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  • Saturday Rundown: From Lillehammer to West Yellowstone (Updated)

    Saturday Rundown: From Lillehammer to West Yellowstone (Updated)

    The women’s podium from Saturday’s 10-kilometer freestyle individual start race in Lillehammer Norway. Norway’s Therese Johaug (center) placed first, Sweden’s Ebba Andersson (left) second, and teammate Charlotte Kalla (right) third. (Photo: NBC Sports Gold screenshot)

    FIS Cross-Country World Cup in Lillehammer Norway: 10 k/ 15 k Freestyle Individual Start

    Women’s Report | Men’s Report

    On Saturday, the second day of World Cup cross-country racing ensued in Lillehammer, Norway with a 10-kilometer freestyle individual start race for the women.

    On a track of snow surrounded by green fir trees and a soggy landscape, the women skied two laps of 5 k course. Norway’s Therese Johaug was the fastest skier at every checkpoint to win in a time of 26:22.4 minutes. Ebba Andersson, the upstart Swede skied to second (+9.2), and teammate Charlotte Kalla was third (+15.7).

    Collectively, it was a strong day for the U.S. women with four skiers in the top-30.

    Sadie Bjornsen of the U.S. Ski Team (USST) finished in ninth (+1:17.0) after placing third in yesterday’s skate sprint. Rosie Brennan (APU) skied to 11th (+1:29.3), the USST’s Jessie Diggins 12th (+1:29.9), Caitlin Paterson (CGRP) 30th (+2:28.2), Kaitlynn Miller (CGRP) 60th (+4:10.4), and Ida Sargent of the USST 63rd (+4:18.4), and Kelsey Phinney (SMS T2) 65th (+4:22.5).

    No Canadian women were entered.

    Seventy-two skiers finished the women’s race.

    Women’s Results

    The men raced three times around the 5 k loop for 15 k total and three times up the course’s big climb. In this early season, many of the perceived pre-race favorites finished further back in the field.

    Norway’s Sjur Røthe won in a time of 36:34.0 minutes. By the 8.3 k time check, Røthe took control of the race. Teammate Didrik Tønseth placed second (+6.0), while Russia’s Denis Spitsov was third (+28.6).

    Canada’s Alex Harvey was the best placed North American in 17th (+1:20.5). Also for Canada, Andy Shields  was 61st (+3:08.4), and Russell Kennedy (TEAM R.A.D.) 64th (+3:17.0)

    For the U.S., Erik Bjornsen of the U.S. Ski Team (USST) finished 43rd (+2:24.5), David Norris (APU) 54th (+2:44.5), Simi Hamilton (USST) 56th (+2:59.4), Paddy Caldwell (USST) 67th (+3:33.1), Kevin Bolger (USST) 68th (+3:38.7), Scott Patterson (USST) 73rd (+3:52.3), and Adam Martin (CGRP) 75th (+4:05.0).

    Men’s Results 

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    SuperTour (West Yellowstone, Mont.): 1.3 k Freestyle sprints

    The fastest qualifier for the men on Saturday in West Yellowstone was SMS T2 athlete Andy Newell.  The Vermont native, now residing in Bozeman, Mont., won in a time of 2:35.53 minutes. His margin of victory was 7.26 seconds over second fastest qualifier, Alaska Pacific University (APU) skier Logan Hannenman. Newell’s teammate, Ben Saxton qualified in third (+7.79).

    Newell advanced to the finals by winning the first heat and first semifinal.

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    In the finals, Newell controlled the pace and made clear that at thirty five years old, he can still light up the domestic ranks. Newell won in a time of 2:41.66 minutes. Craftsbury Green Racing Project’s Ben Lustgarten placed second in 2:43.55 minutes, and University of New Mexico skier Ricardo Izquierdo-Bernier was third in 2:45.66 minutes.

    Adam Luban of the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation Gold Team finished in fourth, Forrest Mahlen of Alaska Pacific University (APU) was fifth, and Ben Saxton (SMS T2) placed sixth in the men’s final.

    Julia Kern, a member of the U.S. Ski Development Team (UUSDT) and SMS T2 , won the women’s qualifier in 3:08.58 minutes. Second in the qualifier, also from SS T2, was Erika Flowers who finished 2.5 seconds behind Kern. University of Utah skier, Julia Richter qualified in third (+3.22). 

    Like Newell, Kern won both her quarterfinal and semi to make the finals.

    Kern won the women’s final in 3:09.85 minutes. APU’s Rosie Frankowski, the day’s fourth fastest qualifier, was second in a time of 3:11.37 minutes. Teammate Hannah Halvorsen (APU/USSDT) placed third, stopping the clock in 3:12.51 minutes. Halvorsen placed sixth in the qualifier. 

    Flowers ended up fourth in the finals, while Richter and Utah teammate Karianne Moe, placed fifth and sixth, respectively.

    West Yellowtone SuperTour Sprint Results

  • Frozen Thunder Day 2 Distance Race Rundown: Canada’s Emily Nishikawa and Russell Kennedy Win

    Frozen Thunder Day 2 Distance Race Rundown: Canada’s Emily Nishikawa and Russell Kennedy Win

    Sunrise in Canmore courtesy of Mother Nature. Today was distance day for the men and women. The women contested a 7.5 k individual start freestyle race, the men huffed and puffed for 10 k. (Photo: Linden Mills-Connery)

    Frozen Thunder (Canmore, Alberta) 7.5k/10k Freestyle

    On Tuesday, Frozen Thunder at the Canmore Nordic Centre in Canmore, Alberta hosted women’s and men’s individual start freestyle races. The women raced 7.5 kilometers, the men 10 k.

