Three Kenai Peninsula cross-country skiers competed in the first race of the 2025 Junior Nationals at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Utah on Monday, March 10.
The event features the best Under 20 skiers in the country.
Team Alaska has a slim lead after the first race with 286 points, while Intermountain is right behind at 282 and New England is at 217. There are 10 regions at the competition.
Soldotna junior Tania Boonstra led the peninsula by finishing 27th in the 7.5-kilometer classic interval start for Under 18 and Under 20 women.
Lena Poduska of Intermountain won the race at 24 minutes, 34 seconds. Boonstra finished at 28:04, while Soldotna senior Ariana Cannava was 62nd at 30:17. There were 126 finishers in the race.
Lucas Wilmot of Intermountain won the 7.5-kilometer classic interval start for Under 18 and Under 20 men at 23:12.
Kenai Central junior Chase Laker was 90th in 27:43. There were 144 finishers in the race.
The event continues Wednesday with the freestyle sprint. The mass start freestyle will be Friday, while the mixed classic relay will be Saturday.
