the J1 boys' 3x3 k relay at Junior Nationals. Paddy Caldwell (Stratton Mountain School) took home second for New England. Tucker McCrerey (Summit Nordic Ski Club), to Caldwell's right, anchored Rocky Mountain's wining OJ team.")
All 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals coverage is brought to you through the generous support of The Memory Clinic, in Bennington, Vt., committed to caring for the mind since 1987. Currently conducting clinical research on the Alzheimer’s disease vaccine.
MIDWAY, Utah — Prior to the final day of racing at Junior Nationals, Rocky Mountain had yet to claim a gold medal. But when they win, they win in a big way, and took both the J1 and OJ boys’ titles 3×3 k relay. Both age classes started together, making for a crowded race, but at the end Rocky Mountain’s J1 anchor, Max Scrimgeour (Steamboat Springs WSC) had beaten all 47 other J1 and OJ teams to the line, clocking in at 16:43.6. New England took second, a mere 0.3 seconds behind, and the Midwest came home with the bronze (+9.3).
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j1_oj.boysrelay.early_.jpg" "Early leaders during the scramble leg of the J1/OJ boys' relay on Saturday.")
It was a mark of just how fast the 3 k relay course was that the top boys only took five-and-a-half minutes to ski it, and the speed played to Rocky Mountain’s advantage. The distance was essentially an extended sprint, and as skiers who race on the trails at Soldier Hollow throughout the winter, Scrimgeour, Cal Deline (Ski and Snowboard Club Vail) and Christian Shanley (SSCV) were no strangers to the fast, tactical racing.
The scramble leg was so tight that the top ten teams made the first exchange within thirteen seconds of each other.
“For the transitions, there were so many people, so looking around for your partner was like, ‘Oh, there he is!’” said Shanley, Rocky Mountain’s middle leg.
The winning team used words like “crazy,” “energetic,” and “super hectic” to describe the relay.
Deline, Rocky Mountain’s scrambler, said he “didn’t get the best start,” but after moving his way through the lead group, was able to stay with them and put Shanley in the second position at the tag, less than two seconds behind Midwest 3.
Shanley knew he had to catch the skiers in front of him, and put his head down on the climb out of the hollow to move up in the pack.
By the time the second legs reached the bottom of Hermod’s Hill, the top skiers were all still OJs. But by the tag-off, New England’s J1 had taken the lead and sent its anchor, Paddy Caldwell, out with the entire field chasing him.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j1boys.relay_.podium.jpg" "The J1 boys' relay podium: 1. Rocky Mountain, 2. New England, 3. Midwest.")
Scrimgeour was the third J1 at the final tag-off, and though got boxed in at the bottom of Hermod’s, a gap then opened up on the climb and he took it.
“I just went for it,” said Scrimgeour. When he came into view of the stadium at the front, it was still anyone’s race. But he outsprinted Caldwell and his own Rocky Mountain OJ teammate to the finish.
“I think we were definitely thinking we could win J1, but I wasn’t thinking overall,” said Scrimgeour.
A gleeful hoard of Rocky Mountain athletes and coaches met Scrimgeour and his teammates at the finish for congratulatory high-fives. Their victory was made all the sweeter by the fact that the OJ boys’ team of Charlie Von Thaden (SSWSC), Mike Vigers (SSCV) and Tucker McCrerey (Summit NSC) had also won their class for Rocky Mountain.
As the scramble, Von Thaden started off faster than his J1 counterpart.
“I got off pretty fast—I was in third around the first hairpin,” he said. “Then I think the draft pushed everyone in front of me, and then it was a mad scramble up Hermod’s.”
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j1.oj_.lead_.3rdleg.jpg" "Race leaders tucking down the back side of the course, just before beginning the climb up Hermod's.")
Despite its steep pitch, the leaders all V2ed up that final wall of a climb. The relay course only went partway up Hermod’s — skiers were less tired at the top and carried incredible speed down the whale’s tail descent back down to the stadium.
Von Thaden tagged off to Vigers, who skied the second-fastest OJ middle leg of the day. Hermod’s was again where Rocky Mountain moved up, and Vigers moved them into sixth — still right with the lead pack.
When McCrerey took off for the anchor leg, “it was still anybody’s game,” he said. A group of about seven skiers were all within striking distance going into the final climb.
He sprinted over the top of Hermod’s, cruised back down, and when he came into the stadium nearly lost the race.
“I almost got tangled up again at the finish, but I was able to stay on my feet and take the win,” said McCrerey.
Asked if they knew they could win the relay, McCrerey said the Colorado trio had been working towards it all season long, ever since they made the November trip to West Yellowstone, Montana.
“That was the goal from the beginning,” he said.
Complete relay results (scroll for J1/OJ boys).
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/oj.boys_.podium.jpg" "The OJ boys' relay podium: 1. Rocky Mountain, 2. Alaska, 3. Intermountain.")
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/oj.winner.girls_.jpg" "Elizabeth Simak, Emily Hannah")
All 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals coverage is brought to you through the generous support of The Memory Clinic, in Bennington, Vt., committed to caring for the mind since 1987. Currently conducting clinical research on the Alzheimer’s disease vaccine.
MIDWAY, Utah – There’s something about racing for others that makes pain more tolerable.
Elizabeth Simak and the girls from the Midwest found it on Saturday as they stayed in contention and sealed the OJ 3×3-kilometer freestyle relay victory at the 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals. She and her teammates, Sharmila Ahmed (Go Training) and Alice Flanders (Sisu Ski Club), combined for the winning time of 20:01.1.
Third at the handoff, Simak (F.A.S.T. Performance Training) powered through the rolling course at Soldier Hollow and caught the leaders, Rachel Hall (New England/Middlebury) and Emily Hannah (Rocky Mountain/Steamboat Springs), on the final hill.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/oj.podium.jpg" "OJ girls 3x3 k freestyle relay podium at 2012 Junior Nationals")
It was the longest, steepest one of all, and the OJ girls had already raced up it four times this week.
