Soldotna junior Tania Boonstra finished third in the state Skimeister standings Friday at the state Nordic ski championships at Birch Hill in Fairbanks.
Boonstra had a total time of 37 minutes, 36 seconds, from Thursday’s 5-kilometer interval start classic and Friday’s 7.5K freestyle mass start.
Service freshman Talia Smith won Skimeister at 36:59, while Miya Kam-Magruder was second at 37:16.
Boonstra’s finish is the best for a Kenai Peninsula skier since Soldotna’s Sadie Fox was second in 2014.
Soldotna senior Ariana Cannava joined Boonstra on the all-state team by finishing 10th at 38:27. Before Boonstra finished sixth last season, the last peninsula skier to get in the top 10 had been Soldotna’s John-Mark Pothast in 2018.
In Friday’s 7.5K freestyle, Boonstra was fourth at 20:14, with Kam-Magruder winning at 19:46. Cannava was 16th at 20:43, while Soldotna sophomore Kate Cox also was in the top 25 at 22nd in 21:28.
The top three Division II racers also are honored. Kenai Central sophomore Ruby Davis led the pack in 34th at 23:25, while Kenai’s Isla Crouse was second at 23:30.
In the team times from the race, Soldotna was sixth, Homer was 10th and tops in Division II, and Kenai was 14th.
The boys Skimeister went to Service sophomore Jack Leveque at 29:40. In the top 25 from the peninsula were Kenai junior Chase Laker in 11th at 32:34 and Homer senior Jody Goodrich at 21st in 33:34.
Leveque also won Friday’s 7.5K freestyle in 16:07. Laker was ninth, and best in Division II, at 17:11. With Colony putting four in the top eight, five of the top nine skiers in the race came from Region III.
Goodrich was second in Division II and 24th at 18:11, while Johannes Bynagle was third in Division II and 25th at 18:11.
In the team standings on the day, Homer was sixth and tops in Division II, while Soldotna was eighth and Kenai was 13th.
State concludes Saturday, Feb. 22, with the 4-by-3-kilometer mixed technique relays, with the first two legs classic, and the second two freestyle. The girls race at 10 a.m., while the boys race at noon.
BOYS
Friday 7.5-kilometer freestyle mass start
Team scores: 1. Colony, 2 hours, 7 minutes, 5 seconds; 2. West Valley, 2:07:53; 3. Service, 2:10:11; 4. South, 2:10:35; 5. West, 2:20:41; 6. Homer, 2:20:45; 7. East, 2:21:16; 8. Soldotna, 2:22:09; 9. Dimond, 2:26:01; 10. Lathrop, 2:26:12; 11. Palmer, 2:28:33; 12. Juneau-Douglas, 2:28:53; 13. Kenai, 2:29:35; 14. Chugiak, 2:33:23; 15. Grace, 2:33:52; 16. Eagle River, 2:48:53; 17. Glennallen, 2:50:30; 18. Valdez, 2:55:59; 19. North Pole, 3:15:48; 20. Bartlett, 3:29:25.
Top 10
1. Jack Leveque, Ser, 16:07; 2. Coby Marvin, Col, 16:24; 3. Kieran Kaufman, WV, 16:46; 4. Gabe Black, Col, 16:59; 5. Peter-John Bragonier, WV, 17:05; 6. Wells Wappett, Lat, 17:08; 7. Raven Spangler, Col, 17:11; 8. Weston Sensabaugh, Col, 17:11; 9. Chase Laker, Ken, 17:11; 10. Finn Lamb, JD, 17:12.
Other peninsula finishers: 24. Jody Goodrich, Hom, 18:11; 25. Johannes Bynagle, Hom, 18:11; 32. Parker Richards, Sol, 19:03; 34. Michael Davidson, Sol, 19:05; 35. Ollie Dahl, Sol, 19:05; 40. Rockwell Bates, Hom, 19:17; 43. Fletcher Darr, Ken, 19:22; 45. Charlie Rustand, Hom, 19:25; 55. Noble Cassidy, Sol, 19:43; 61. Levi Strong, Ken, 20:28; 63. Tait Ostrom, Hom, 20:30; 64. Leif Jaworski, Hom, 20:35; 70. Tracker Keller, Sol, 21:01; 75. Silvan Krieg, Ken, 21:35; 78. Oliver Trobaugh, Sew, 21:56; 80. Elijah Pancoast, Ken, 22:19; 85. Jacob Ries, Sol, 22:39.
