Soldotna junior Tania Boonstra, Soldotna senior Ariana Cannava and Kenai Central junior Chase Laker qualified for Junior Nationals in Besh Cup racing that concluded Sunday at Government Peak Recreation Area in the Matanuska-Susitna valleys.
There are six Besh Cup races used for Junior Nationals qualifying, with the best four races taken to determine the qualifiers.
Boonstra and Cannava qualified for the Under 18/Under 20 girls, while Laker qualified for the Under 18/Under 20 boys.
Junior Nationals are March 8 to 15 at Soldier Hollow, Utah.
In Besh Cup 5 and GPRA on Saturday, Feb. 1, racers did a freestyle individual start.
In the 5-kilometer U18 and over girls race, Mia Stiassny of the Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center won at 14 minutes, 34.1 seconds. Boonstra was 10th at 16:13.4, Cannava was 15th at 16:27.0 and Homer’s Cassidy Carroll was 31st at 20:26.7.
In the 5-kilometer U18 and over boys race, Oskar Flora of APU won at 12:12.3. Laker was 13th at 13:07.9, Homer’s Jody Goodrich was 22nd at 13:48.1, Soldotna’s Michael Davidson was 33rd at 14:33.0 and Homer’s Rockwell Bates was 35th at 14:40.0.
In the 5-kilometer U16 girls race, Miya Kam-Magruder of Alaska Winter Stars won at 14:39.9. Soldotna’s Kathryn Cox was 13th at 16:57.7, while Homer’s Myra Kalafut was 18th at 19:18.2.
In the 5-kilometer U16 boys race, Raven Spangler won at 12:40.3, while Soldotna’s Ollie Dahl was 13th at 14:47.7.
Besh Cup 6 on Sunday, Feb. 2, saw a classic individual start.
In the 7.5-kilometer Under 18 and over boys race, Flora won again at 20:12.8. Laker was 20th at 22:54.8, Davidson was 28th at 24:12.4, Goodrich was 32nd at 24:33.8 and Bates was 35th at 24:42.9.
In the 7.5-kilometer Under 18 and over girls race, Lily Pannkuk won at 23:54.9, while Cannava was 15th at 26:59.5 and Carroll was 29th at 31:52.2.
In the 5-kilometer Under 16 boys race, Spangler won at 14:10.7. Dahl was eighth at 15:31.6.
In the 5-kilometer Under 16 girls race, Talia Smith of APU won at 16:16.9, while Cox was ninth in 17:46.8 and Kalafut was 17th at 22:41.9.