Although Hannah was a J1 and contending for a different podium, Simak had to pass Hall if she wanted to win. After placing second in the freestyle mass start, third in the 10 k classic and fourth in the classic sprint earlier in the week, that’s probably what Simak was hungry for.
She also had her team to race for.
“I felt like, if things didn’t go right, I would have felt really bad for my teammates,” Simak said. “They put so much hard work into it.”
Simak posted the fastest split of the OJ girls race in 6:31, beating Hall and New England (with Isabelle Pelletier and Mary Kate Cirelli) by 7.2 seconds. Alaska (with Kinsey Loan, Kimberly Delfrate, Annie Liotta)was third. Liotta as the anchor recorded the second-fastest time (6:33.5), and finished 11.9 seconds after Simak.
Coming down the backside of Hermod’s Hill on a 50-degree day and curving into the stadium, Simak said she took everything in at her last Junior Nationals.
![2012 Junior Nationals](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/oj.hall_.jpg" "Rachel Hall, New England")
“The finishing stretch was so much fun,” she said. “With this gorgeous weather, you can’t help but feel good coming down that stretch.”
The 19-year-old commented on how strong her team was – how they hung in the top five from the start with Ahmed as the scrambler.
“I did best I could,” Ahmed said. “I stayed on my feet. Hermod’s was super fun. I was right with [Midwest teammate] Nicolette [Amber]. We pushed each other up it and it was amazing.”
After Amber tagged off in first, the Midwest’s second team went on to place sixth in the OJ race.
The second leg of the winning squad, Flanders brought her team from fifth to third.
“I tried to get back up with lead, hold onto that and hopefully get in good position for anchor,” Flanders said. “Simak’s a really strong skier. We knew she could pull it together if she had the setup for it.”
Note: A day after competing at the NCAA Championships in Bozeman, Mont., Joanne Reid of the University of Colorado/Auburn Ski Club anchored the Far West team to a fifth-place finish at Junior Nationals. Reid was 19th in the 15 k mass start on Friday.
Rocky Mountain Girls Win J1 Title
Finishing just 2.7 seconds after Simak, Hannah brought home the J1 victory for her Rocky Mountain teammates, Mary O’Connell (Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club) and Rachel Hampton (Durango Nordic Ski Club).
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j1.relay_.podium.jpg" "J1 girls freestyle relay podium at 2012 Junior Nationals")
The three claimed the championship in 20:03.8. Alaska finished second (+5.1) with Teagan Yutrzenka, Sarah Freistone and Marion Woods. New England pulled off third (+6.1) with Heather Mooney, Olivia Meyerson and Corey Stock.
Hampton skied the fastest second leg to bring her team from fifth to second, and Hannah kept up the pace to pass New England’s Hannah Benson for the victory.
“Truthfully, my goal was to not let Corey catch me,” Hannah said of this year’s three-time individual champion with nine Junior Nationals titles total.
Stock came out of the exchange zone in third and finished third.
“Rather than try to catch people, I was trying to not be the rabbit and not get caught,” Hannah added. “But it worked out pretty nicely.”
Hampton tried to stay patient while catching people, and said it wasn’t easy to sprint for 3 kilometers.
“[Coming] down the downhill, all I could think about was giving Emily enough room,” she said. “I’m pretty sure this is the cherry on top of the week for all of us.”
O’Connell said that while they were new to the course at Soldier Hollow, some 5,500 feet above sea level, they were well-conditioned for it. O’Connell trains at nearly 7,000 feet in Steamboat Springs.
“Altitude helps,” she said.
“This was basically an extended sprint,” Hannah added. “I love relays.”
Complete 3×3 k freestyle relay results
Audrey Mangan contributed reporting.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/IMGP3616.jpg" "2012 Junior Nationals, classic J1/OJ girls")
All 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals coverage is brought to you through the generous support of The Memory Clinic, in Bennington, Vt., committed to caring for the mind since 1987. Currently conducting clinical research on the Alzheimer’s disease vaccine.
MIDWAY, Utah — Friday was full of staggered starts and plenty of striding around Soldier Hollow at the 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals. To see some racers in action, click on the links to galleries below:
J1/OJ girls 5 k classic individual start
All 2012 Junior Nationals photos
(Note: We’re in the process of uploading photos from every race on Friday. Stay tuned for the rest. Also, photos are generally in order and with most racers, but some got lost in the shuffle). Look up racer by start list
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j1.stock_1.jpg" "Corey Stock (New England/Cambridge Sports Union) climbing to the top of Hermod's Hill at Soldier Hollow on Friday. She won her third straight race at Junior Nationals with the conclusion of the 5 k classic.")
All 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals coverage is brought to you through the generous support of The Memory Clinic, in Bennington, Vt., committed to caring for the mind since 1987. Currently conducting clinical research on the Alzheimer’s disease vaccine.
MIDWAY, Utah — On yet another bluebird day at Soldier Hollow, the last 2012 Junior Nationals individual titles were decided with the conclusion of the classic distance races. Corey Stock (NE/Cambridge Sports Union) kept her streak alive with a 24.8-second win in the J1 girls’ individual start 5 k over Heather Mooney (NE/Stratton Mountain School). Marion Woods (AK/Alaska Winter Stars) took home the bronze (+29.9).
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j1.girls_.podium.2.jpg" "The J1 girls' 5 k classic podium.")
Since her first gold medal as a first-year J2, Stock has now won nine career national titles in total. But for the Dartmouth-bound Lincoln-Sudbury senior, winning still isn’t getting old — every victory is just as sweet as the last.
“Everyone is so supportive of one another, it’s great,” Stock said as she waited to take the top spot on the podium for the third time this week.
“This is such a fun week,” she added. “I definitely like to win, but it’s also just a ton of fun.”
As if she needed any advantage, Stock prefers the 5 k classic to other distances. While she was out on the course in a race against the clock, she couldn’t help but enjoy herself.
“It was a fun, really fast course,” she said of the 2002 Olympic venue trails.
The 5 k loop featured plenty of variation: gradual climbs, screaming descents, and fast double-pole sections. For the early-starting J1 girls, the snow was also still icy and fast.
