The Kenai Central boys cross-country ski team led a solid effort for the Kenai Peninsula by winning the boys team title Friday and Saturday at the Lynx Loppet at Kincaid Park in Anchorage.
The Kardinals boys had a total of 2 hours, 0 minutes and 40 seconds, to best runner-up West’s 2:07:03. Soldotna was third at 2:09:39 and Seward was 13th at 2:42:30.
On the girls side, East won at 2:32:56, while Kenai was runner-up at 2:34:48, Soldotna was ninth at 2:48:09 and Seward was 11th at 2:59:05.
Skiers did a 5-kilometer individual classic start Friday. The Friday results were used to determine starting times for Saturday’s 5K freestyle pursuit. Many of the state’s top skiers were in Homer for Besh Cups 3 and 4.
On the boys side, peninsula skiers made up five of the top 10 in the two-day totals.
West’s Blake Hanley had both the fastest classic and freestyle races to win with a two-day total of 28:37.
The next three were Kardinals skiers — Chase Laker in second at 29:23, Greg Fallon in third at 29:32 and Jack Laker in fourth at 29:35.
Soldotna put Noble Cassidy, at 31:39 in sixth, and Levi Mickelson, at 31:46 in eighth, in the top 10.
Also, Kenai’s Zane Tews was 12th at 32:09, Soldotna’s Parker Richards was 15th at 32:22, Kenai’s Logan Cartwright was 23rd at 33:48, Soldotna’s Ethan Anding was 24th at 33:51, Soldotna’s Nels Dahl was 34th at 34:54, Soldotna’s Caleb Wohlers was 36th at 34:58, Kenai’s Owen Smith was 38th at 35:09, Soldotna’s Jameson Hall was 47th at 35:40 and Soldotna’s Isaak Winslow was 48th at 35:48.
Also, Kenai’s Levi Strong was 53rd at 36:08, Kenai’s Sam Sloan was 58th at 36:20, Kenai’s Joel Moss was 65th at 36:59, Seward’s Ronan Bickling was 76th at 37:58, Soldotna’s Max Reese was 78th at 38:05, Soldotna’s Lance Sego was 79th at 38:08, Kenai’s Elliot Hanson was 81st at 38:13, Seward’s Oliver Trobaugh was 82nd at 38:21, Soldotna’s Tracker Keller was 89th at 39:08, Kenai’s William Roberts was 91st at 39:15, Kenai’s Ollie Boersma was 97th at 40:02, Soldotna’s Aaron Fletcher was 98th at 40:02 and Kenai’s Dakota Wisnewski was 100th at 40:22.
Also, Soldotna’s Valentino Rigutto was 101st at 40:30, Soldotna’s Owen Bell was 108th at 40:51, Soldotna’s Jackson Anding was 116th at 42:02, Seward’s Marty Fink was 120th at 42:11, Soldotna’s Haedyn Horstman was 122nd at 42:37, Seward’s Philip Trobaugh was 133rd at 43:59, Kenai’s Benjamin Roberts was 136th at 44:19 and Soldotna’s Evan Derzab was 138th at 44:33.
On the girls side, the peninsula put three in the top 10. Service’s Olivia Soderstrom won both the classic and freestyle races to win with a two-day total of 33:57.
Kenai’s Emily Moss was third at 35:51, Kenai’s Isla Crouse was fifth at 37:56 and Soldotna’s Kathryn Cox was sixth at 38:44.
Also, Kenai’s Ruby Davis was 14th in 39:56, Kenai’s Teresa Fallon was 24th in 41:04, Soldotna’s Leanne Gordon was 27th in 41:24, Kenai’s Fox Coyle was 28th in 41:39, Kenai’s Mya Taylor was 39th in 42:35, Seward’s Katie Van Buskirk was 41st in 42:43, Seward’s Indigo Leslie was 45th in 43:05 and Soldotna’s Avery Ciufo was 50th in 43:50.
Also, Soldotna’s Danika Winslow was 54th in 44:10, Kenai’s Emily Taylor was 57th in 44:29, Seward’s Hailey Ingalls was 62nd in 45:31, Kenai’s Lynnea Hack was 71st in 46:42, Kenai’s Nikki Somers was 77th in 47:34, Seward’s Maren Bickling was 78th in 47:45, Soldotna’s Shayla Smith was 81st in 48:00, Seward’s Gracie Russel was 88th in 49:19, Soldotna’s Aislyn Downum was 94th in 50:31 and Soldotna’s Shiloh Zichko was 100th in 51:20.
Also, Kenai’s Abigail Bishop was 104th in 51:51, Kenai’s Caroline Karpik was 110th in 53:00, Soldotna’s Raven Smith was 113th in 53:22 and Kenai’s Lexi Somer was 131st in 1:03:32.
Area skiers compete in Besh Cups in Homer
Besh Cups 3 and 4 were held at Lookout Mountain just outside of Homer on Saturday and Sunday.
The Besh Cups are used to qualify for Junior Nationals and the Arctic Winter Games.
Saturday was freestyle sprints. In women’s Under 16 and older, Soldotna’s Tania Boonstra qualified 13th, Soldotna’s Ariana Cannava qualified 20th and Soldotna’s Kara Veihdeffer qualified 34th.
Boonstra and Cannava both qualified into the quarterfinals, but were eliminated there.
In men’s Under 16 and older, Homer’s Ethan Styvar qualified 31st, Homer’s Jody Goodrich qualified 34th, Soldotna’s Michael Davidson qualified 42nd, Homer’s Johannes Bynagle qualified 49th, Homer’s Garret Briscoe qualified 56th, Homer’s Leif Jaworski qualified 57th, Homer’s Rockwell Bates qualified 61st, Homer’s Lukas Renner qualified 64th and Soldotna’s Ollie Dahl qualified 67th.
None of the men’s Under 16 and over skiers qualified for the quarterfinals.
In boys Under 14, Homer’s Rhys Borland qualified 22nd. That was not enough to make the quarterfinals.
Saturday was interval classic races.
In the women’s Under 16 and older 5-kilometer race, Boonstra finished seventh in 18:45. The victory went to Piper Sears of the Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center in 18:05. Cannava was 13th in 19:39 and Veihdeffer was 36th in 22:28.
In the men’s Under 16 and older 5-kilometer race, Davis Isom of APU took the victory in 14:46. Styvar was 25th in 16:38, Goodrich was 27th in 16:43, Briscoe was 34th in 17:04, Davidson was 37th in 17:12, Bynagle was 50th in 18:22, Dahl was 59th in 19:05, Renner was 60th in 19:08 and Jaworski was 61st in 19:19.
