US Nationals: Freestyle Distance Recap
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Winter returned to Anchorage just in time for the first races of the 2018 L.L.Bean US National Cross Country Championships at Kincaid Park. Fresh snow fell during the races which made for especially challenging conditions for the 10/15k individual freestyle race, which was on a 2.5k man-made loop. The Patterson siblings, who are both from Anchorage, were crowned the freestyle distance champions on home turf. Scott Patterson, of Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Club (APUNSC), and sister Caitlin Patterson, of Craftsbury Green Racing Project (Craftsbury GRP), both skied to convincing first place finishes. These siblings are no strangers to winning national championships as well as skiing in World Cup races.
In the women’s 10k freestyle race, Patterson charged out of the start and powered her way through the thick new snow to secure her third national title. Patterson finished nearly 20 seconds ahead of CXC/LNR/Team Gregg athlete Caitlin Gregg (Minneapolis, MN), while APU’s Chelsea Holmes finished third and Minnesota native and APUNSC athlete Rosie Frankowski finished fourth.
“Today’s race was awesome,” said Caitlin Gregg. “I felt really strong he whole way and my skis were rockets. I started the race hard and knew the first 3 laps were close. I tried to hammer the last lap but ran into a bit of traffic (other skiers) on course. The domestic ladies are racing really well this year and I am really happy to be in the mix. Huge thanks to everyone who makes these results possible through their hard work and contributions.” (Photo: Jackie Schneider)
In the men’s 15k freestyle race, there were several Midwest athletes in the top 10. Patterson dominated the competition, finishing 55.2 seconds ahead of Noah Hoffman (Vail, CO) who skis for Ski & Snowboard Vail, while Matt Liebsch (Orono, MN) of Pioneer Midwest skied to an impressive third place finish. Patterson and Hoffman both started their season skiing in World Cup races.
“The race was very good and I was happy with how I skied in the funky snow conditions,” explained Matt Liebsch. “I seemed to exceed everyone’s expectations except my own. I was looking for a win but Scott was on another level today. Noah also skied very well. I could have fought for more seconds in the first few laps but I might have filled and started going backwards. I think I paced it about as well as possible. I’m feeling really good after having some solid training during the month of December and I am excited and nervous for the 30km classic on Sunday.” (Photo: Jackie Schneider)
CXC/LNR/Team Gregg athlete Brian Gregg (Minneapolis, MN) was seventh, while Wisconsin natives Adam Martin (Wausau, WI), of Craftsbury GRP and Kevin Bolger (Minocqua, WI) of Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, finished tenth and 11th, respectively.
Brian Gregg commented: "Conditions on race morning were pretty unique with wet snow falling on top of warm transformed man made snow. I am very happy to see my training partner and good friend Matt Liebsch reach the podium. He actually started his first lap just 15 seconds ahead of me as I lapped around for lap 2 but I couldn't close that gap down. I skied almost the entire race by myself and I am a bit jealous of a few of the trains that formed out there. Hats off to Scott Patterson who skied above and beyond the rest of the field today. The rest of us were racing for 2nd. I felt good today and am excited for more racing."
Top Juniors
Not only were there several Midwest skiers in the top ten overall, there were also athletes in the top 15 of their age groups.
U23
Minnesota natives Alayna Sonnesyn (Plymouth, MN) of University of Vermont, Abigail Drach (Eden Prairie, MN) of Dartmouth and Vivian Hett (Burnsville, MN) of Northern Michigan University, were in the top 15 for the U23 women. Sonnesyn seventh, Drach 10th and Hett 15th. Thomas Bye (Eden Prairie, MN) was the top Midwest U23 for the men, finishing 15th.
U20
Michigan Tech University had three athletes in the top 15 for U20 men: Reid Goble (Petoskey, MI) who was eighth, Mitchell Delong (Calumet, MI) 10th and Patrick Acton (Eagan, MN) 14th. Loppet Nordic Racing athlete Torsten Brinkema (Minneapolis, MN) was 13th. For the U20 women, Hannah Rudd (Plymouth, MN) of University of Alaska Anchorage and Sadie Peterson (Mora, MN) finished sixth and 12th, respectively.
U18
LNR athletes Alex Nemeth (Sartell, MN) and James Schneider (Plymouth, MN) were 8th and 9th for the men’s U18 age group while Mara McCollor (Wayzata, MN) of Wayzata Nordic and Abigail Jarzin (Green Bay, WI) of Ashwaubenon Nordic Ski Team finished sixth and 13th overall for U18 women.
Competition continues Friday, January 5th with freestyle sprints. Live stream coverage of the races can be watched on http://www.facebook.com/usskiandsnowboard/.
 | About the author... Mary Kozloski is from Green Bay, WI and is a UW Green Bay Ski Team Alumni, where she skied and studied Communications and Business Administration for four years. Mary continues to love and stay connected to the sport through writing. She is a travel and outdoor enthusiast and enjoys exploring everything Colorado has to offer, which she has called her new home state since fall of 2016. |