“I was just maximizing speed as much as possible,” Stock said.
With Stock as the probable anchor for New England’s A-relay on Sunday, and several teammates who have also consistently placed near the top this week, the blue, green and white-clad skiers are the clear favorites for the 3 x 3 k.
“We’re definitely going for the win,” she said. “Yeah New England!”
Morgan Rebounds To Win 10 k Classic By Huge Margin
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j1.227.winner.jpg" "Cole Morgan (Intermountain/Sun Valley SEF) skiing to a win in the J1 boys' 10 k classic.")
After his 22nd-place showing in the 10 k skate on Wednesday, Cole Morgan (Intermountain/Sun Valley SEF) had decided to take Friday’s 10 k classic out slowly. When he kept getting splits that he was in the lead, he just put his head down and upped the tempo.
“I just kept feeling good the whole way, and pushed it at the finish,” said Morgan. “Yeah, it was a good one…the season is winding down and I thought I was kind of done, so it’s nice knowing I can still go.”
Morgan’s shins had bothered him on Wednesday, but he put the pain behind him on Friday to ski to a 45.3-second victory over Paddy Caldwell (NE/SMS). Cal Deline (Rocky Mountain/Ski and Snowboard Club Vail) took home the bronze (+46.0).
Caldwell was an early starter on Friday, and after crossing the finish line in the top spot, he held onto the position as more skiers came through. For a time it appeared as though the Vermonter had won his second race in a row, but Morgan finished by an untouchable margin a few minutes later, and the race was all his.
“Today everything felt good; everything felt loose,” Morgan said.
Though Hermod’s Hill is plenty intimidating, Morgan said the toughest part of the course for him was the first climb out of the hollow, which is long and gradual.
Overall, the snow was still fast for the J1 boys.
“I double-poled a lot that I wouldn’t have if it had been slower,” he said.
His victory marked the first in the J1 category not won by a New Englander this week. Though it’s not Morgan’s first gold medal from Junior Nationals, it was perhaps a bit more meaningful to him.
“I had a couple [wins] when I was a J2, but this one feels a lot better,” he said. “More legit, I guess.”
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j1.boys_.10kpodium.jpg" "The J1 boys' 10 k classic podium.")
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/oj.girls_.5kpodium.jpg" "2012 Junior Nationals OJ girls 5 k podium: Rachel Hall, Mark Kate Cirelli, Elizabeth Simak")
All 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals coverage is brought to you through the generous support of The Memory Clinic, in Bennington, Vt., committed to caring for the mind since 1987. Currently conducting clinical research on the Alzheimer’s disease vaccine.
MIDWAY, Utah – Altitude, schmaltitude.
That’s probably what the New England racers have been thinking all week, as the crew has won 11 of 18 races at the 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/oj.girls_.winner.jpg" "Rachel Hall")
Friday was no exception for those in the snowflake-speckled green and blue suits, racing higher than home at Soldier Hollow (nearly 5,500 feet above sea level). New England topped the podium in four of six classic individual starts, and its girls earned a championship in every age category.
For Rachel Hall of Middlebury College, the OJ victory in the 5 k classic race was her first in four years at Junior Nationals. She placed third in Wednesday’s 10 k freestyle mass start, which was a personal best at the time. Learning from that experience, she went for it on Friday.
It didn’t matter that Hall typically trained at an elevation below 2,000 feet in southern Vermont. The 18-year-old knew she could handle one lap around Soldier Hollow.
In a staggered start mixed with J1 racers, Hall was the fastest OJ around the modified Olympic course in 14:43.5. She edged New England teammate Mary Kate Cirelli (Green Mountain Valley School) by 6.2 seconds. Elizabeth Simak of the Midwest and F.A.S.T. Performance Training placed third (+9.5).
“My skis were awesome,” Hall said. “I tried to ski fast over the tops of the hills and work the flats. Everything went well.”
Aware of her lead based on splits around the course, Hall said she tried to ski relaxed and even took in the scenery, noting how beautiful it was.
But when it came to the last hill, she put her head down and powered through the lengthy climb. Mentally, she had everything going for her. She felt good, was confident in her improved classic technique and loved the 5 k distance. Also, her lungs didn’t hurt as badly as in the 10 k.
“I didn’t feel altitude as much,” she said. “It’s shorter. I think that helped New England.”
On Monday, the team won five of six sprint finals.
“It’s later in the week and we’ve been proving we’re still strong,” Hall said. “We’ve shown in distance races we have that top notch.”
Also in the top 10: Felicia Gesior (GL/Northern Michigan) finished fourth, Sarah Cresap (AK/APU) was fifth, Annie Liotta (AK/Alaska Winter Stars) was sixth and Paige Schember (MW/F.A.S.T.) was seventh. Rachel Mason (GL/MTU) placed eighth, Nicolette Amber (MW/CXC) was ninth, and Hannah Boyer (AK/NSCF-FXC) was 10th.
Talbot Wins 10 k
Two days ago, Silas Talbot dogged it a little in the 15 k. The Dartmouth College freshman said he probably approached the mass start too conservatively and had to catch several people as a result.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/oj.talbot1.jpg" "Silas Talbot")
Fortunately, saving some for the end worked for the New Englander as he finished third in the mass start for his best-ever Junior Nationals result in five years. Talbot went two notches higher on Friday, winning the OJ boys 10 k classic race in 25:45.5.
He beat Wednesday’s 15 k freestyle winner, Ben Saxton (Midwest/Minnesota Valley Ski Club) by 20 seconds. After Saxton as the runner-up, Sam Reed (New England/University of New Hampshire) was third (+30.0).
“That went really well,” Talbot said. “I decided to take it out hard. I had a really aggressive start up the first hill and kept going. The splits I was getting were good, and I ended up first.”
After getting a taste for the podium on Wednesday, Talbot wanted more.
“[I] wanted to get to that next level today,” he said. “I figured the way to do that was to start strong and control the race, hopefully not die.”
With granulated conditions that held up despite 40-degree temperatures, Talbot said the snow was a little slower than on previous days, but was great for classic racing with several hard hills and enough places to recover.
