2015 Soldotna graduate Sadie Fox led peninsula skiers Saturday at the relocated Besh Cup races at the Birch Hill ski area in Fairbanks. The weekend events were originally scheduled to run at Kincaid Park in Anchorage, but poor weather conditions forced the change in venue just days prior.
Saturday featured a slew of skate sprint races, with every skier racing a short course in attempts to qualify for the heat races. The top 30 advanced to the quarterfinal heats.
Fox, who now races for the University of Alaska Anchorage, won the women’s “B” final after just missing the cut in her semifinal race, where she finished fourth. The top three in each semi race in the “A” final.
Earlier, Fox posted the sixth-fastest qualifying time of the day.
Also from the peninsula, Soldotna’s Kellie Arthur was 55th-fastest in qualifications, Cameron Blackwell of Soldotna was 64th,
Soldotna’s Koby Vinson finished highest among peninsula skiers in the men’s sprints with a 33rd-place qualifying run, 33.4 seconds behind the top qualifying time and about 2 1/2 seconds behind the cut line to advance. Vinson did finish fourth in a bonus heat race.
Former Homer racer Andre Lovett was 37th-fastest in qualification, current Soldotna racer Jeremy Kupferschmid was 43rd,
Reese Hanneman of Fairbanks won the men’s sprint race, while fellow Fairbanks native Becca Rorabaugh won the women’s sprint.
Sunday’s classic mass start race results were not available when the Clarion went to press.