    Canada’s Emily Nishikawa (AIAWCA/CNST) won the women’s 7.5 k skate race in a time of 21:05.9 minutes. Nishikawa’s pacing was peerless as she skied the fastest splits at every checkpoint. Dahria Beatty (AIAWCA/CNST) placed second, stopping the clock 24.0 seconds slower than Nishikawa for a time of 21:29.9 minutes. Third place went to U.S. skier Catherine Feldman (SVSEF Gold Team) who skied the course in 21:42.2 minutes.

    Another U.S. skier, Dartmouth’s Lauren Jortberg, skied to fifth (+59.2), while Canadian Biathlon National team member Emma Lunder placed sixth (+1:22.5). Cate Brams (SVSEF Gold Team), also from the U.S., was sixth overall (+1:37.9).

    For the men, Canadian Russell Kennedy (Team R.A.D.) ran the tables at all but the first checkpoint on his way to winning the men’s 10k skate in a time of 22:18.9 minutes. Kennedy also posted the fastest qualifying time in yesterday’s classic sprint.

    U.S. skier, Adam Luban (SVSEF Gold Team) placed second (+32.6), with Canada’s Graham Nishikawa (CPNST) in third (+34.4). Nishikawa races as a guide for Canada’s Para Nordic Team. Len Valjas (CNST) was 39.8 seconds in back of Kennedy to place fourth overall.

    (Feldman, Brams, and Luban of the SVSEF Gold Team are also 2018 Middlebury College graduates.)

    Frozen Thunder Day 2 Overall Distance Results

  • Spring Series Rundown: Diggins Anchors Another Stratton Mixed-Relay Win

    Spring Series Rundown: Diggins Anchors Another Stratton Mixed-Relay Win

    The mixed relay podium on Sunday at 2018 SuperTour Finals in Craftsbury, Vt., with Stratton (center: Simi Hamilton, Paddy Caldwell, Jessie Diggins, and Sophie Caldwell) in first, APU (left: Erik Bjornsen, Scott Patterson, Sadie Bjornsen, and Kikkan Randall) in second, and Craftsbury (right: Adam Martin, Alex Howe, Ida Sargent, and Caitlin Patterson) in third. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

    2018 U.S. SuperTour Finals (Craftsbury, Vermont): Mixed relays

    For the second-straight year at the SuperTour’s season-ending Spring Series, the Stratton Mountain School (SMS) T2 Team won the mixed relay, with three of the four athletes who raced on last year’s 4 x 5-kilometer mixed relay squad.

    Simi Hamilton, Sophie Caldwell, Paddy Caldwell, and Jessie Diggins combined for the win on Sunday in Craftsbury, tagging off in that order, with Diggins crossing the finish line first for the third-straight day. Diggins is undefeated in three races so far at Spring Series, after winning Friday’s classic sprint and Saturday’s 10 k freestyle mass start. The women’s 30 k classic mass start remains on Tuesday, followed by the men’s 50 k classic mass start on Wednesday.

    Diggins and her Stratton teammates beat the Alaska Pacific University (APU) first team by 13.2 seconds at the line with a time of 53:43.2. The co-ed mixed relay has been held at SuperTour Finals for the last five years, and APU won the first three editions of the race from 2014 to 2016. Stratton won last year in Fairbanks, Alaska, with Ben Saxton, Hamilton, Caldwell, and Diggins.

    APU led most of Sunday’s race, with Erik Bjornsen starting them off. He came through the first exchange in first place, just 0.2 seconds ahead of Hamilton in second. Behind them, Adam Martin of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project tagged in third, 0.8 seconds out of first.

    Paddy Caldwell (302) tags his Stratton Mountain School (SMS) T2 Team teammate Jessie Diggins (402) in second, while Craftsbury’s Caitlin Patterson (430) looks on, at the final exchange of the mixed relay at 2018 SuperTour Finals in Craftsbury, Vt. Diggins went on to anchor Stratton to first place. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

    Sadie Bjornsen then extended APU’s lead to 7.3 seconds over Stratton’s Sophie Caldwell in second. Behind them, Craftsbury’s Ida Sargent came through the second exchange in 10.3 seconds back in third.

    APU’s Scott Patterson went on to hold off Stratton’s Paddy Caldwell on the third leg, tagging 3.5 seconds ahead in first. Diggins came up big for Stratton on the anchor leg, passing APU’s Kikkan Randall to secure the win.

    Craftsbury held its third-place position during the second half of the race with Alex Howe and Caitlin Patterson to finish third, 56.2 seconds behind Stratton. More than a minute later, APU 2 (Tyler Kornfield, Rosie Brennan, Logan Hanneman, and Rosie Frankowski) crossed in fourth (+2:04). Stratton’s second team (Saxton, Julia Kern, Andy Newell, and Erika Newell) placed fifth (+2:47.3), APU 3 (Reese Hanneman, Becca Rorabaugh, Eric Packer, Hannah Halvorsen) sixth, Dartmouth Ski Team (Luke Brown, Katharine Ogden, Gavin McEwen, Abigail Drach) seventh, Northern Michigan University (Zak Ketterson, Vivian Hett, Ian Torchia, Nicole Schneider) eighth, Middlebury College (Peter Wolter, Cate Brams, Adam Luban, Katie Feldman) ninth, and US Biathlon (Russell Currier, Clare Egan, Raleigh Goessling, Susan Dunklee) 10th.

    Thirty-one “official” teams and eight “unofficial” teams competed, with NMU/CSS/NYSEF leading the unofficial teams with a time of 1:00:01.9 (which ranked 19th overall).

    Racers have the day off Monday before the women’s 30 k and men’s 50 k classic mass starts (part of U.S. Distance Nationals) on Tuesday and Wednesday, starting at 9 a.m. EDT. Watch the races live on the SuperTour live stream.

     

    Relay results: Official teams | Unofficial teams

    Complete SuperTour Finals results