He went hard climbing out of the hollow and felt the burn the second time around. To keep up his tempo, Talbot said he focused on his rhythm and later held on while ascending the infamous Hermod’s Hill on the backside.
After Talbot and Reed picked up two of the top three spots for New England, Rocky Mountain had three racers in the top 10. Mike Vigers (SSC Vail) led the way in fourth (+32.5), Tucker McCrerey (Summit) was seventh, and Charlie Von Thaden (Steamboat Springs) was ninth.
Also in the top 10: Kevin Bolger (IM/Sun Valley) placed fifth, Austin Meng (FW/Auburn) was sixth, Alexander Mahoney (Canada/Rocky Mountain Racers) was eighth and Sawyer Kesselheim (IM/Bridger) finished 10th.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/oj.boys_.10kpodium.jpg" "OJ boys 10 k podium at Junior Nationals: 1. Silas Talbot (NE/Dartmouth), 2. Ben Saxton (MW/Minnesota), 3. Sam Reed (NE/UNH)")
Audrey Mangan contributed reporting.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j2.girls_.5kpodium.jpg" "The J2 girls' 5 k podium: a tie for first, and all three within 1.5 seconds of each other.")
All 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals coverage is brought to you through the generous support of The Memory Clinic, in Bennington, Vt., committed to caring for the mind since 1987. Currently conducting clinical research on the Alzheimer’s disease vaccine.
MIDWAY, Utah — After fifteen excruciating minutes of pushing one’s body to its absolute limit, grabbing seconds here and there around tight corners, through transitions, and in a lunge for the finish, it’s hard to imagine someone else skiing a course exactly as fast.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j2.girls_.winner.jpg" "Lydia Blanchet (AK/APUNSC) striding up Hermod's Hill.")
And yet ties do happen in individual-start races, as Julia Kern (NE/Cambridge Sports Union) and Lydia Blanchet (AK/APUNSC) learned first-hand after finishing Friday’s 5 k classic at Soldier Hollow, each in 15:01.4
Kern, the winner of the classic sprint earlier this week, came through as the early leader in the 15-second interval start race, maintaining a margin of over 24 seconds ahead of the next closest finisher. Many top seeds started early, but Blanchet didn’t come through until a few minutes later.
When her name appeared at the top of the jumbotron with the exact same time as Kern’s, Blanchet had mixed feelings.
“It was kind of bittersweet,” she said. “Half of me was like, ‘Oh my gosh I just won Junior Nationals,’ but the other half was like, ‘Oh, one tenth of a second anywhere out on the course…’ But I’m happy for both of us.”
Kern was also satisfied to share the top of the podium.
“With tenth of a second, it’s close enough—and we both deserved it. We skied hard,” said Kern.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/kern.jpg" "Julia Kern (NE/CSU) getting her toe across the line.")
Though their end results were the same, the two girls approached the race from slightly different angles. Blanchet wanted to “go as hard as I could for the whole thing,” while Kern planned to ski the first gradual hill at a steady pace and “kill it on the flats where everyone would be tired.”
Hermod’s Hill, as usual, was a focal point—if not in strategy then certainly in the post-race rehash of the race experience.
“I got to the top of Hermod’s and I was like, ‘Whoa, I’m tired,’” said Kern, who had to break out of the tracks to herringbone over the very top. But keeping in mind that it was her last individual race of the week, she pushed through it.
Kern’s New England teammate Katharine Ogden (NE/Stratton Mountain School) finished only 1.5 seconds behind the two winners, making the J2 girls’ race the closest contest of the day.
With their tie on Friday, Blanchet and Kern are each walking away from Soldier Hollow with two individual gold medals. Saturday’s 3 x 3 k relay is still to come.
O’Harra Breaks Out For First National Title
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j2.boys_.winner.jpg" "Thomas O'Harra (AK/APUNSC) on his way to a national title.")
Alaskan racer Thomas O’Harra turned heads at Junior Nationals on Monday, clocking the fastest qualifying time in the 1.3 k classic sprints by nearly five seconds. Second in the J2 B-final and eighth overall, that wasn’t exactly the result he was looking for, especially not after last year.
At the 2011 Junior Nationals in Minneapolis, O’Harra as a first-year J2 took second in the sprint. This year, the Alaska Pacific University skier was set on gold.
The 15-year-old achieved it on Friday, winning the 5 k classic individual start in 13:31.4. O’Harra edged Cully Brown of Rocky Mountain/Durango by 2.4 seconds, and Peter Holmes (FW/Tahoe) was third (+19.6).
“It’s been my goal since last year, and I feel awesome,” O’Harra said. “I knew I was in the mix most of race. I got splits that I was a couple seconds behind for most of it, then I just got to bottom of Hermod’s [Hill] and I just put my head down and skied as hard as I could.”
The conditions reminded him of Eagle Glacier in Alaska, where he spent part of his summer at a junior camp training on similar snow in balmy weather.
“It was a couple of days just like this, same tracks, same temperatures, so it’s nice,” he said. “It paid off.”
Despite his preparation, the course still hurt.
“I was pretty deep oxygen debt,” said O’Harra. “I knew I had to push myself harder than I ever had, and I was lightheaded.”
Regardless, he felt like he had acclimated and said his coaches did a good job of helping its athletes, most of which come from sea level, adjust to altitude.
Another Alaskan, Matthew Muffoletto (Alaska Winter Stars) made the top 10 in eighth. Sam Miller (IM/Bridger) was fourth, Jack Elder (NE/Cumberland) placed fifth, and Karsten Hokanson (IM/Wasatch) was sixth. Peter Neal (IM/Jackson Hole) finished seventh, Ben Hegman (NE/Mansfield) was ninth and Koby Gordon (NE/Stratton) was 10th.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j2.boys_.5kpodium.jpg" "j2.boys.5kpodium")
All 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals coverage is brought to you through the generous support of The Memory Clinic, in Bennington, Vt., committed to caring for the mind since 1987. Currently conducting clinical research on the Alzheimer’s disease vaccine.
