Besh Cup races 3 and 4 were held Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 18 and 19, at Birch Hill in Fairbanks. The races were moved to Fairbanks due to poor snow conditions in Southcentral Alaska.

The six Besh Cup races are used to select Under 16, Under 18 and Under 20 skiers for Junior Nationals. Other ages also race Besh Cup to face top competition.

Saturday, competitors did a freestyle sprint.

Soldotna High School’s Ollie Dahl led the area by finishing second in the Under 16 boys sprint, with Anders Armentrout of Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center taking the victory.

In the Under 16 girls sprint, Homer’s Myra Kalafut finished sixth, with East High’s Madeleine Lojewski taking the victory.

In Under 14 boys, Kenai Middle’s Leif Laker was 15th, while Blair Merrill took the victory.

In the open female race, Piper Sears of APU took the victory. Soldotna’s Tania Boonstra was 15th, Soldotna’s Ariana Cannava was 20th and Soldotna’s Kathryn Cox was 24th.

In the open male race, Justin Lucas of APU took the victory. Kenai Central’s Chase Laker was 22nd, Soldotna’s Parker Richards was 35th, Homer’s Jody Goodrich was 36th and Soldotna’s Michael Davidson was 37th.

Sunday, racers did a classic mass start.

Justin Lucas of APU was the top Under 20 men’s racer by finishing 15 kilometers in 39 minutes, 45 seconds. Goodrich was 10th in 47:26.

Sears was the top Under 20 women’s skier by finishing 15 kilometers in 50:11, while Cannava was third at 55:47.

APU’s Oskar Flora was the top Under 18 boys skier by finishing 15 kilometers in 39:54. Laker was eighth in 44:33, Davidson was 15th in 49:26 and Richards was 18th in 50:33.

APU’s Mia Stiassny was the top Under 18 girls skier, finishing 15 kilometers in 49:33. Boonstra was fifth in 50:35.