The Junior Nationals cross-country skiing championships started Monday in Lake Placid, New York, with interval freestyle racing.

In the Under-18 men’s 10-kilometer race, Kenai Central’s Karl Danielson posted a time of 28 minutes, 25.0 seconds to take 56th place. Alaskans enjoyed great success in the race, with Gus Schumacher, the state Skimeister this season, winning at 25:07.3 and Luke Jager taking second at 25:11.0.

In the women’s Under-18 five-kilometer race, Kenai Central’s Addison Gibson took 58th at 16 minutes, 9.0 seconds. Alaska’s Molly Gellert, another Skimeister this season, won the race at 14:02.9.

After the first day of racing, New England leads the battle for the Alaska Cup — or the award for most team points — with 323. Alaska is second at 257.