MIDWAY, Utah — Watch Paddy Caldwell (New England/Stratton Mountain School) breeze to victory in the Wednesday’s J1 boys’ mass start 10 k (above) and Corey Stock (NE/Cambridge Sports Union) move her way up to take the girls’ race (below).
Complete results (scroll for J1s)
All 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals coverage is brought to you through the generous support of The Memory Clinic, in Bennington, Vt., committed to caring for the mind since 1987. Currently conducting clinical research on the Alzheimer’s disease vaccine.
MIDWAY, Utah — The mass start distance races on Wednesday at Soldier Hollow featured plenty of carnage. One report from a J2 boy to his coach was that “there were baskets everywhere!” Multiple skiers broke poles, including the boys’ race leader on the fast descent on the other side of Hermod’s Hill, who nonetheless still recovered to finish in the top five. Karsten Hokanson (Intermountain/Wasatch Nordic Ski Academy) overtook the win in the boys’ race and Lydia Blanchet (AK/APUNSC) claimed her first ever Junior Nationals title. Check out our footage from the boys’ race (above) and the girls’ (below).
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/oj.girls_.2ndlap.jpg" "Elizabeth Simak, Sharmila Ahmed, Mary Kate Cirelli, Rachel Hall")
All 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals coverage is brought to you through the generous support of The Memory Clinic, in Bennington, Vt., committed to caring for the mind since 1987. Currently conducting clinical research on the Alzheimer’s disease vaccine.
MIDWAY, Utah — There was plenty of excitement in six freestyle mass starts on Wednesday at the 2012 Junior Nationals at Soldier Hollow. From breakaways to broken poles, each race had its own storyline and dramatic ending.
Check out the following photo galleries of the J2, J1 and OJ events:
J1 boys/girls 10 k mass starts
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/ojboys.final_.jpg" "Ben Saxton, Daviod Palmer")
All 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals coverage is brought to you through the generous support of The Memory Clinic, in Bennington, Vt., committed to caring for the mind since 1987. Currently conducting clinical research on the Alzheimer’s disease vaccine.
MIDWAY, Utah – A lone Canadian more than 30 seconds ahead of the pack, Daviod Palmer seemed untouchable at some points of the OJ boys 15-kilometer race at the 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals on Wednesday.
Either that or just plain risky.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/oj.palmer.leads_.jpg" "Daviod Palmer")
An 18-year-old from Black Jack Ski Club in Rossland, British Columbia, Palmer jumped out to an early lead in the freestyle mass start at Soldier Hollow, cruising ahead with at least 10 kilometers to go.
Some might have wondered what he was doing. He had two laps left, and all that time to lose the lead.
Meanwhile, Ben Saxton of the Midwest/Minnesota Valley Ski Club hung on with about seven others, trying to chase Palmer without blowing up. Saxton didn’t think Palmer was out of reach, and he proved he wasn’t on the last downhill before the finish.
On the corner before the stadium, Saxton came up on Palmer’s heels. The Canadian must have felt it because the two sprinted down the straightaway, and Saxton threw himself over the line.
When he picked his head up, Saxton realized he did it. He edged Palmer and won the OJ title outright.
“I knew he was Canadian, but never want to win a race by default,” Saxton said after winning the photo finish by 0.3 seconds in 41:50.3. “I just went my hardest. It was a wicked race. I loved it.”
Palmer said he had fun as well; he just didn’t have much left on the last climb.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/oj.chase_.2.jpg" "Junior Nationals OJ boys chase pack mass start")
“I just felt that it was time to pick up the pace on the second lap so I just went my own pace,” Palmer said. “I was getting pretty tired on that last hill, but it was super fun.”
Saxton seized his opportunity on the long climb after taking most of the hills easy throughout the race. Recognizing his skis’ speed on the first lap, when he sped by the others on a major descent, Saxton reevaluated his game plan.
“From then on, I tried to take it easy on the uphills and hammer down,” he said. “I knew I could make a move. I wasn’t expending a ton of energy up there.”
Dartmouth freshman Silas Talbot finished third (+14.5) for New England after skiing outside the top 20 at the beginning of the race. He picked off competitors as he plugged along, eventually catching the chase group and challenging its contenders.
“I knew I was going to take it out pretty conservatively and I maybe took it out a little too conservatively,” Talbot said after notching his first podium in five years at Junior Nationals. “[I] got dropped by the lead pack on the second lap and had to close that gap. … I just dug deep and pushed it over the top of the hill. Coming into the finish I just had that next gear and was able to kick it in.”
Sawyer Kesselheim (IM/Bridger) came through in fourth (+19.2), and Tucker McCrerey (RM/Summit) was fifth (+29.7).
Also in the top 10, Kyle Bratrud (MW/Minnesota) was sixth, Jordan Fields (NE/Woodstock) was seventh, Kevin Bolger (IM/Sun Valley) finished eighth, Austin Meng (FW/Auburn) was ninth and Alexander Mahoney (Canada/RMR) placed 10th.
OJ boys 15 k freestyle mass start results
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/ojgirls.2ndlap.jpg" "OJ girls mass start, Junior Nationals")
Ahmed Advances on Descent
Elizabeth Simak came this close to locking up a Junior Nationals title. At least her teammate got it instead.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/oj.hermode.jpg" "Simak and the chase group, OJ freestyle mass start, Junior Nationals")
The OJ girls 10 k freestyle mass start might as well been a sprint given the way it turned out for the frontrunners. After Simak (Midwest/F.A.S.T. Performance Training) led for most of the two-lap race, she fell victim to her own exhaustion.
“Coming around corner, I kind of freaked out on the hill,” she said of the steep and sweeping descent before the finish at Soldier Hollow. “My legs were so dead. I snapped my pole between my legs. A New England coach handed me a pole and my teammate blew by me.”
Sharmila Ahmed (MW/Go Training) avoided her scrambling teammate and took the lead with a few hundred meters remaining. Fifth after the first loop, she had positioned herself in second on the final descent, and it made the difference.
