This year’s Junior Nationals, in Fairbanks, don’t start until mid-March. But with high school racing contesting regional and state-level competitions in late February, the window for JNQ, or Junior Nationals Qualification, races is quickly coming to a close.
All of which is to say, there was a lot of high-level junior racing happening around the country last weekend. Please enjoy this roundup from, in no particular order, JNQ races for the Rocky Mountain, Intermountain, Alaska, Pacific Northwest, and New England divisions last Friday, Saturday, and/or Sunday (or, in the case of New England, Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon…).
Rocky Mountain: University of Colorado Invitational, Steamboat Springs
Friday, 15-kilometer mass start classic
U20 women podium: Adele Horning, Emma Barsness, Sophie Spalding
U18 girls podium: Sawyer Ezzell, Charley Lodwick, Ruby May
U20 men: Corbin Carpenter, Jace Peters, Vlad Shambarger
U18 boys: Henry Magill, Charles Ben Oldham, Thomas Cooper
Friday, 5km mass start classic
U16 girls: Gracen Kennedy, Antigone Loomis, Kiera Stabile
U16 boys: William Bentley, Campbell McLaren, Tristan Thrasher
Saturday, 5km interval-start skate
U20 women: Elena Grissom, Kili Lehmkuhl, Katey Houser
U18 girls: Elsie Weiss, Grace Olexa, Keely Hendricks
U16 girls: Gracen Kennedy, Anna Rhodes, Kiera Stabile
U16 boys: Campbell McLaren, William Bentley, Finn Veit
Saturday, 10km interval-start skate
U20 men: Trey Jones, Corbin Carpenter, Jace Peters
U18 boys: Henry Magill, Benjamin Barbier, Charles Ben Oldham
current JN points standings for RMN region
Intermountain: Bogus Basin, Boise
Saturday, 7.5km interval-start classic
U20 women: Gina Greenberg, Kaisa Nilsson, Elise Wadle
U18 girls: Natalie Nicholas, Berkeley Canfield, Maeve Ingelfinger
U16 girls: Lena Poduska, Taylor Nalder, Abby Murphy
U20 men: Cole Shockey, Mason Wheeler, Phineas Fischer
U18 boys: Landon Wyatt, Lucas Wilmot, Peter Warner
U16 boys: Tory Hoffman, Callahan Waters, Nate Streubel
Sunday, 10km interval-start skate
U20 women: Elise Wadle, Kaisa Nilsson
U18 girls: Bailey Carmack, Maeve Ingelfinger, Natalie Nicholas
U20 men: Jan Lauenstein, Gray Wasson, Zach Selzman
U18 boys: Gavin Galyardt, Cole Bothner, Lucas Wilmot
Sunday, 5km interval-start skate
U16 girls: Lena Poduska, Taylor Nalder, Abby Murphy
U16 boys: Callahan Waters, Tory Hoffman, Silvester Williams
Alaska: Besh Cup No. 5 and 6, Fairbanks
Saturday, 1.4km skate sprint
U20 women: Lily Pannkuk, Natalie Hood, Meredith Schwartz
U18 girls: Sammy Legate, Piper Sears, Leni Stolza
U16 girls: Olivia Soderstrom, Mia Stiassny, Rosie Conway
U20 men: Derek Richardson, Josh Baurick, Ethan Howe
U18 boys: Justin Lucas, Hatcher Menkens, Owen Young
U16 boys: Wells Wappett, Oskar Flora, Elias Oswald
Results: from CCAK | from Zone4 with brackets and heats
Sunday, 10km mass start classic
U20 women: Lily Pannkuk, Meredith Schwartz, Marit Flora
U18 girls: Zarah Laker-Morris, Leni Stolz Lauren Dorris
U20 men: Derek Richardson, Josh Baurick, Ethan Eski
U18 boys: Blake Hanley, Cole Flowers, Hatcher Menkens
Sunday, 5km mass start classic
U16 girls: Olivia Soderstrom, Elliot Sensabaugh, Rosie Conway
U16 boys: Wells Wappett, Kieran Kaufman, Oskar Flora
current JN standings and presumptive Team Alaska roster with all six JNQ races completed
Pacific Northwest: Race of the Methow, Winthrop
Saturday, 7.5km interval-start classic
U20 women: Bridget Burns
U18 girls: Delaney Jackson, Stella Scholz, Kirsten Jarmin
U16 girls: Caroline Menna, Adeline Loewen, Freyja Leitheiser
U20 men: Peter Manolis
U18 boys: Zach Shockey, Peter Norby, Catcher Kemmerer
U16 boys: Quinten Koch, Silas D’Atre, Will Mowry
Sunday, 7.5km mass start skate
U20 women: Bridget Burns
U18 girls: Delaney Jackson, Stella Scholz, Kirsten Jarmin
U16 girls: Adeline Loewen, Caroline Menna, Freyja Leitheiser
U20 men: Peter Manolis
U18 boys: Zach Shockey, Catcher Kemmerer, Reed Wuepper
U16 boys: Silas D’Atre, Quinten Koch, Will Mowry
PNSA current points standings through six of eight races
New England: Roy Varney Memorial Eastern Cup, Quarry Road, Waterville, Maine
Last week saw frigid conditions throughout the northeast, leading to a condensed race weekend for previously scheduled Eastern Cup racing. How condensed? Race organizers held four separate mass start classic races Sunday morning; regroomed the courses; then held four separate mass start skate races Sunday afternoon. (Temperatures were better suited to racing on Sunday than on either Friday or Saturday.)
Sunday morning, 7.5km mass start classic
U20 women: Sofia Scirica, Emma Crum, Evelyn Walton (plus an overall win from Craftsbury alumna Caitlin Patterson) (results)
U18 girls: Mirra Payson, Virginia Cobb, Beth McIntosh (results)
U20 men: Victor Sparks, William Riley, Sam Gallaudet (plus an overall win from current Colby skier Jack Young) (results)
U18 boys: Tabor Greenberg, Luke Rizio, Fin Bailey (results)
Sunday morning, 5km mass start classic
U16 girls: Amelia Circosta, Frances Tucker, Claire Serrano (results)
U16 boys: Lucas Barstow, Henri McCourt, James Crowley (results)
Sunday afternoon, 7.5km mass start skate
U20 women: Evelyn Walton, Emma Crum, Sofia Scirica (plus another overall win from Caitlin Patterson) (results)
U18 girls: Virginia Cobb, Mirra Payson, Julia Thurston (results)
U20 men: Victor Sparks, Sam Gallaudet, William Riley (results)
U18 boys: Fin Bailey, Tabor Greenberg, Luke Rizio (Bailey took the overall win for U18+, finishing with the same time as but just ahead of Greenberg) (results)
Sunday afternoon, 5km mass start skate
U16 girls: Amelia Circosta, Ava Schneider, Mary Harrington (results)
U16 boys: David Northcott, Niko Cuneo, Lucas Barstow (results)
current NENSA junior ranking lists
Junior Nationals will be held in Fairbanks, Alaska, from March 13–16. In this reporter’s somewhat biased and somewhat well-traveled opinion, Fairbanks in mid-March is just about the best place in the world to be a ski racer. Expect 15 hours of daylight, high pressure and warm sun, pure hardwax conditions, challenging courses, impeccable organization, and some of the world’s most spectator-friendly FIS courses. Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks knows what they’re doing; I’m a fan.
— Gavin Kentch