Skimeister results (Top 10)
1. Leveque, 29:40; 2. Marvin, 30:46; 3. Kaufman, 31:04; 4. G. Black, 31:26; 5. Lamb, 31:54; 6. Bragonier, 31:58; 7. Wappett, 31:58; 8. Vandelugt, 32:06; 9. Spangler, 32:10; 10. Stanek-Alward, 32:27.
Peninsula finishers: 11. Laker, 32:34; 21. Goodrich, 33:34; 26. Bynagle, 34:38; 27. Dahl, 34:50; 30. Davidson, 35:19; 37. Richards, 35:55; 38. Bates, 35:58; 41. Cassidy, 36:04; 49. Rustand, 36:33; 56. Darr, 37:27; 58. Jaworski, 37:43; 63. Strong, 38:20; 65. Ostrom, 38:21; 73. Keller, 39:39; 76. Ries, 40:52; 79. Krieg, 41:12; 81. Trobaugh, 41:22; 89. Pancoast, 43:21.
GIRLS
Friday 7.5-kilometer freestyle mass start
Team scores: 1. Service, 1:20:25; 2. West Valley, 1:23:41; 3. West, 1:25:20; 4. East, 1:26:29; 5. Colony, 1:26:53; 6. Soldotna, 1:26:59; 7. South, 1:29:43; 8. Palmer, 1:33:33; 9. Chugiak, 1:35:29; 10. Homer, 1:36:42; 11. Dimond, 1:37:48; 12. Juneau-Douglas, 1:38:10; 13. Eagle River, 1:40:34; 14. Kenai, 1:43:02; 15. Lathrop, 1:43:43; 16. Grace, 1:48:53; 17. North Pole, 2:01:19.
Top 10
1. Miya Kam-Magruder, Ser, 19:46; 2. Talia Smith, Ser, 19:49; 3. Elliot Sensabaugh, Col, 20:11; 4. Tania Boonstra, Sol, 20:14; 5. Talia Day, Ser, 20:16; 6. Rosie Conway, Eas, 20:20; 7. Olivia Soderstrom, Wes, 20:20; 8. Alise Elliott, Sou, 20:23; 9. Ellie Abrahamson, WV, 20:28; 10. Isela Austin, Col, 20:28.
Other peninsula finishers: 16. Ariana Cannava, Sol, 20:43; 22. Kate Cox, Sol, 21:28; 34. Ruby Davis, Ken, 23:25; 35. Isla Crouse, Ken, 23:30; 39. Myra Kalafut, Hom, 23:37; 42. Cassidy Carroll, Hom, 23:54; 49. Hannah Klima, Hom, 24:31; 50. Inga Smith, Sol, 24:32; 51. Etta Bynagle, Hom, 24:40; 54. Leanne Gordon, Sol, 24:47; 55. Indigo Leslie, Sew, 24:49; 58. Katie Van Buskirk, Sew, 25:00; 68. Jaela Marchbanks, Hom, 25:50; 76. McKenna Black, Hom, 26:10; 80. Mya Taylor, Ken, 26:33; 82. Kylie Smith, Sol, 26:41; 92. Emily Taylor, Ken, 29:32; 94. Abigail Bishop, Ken, 30:01.
Skimeister results (Top 10)
1. T. Smith, 36:59; 2. Kam-Magruder, 37:16; 3. Boonstra, 37:36; 4. Elliott, 37:57; 5. Sensabaugh, 38:03; 6. Conway, 38:12; 7. Day, 38:17; 8. Abrahamson, 38:25; 9. Soderstrom, 38:27; 10. Cannava, 38:27.
Other peninsula finishers: 21. Cox, 39:56; 34. Crouse, 43:33; 39. I. Smith, 44:33; 40. Carroll, 44:43; 41. Davis, 44:45; 44. Kalafut, 45:09; 48. Gordon, 45:33; 50. Leslie, 45:51; 65. Bynagle, 47:37; 66. Klima, 47:44; 67. Van Buskirk, 47:52; 68. Marchbanks, 48:03; 74. K. Smith, 49:01; 79. Black, 50:02; 81. M. Taylor, 50:13; 93. Bishop, 55:25; 94. E. Taylor, 56:38.