Ahmed won the OJ championship in the last race of the day in 32:18. Despite softening conditions with temperatures reaching the high 30s, Ahmed kept up her speed to win by 11.9 seconds. Simak recovered and finished second to put the Midwest in the top two.
“I’ve never gotten a top ten in a distance race,” Simak said. “I really wanted to podium. I just got excited and went, just wanted to go my hardest. You know, it sucks not to win, but my teammate is a really good skier and I’m really happy for her.”
Simak and Ahmed initially pulled away from the pack together at the beginning of the second lap. They figured they were already halfway done and could go harder.
“We went for it then, kept switching off, talking to each other,” Ahmed said. “Over on the bridge, Simak pulled away. She was going for it; that was one of the best sprints I’ve ever seen.”
Ahmed chased her teammate to the top of Hermod’s Hill. Although she said she was gaining on the downhill, Ahmed wasn’t sure what happened.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/ojgirls.podium.ms_.jpg" "OJ girls freestyle mass start, Junior Nationals")
“I was really confused,” she said. “I don’t know, I just went. It’s crazy.”
About four seconds after Simak crossed the line, Rachel Hall (NE/Middlebury) finished in third (+16.4) and immediately collapsed alongside Simak. The two had to be picked up and/or dragged away from where they fell just beyond the finish.
Hall recovered soon after and was excited about her first podium in four years at Junior Nationals.
“The lactate didn’t really hit you until the second lap so I just tried to gradually work into it so I didn’t explode,” Hall said.
When the two leaders broke away, she helped set a manageable pace with her New England teammates Isabelle Pelletier (Stratton) and Mary Kate Cirelli (Green Mountain). Together, they formed a chase group, and Pelletier and Cirelli finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
“I felt like I was catching number two, but not enough,” Hall said. “The finish was so slushy that it was hard to sprint to the end.”
Also in the top 10, Emily Stitt (NE/Green Mountain) was sixth, Alice Flanders (MW/Sisu) was seventh, Paige Schember (MW/F.A.S.T.) was eighth, Claire Galvin (MW/Go Training) was ninth and Rachel Mason (GL/MTU) finished 10th.
OJ girls 10 k freestyle mass start results
Audrey Mangan contributed reporting.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j2.hokanson.leads_.jpg" "J2 boys Hokanson")
All 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals coverage is brought to you through the generous support of The Memory Clinic, in Bennington, Vt., committed to caring for the mind since 1987. Currently conducting clinical research on the Alzheimer’s disease vaccine.
MIDWAY, Utah — When he woke up before the mass start skate race on Wednesday morning, Karsten Hokanson (Intermountain/Wasatch Nordic Ski Academy) felt a bit ill. The 5 k course at Soldier Hollow was home turf for the J2, who is a junior at the Winter Sports School in Park City, Utah.
“I kinda wanted to see how it went,” said Hokanson after clinching the win in the freestyle mass start. “But, it was a really good race.”
With the home-course advantage on Wednesday, Hokanson took it easy out of the start, hovering around the tenth position. He gradually turned it on towards the end, using Hermod’s Hill—the enormous wall of a climb towards the end of the course—to start his attack.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j2boyspodium.ms_.jpg" "The J2 boys podium.")
“It was really hard, but that’s where I’d planned on making a move,” said Hokanson.
Hermod’s Hill was a deciding factor for nearly every distance race that took place on Wednesday, sapping skiers of every bit of strength they had. Those who attacked too hard risked fading later, while those who saved just enough for the long final straightaway prevailed.
In Hokanson’s case, his ability to stay on his feet helped also him towards the gold medal. He moved within striking distance of the front on the big climb, and on the “whale’s tail” of a descent on the other side, the race leader lost control and fell, losing valuable momentum. Hokanson came screaming by and held the position all the way to the finish, clocking in at 12:23.7 on the icy, fast course. Tanner Ramey (AK/Alaska Winter Stars) took silver 9.7 seconds back and Peter Holmes (FW/Tahoe XC) finished third (+11.7).
At the 2011 championships in Minneapolis, Hokanson finished in the top-10 in both individual distance races. One year can make a big difference, as his gold medal-performance shows. This is Hokanson’s first national title, and when asked if he thought a repeat was a possibility for Friday’s interval start classic, he shrugged. Nothing is guaranteed.
“We’ll see, I don’t know… It depends on how I feel and how it plays out,” he said.
At Her First Junior Nationals, Blanchet Notches 5 k Win
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j2girls.podium.ms_.jpg" "The J2 girls podium.")
With hardly any expectations prior to the start of the J2 girls 5 k, Lydia Blanchet (AK/Alaska Pacific University NSC) pulled off her first career Junior Nationals title, finishing 5.8 seconds ahead of Julia Kern (NE/Cambridge Sports Union). Alayna Sonnesyn (MW/Sisu Ski Club) was third (+6.3).
For all three skiers who ended up on the podium, the 5 k mass start freestyle was a waiting game. They came to Soldier Hollow from sea level, and no one wanted to make a move too early and risk digging herself into a hole. As a result, the lead group kept an inconsistent pace, no one wanting to take the lead.
For the winner, the race played out perfectly. Blanchet skied towards the back of the lead pack in the early kilometers and gradually moved up.
“Everything happened just how I wanted,” said an awestruck Blanchet. “I was in third on Hermod’s Hill, and managed to pass people on that screamer downhill, and it was just to the finish from there.”
“I don’t think it could have turned out any better for me.”
The pace was a different experience for those at the front for the early sections.
“It was a rugged race—it went fast, slow, fast, slow,” said Kern.
“Then it was just, like, pain cave on the hill,” she said of the long ascent to the high point of the course at the top of Hermod’s.
After the podium ceremony, Blanchet still couldn’t quite believe her luck in winning.
“I don’t think it’s hit me yet,” she said. “This is my first year at JNs. I was just kind of checking out the scene and it turns out I can compete at this level. It’s really, really exciting for me.”
Blanchet’s reaction is a reminder of what these Junior National championships do best: open athletes’ eyes to exactly where they stand against the rest of the country and inspire them to come back next year even stronger.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j1girls.stock_.storey.2.jpg" "Corey Stock, Sloan Storey")
All 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals coverage is brought to you through the generous support of The Memory Clinic, in Bennington, Vt., committed to caring for the mind since 1987. Currently conducting clinical research on the Alzheimer’s disease vaccine.
MIDWAY, Utah – As Corey Stock glanced up Hermod’s Hill, the grueling climb at Soldier Hollow made famous by the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics, she thought about the three racers in front of her.
The 17-year-old from New England couldn’t get over how good they looked.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j1girlspodium.ms_.jpg" "Corey Stock, Sloan Storey, Marion Woods")
That’s Stock for you. After winning eight Junior Nationals titles, including Wednesday’s J1 10-kilometer freestyle mass start, she still shifts the focus to others.
Yes, she caught up to Sloan Storey (IM/Sun Valley), Marion Woods (AK/Alaska Winter Stars) and Emily Hannah (RM/Steamboat Springs) on that hill and took a permanent lead.
Yes, hills are one of her strengths, which is partly why the Cambridge Sports Union skier has achieved two titles in as many races at the 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals.
But Stock, who won Wednesday’s mass start in 29:20.6, said she went into the race without expectations. Initially second then fourth by the second of two laps, she hoped she get back in the mix.
“They had a gap on me for a lot of it so I was just trying to stay as close to them as I could,” Stock said. “But it was really cool watching them. They’re such strong climbers.”
Stock finished 6.3 seconds ahead of Storey, who was second after leading most of the last climb. Four girls converged at the bottom of the hill, and Storey started them up it.
“Corey Stock caught back up to the lead group and then I decided to try to go for it,” Storey said. “They all stayed along and it was just a fight all the way until the finish.”
As the two met near the top of Hermod’s Hill, named after the course’s Norwegian designer Hermod Bjorkestol, Stock took off.
“I realized I needed to start making a move to stay on the podium,” Storey said.
Unable to catch Stock, she successfully held off Woods by 0.9 seconds. Woods finished third (+7.2).
Smiling after the race, Stock, who won Monday’s classic sprint, talked about how much she liked the course and the girls she raced against.
“It was a great race,” Stock said. “It was a really hard one, but it was really fun. Really fun.”
Hannah finished fourth (+12.5) after mostly skiing in second. Sarah Freistone (AK/Alaska Nordic Racing) was fifth, Jesse Knori (IM/Sun Valley) was sixth, and Canadian Maya McIsaac-Jones (Rocky Mountain Racers) placed seventh.
Kelsey Phinney (RM/Boulder Nordic) was eighth, Margaret Pope (IM/Sun Valley) was ninth and Rachel Hampton (RM/Durango Nordic) was 10th.
J1 girls 10 k freestyle mass start results
Caldwell Breaks Away
Paddy Caldwell knew exactly who was trailing him and by how much in the J1 boys 10 k freestyle mass start on Wednesday. Hearing splits from his New England coaches throughout the race, Caldwell was aware of his 5- to 10-second gap as he neared the end of the first loop.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j1.caldwell.jpg" "Patrick Caldwell")
With one lap to go and four New England teammates working together behind him, Caldwell (Stratton Mountain School) said he had a surge of inspiration.
He not only felt good; he knew was setting the pace for a potential team sweep.
“Coming through the lap lane, I started to put the hammer down and really pushed through the transitions as much as I could,” Caldwell said.
His skis proved they were fast as he rode them to the front of the pack on a gradual downhill before a massive climb. On the backside of Hermod’s Hill – the Whale’s Tail – he soared ahead and decided to keep pushing the pace.
With four kilometers to go, Caldwell heard four of his teammates were about 20 seconds behind him. That was great news, he thought, and soon Caldwell was 30- to 45- seconds ahead.
He crossed the finish line in 24:39.3, nearly 30 seconds ahead of anyone else. For Caldwell, it was his second individual victory at Junior Nationals and third including a relay.
“It’s huge,” Caldwell said. “It’s been a long season and this is championship time, and it’s really fun and exciting to have it all come together.”
Behind him, Eli Hoenig led a pack of New Englanders to the finish. Hoenig (Cambridge Sports Union) was second (+27.9), Fabián Stocek (NE/Holderness) was third (+28.2), and two others on the team – Sean Doherty (Mt. Washington) and Gino Pastore (Stratton) – rounded out the top five.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j1.downhill.jpg" "Doherty, Hoenig, Stocek, Pasatore")
Monday’s classic sprint winner, Hoenig said it was a great feeling to be part of a New England sweep. On Tuesday night, he said one of their coaches told them to work cohesively if they found themselves in a pack ahead of the 80-plus racers.
While they were a chase pack of their own, the four maintained the momentum in an effort to catch Caldwell, switching the lead every 500 yards or so.
“We might have been slowly gaining, but we were definitely slowly breaking away from the pack,” Hoenig said.
Unsure if they’d close the gap, they tried anyway. On the final downhill, Hoenig as the group’s leader realized he needed to work for second.
“I thought [Stocek] was gonna shake-and-bake me, like, slingshot ahead,” Hoenig said. “It was a close one.”
After Doherty (+39.6) and Pastore (+41.6), Cal Deline of RM/SSC Vail finished sixth (+1:07.4). Jackson Hill (RM/Summit Nordic) was seventh, Max Scrimgeour (RM/Steamboat Springs) was eighth, Patrick McElravey (FW/Auburn) was ninth and Christian Shanley (RM/SSC Vail) was 10th.
J1 boys 10 k freestyle mass start results
Audrey Mangan contributed reporting.
All 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals coverage is brought to you through the generous support of The Memory Clinic, in Bennington, Vt., committed to caring for the mind since 1987. Currently conducting clinical research on the Alzheimer’s disease vaccine.
MIDWAY, Utah — Paige Schember (Midwest/F.A.S.T.) and Eric Lustgarten (New England/St. Lawrence University) claimed the gold medals in the OJ category in Monday’s classic sprints. The girls’ heats began to overlap later in the day, but we caught most of the OJ quarters, semis and finals on film. Take a look.
Complete sprint brackets (scroll through for OJs)
All 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals coverage is brought to you through the generous support of The Memory Clinic, in Bennington, Vt., committed to caring for the mind since 1987. Currently conducting clinical research on the Alzheimer’s disease vaccine.
MIDWAY, Utah — Not only did New England and Cambridge Sports Union sweep the top spots in both J1 sprints on Monday, the same high school can claim two new national champions. Corey Stock and Eli Hoenig, of Lincoln-Sudbury High School in Massachusettes, knocked off two of the first gold medals of the week in Soldier Hollow. Check out our video footage from the heats.
Sprint brackets (scroll through for J1s)
All 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals coverage is brought to you through the generous support of The Memory Clinic, in Bennington, Vt., committed to caring for the mind since 1987. Currently conducting clinical research on the Alzheimer’s disease vaccine.
MIDWAY, Utah — Monday’s J2 classic sprints at Soldier Hollow featured plenty of excitement. Henry Harmeyer (NE/Mansfield Nordic) and Julia Kern (NE/Cambridge Sports Union) cleaned up the gold medals for New England. Check out our footage from the boys’ race (above) and the girls’ (below).
J2 boys’ heat brackets | J2 girls’ heat brackets
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/49-M.jpg" "Wyatt Mayo")
All 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals coverage is brought to you through the generous support of The Memory Clinic, in Bennington, Vt., committed to caring for the mind since 1987. Currently conducting clinical research on the Alzheimer’s disease vaccine.
MIDWAY, Utah — More than 400 racers zipped around the 1.3 k classic course at Soldier Hollow on Monday, each trying to advance to the sprint heats later that afternoon. Since the qualifier included everybody, we did our best to capture most of the racers in action during the interval start.
Check out our Junior Nationals photo galleries, broken down by gender and age (J2, J1/OJ).
Unsure where to begin looking? Refer to the following start lists, categorized by order and team affiliation from the sprint qualifier.
Click here for other Junior Nationals start lists and live timing of the event.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/eli.hoenig.jpg" "Eli Hoenig")
All 2012 Cross Country Junior Nationals coverage is brought to you through the generous support of The Memory Clinic, in Bennington, Vt., committed to caring for the mind since 1987. Currently conducting clinical research on the Alzheimer’s disease vaccine.
MIDWAY, Utah — Eli Hoenig (New England/Cambridge Sports Union) knows how to make himself hurt.
He got off to a fast start and skied in front as the A-final pack moved up the first hill.
By the time he group came within sight of the finish line, Hoenig trailed teammate Paddy Caldwell (NE/SMS). But Hoenig didn’t doubt the speed in his double pole as he gained on Caldwell, who was striding down the straightaway
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j1sprint.podium.jpg" "The J1 boys' sprint podium. Hoenig (1), Caldwell (2) and Morgan (3).")
Inch by inch, Hoenig pulled ahead, and won by a slim 0.63 seconds. After crossing the line and managing to congratulate Caldwell on his race, his stomach protested to the ordeal of skiing four all-out sprints in one day and emptied itself in the finish pen.
“I don’t know, maybe it was something I ate, or I just went really hard,” said Hoenig once he’d recovered. “I feel great mentally—physically I’m kind of down in the dumps.”
It would be unsurprising if Hoenig’s finish line discomfort were simply a matter of exerting himself beyond his limit. His father confirmed in the finish area that it wasn’t the first time his son’s lunch had ended up on the snow after a race.
Hoenig and Caldwell’s battle left the rest of the J1 boys’ final a full 11 seconds back from the winning time. Cole Morgan (Intermountain/Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation) took the bronze medal, Nick St. Clair (Pacific Northwest/Bend Endurance Academy) took fourth, Zach Goldberg (Midwest/Minnesota Valley) finished fifth and Harris Dirnberger (MW/Central Cross Country JDP) was sixth.
Stock Knocks off Another National Title
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/stock.j1sprint.win_.jpg" "Corey Stock (NE/CSU) raising her arms in triumph after winning the classic sprint at Junior Nationals on Monday.")
As junior skiers grow through the age-class ranks, there are certain names that routinely pop up near the top of results at Junior Nationals. Corey Stock’s (New England/Cambridge Sports Union) is one such name. But she isn’t simply fast; she consistently performs at the very top of her game when it counts the most, destroying her competition.
Monday’s classic sprint at Soldier Hollow was no exception. After posting the fastest qualifier that morning, Stock went on to win the J1 final 4.36 seconds ahead of Jesse Knori (Intermountain/SVSEF). She opened an early lead and never let up.
“I was trying to just go all-out from the beginning and open a gap early,” said Stock after her win. “There are big hills in the beginning, and hills are probably my strong suit.”
A solid double-pole was also crucial to surviving the sprint. As the sun warmed the snow to well above 40 F, the course became soft and slow. The J1 girls’ were some of the last heats to go off, and featured with the worst of it. For the finals, the weather changed its mind again, and cloud cover began to cool the tracks back down.
“It was definitely pretty slow and sluggish in the [heats], but it’s good practice to learn to change it up in the different conditions,” said Stock.
The Lincoln-Sudbury senior doesn’t take each new win lightly; her triumphant fist pump as she crossed the line could easily have been in celebration of her first national title.
“It feels really nice—to be skiing against all these awesome athletes back in the U.S.,” said Stock, who was in Erzurum, Turkey at the end of February for her first World Junior Championships.
Behind Stock, Knori claimed the runner-up spot in front of third finisher Mary O’Connell (Rocky Mountain/Steamboat Springs WSC). Heather Mooney (NE/Stratton Mountain School) was fourth, Lucy Newman (RM/SSWSC) finished fifth and Emily Hannah (RM/SSWSC).
Qualifier results (scroll for J1 girls)
Overall sprint results (scroll for J1 girls)
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/03/j1.girls_.sprint.podium.jpg" "The J1 girls' sprint podium: Stock (1), Knori (2) and O'Connell (3).")
