Junior Nationals: Classic Sprint Top-10 Recognition

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STOWE, Vt. — Four-hundred and thirty-four athletes whittled down to 180 in 30 quarterfinals. Fifty-four heats total, all on the top of the mountain at Trapp Family Lodge over the course of nine hours.

It was a full day of racing on Day 2 of U.S. Junior Nationals on Wednesday, with men’s and women’s 1.4-kilometer classic sprints determining six national champions.

Below you’ll find the list of who made the top 10 in the U16, U18 and U20 races. Every athlete that did so raced Trapp’s open-aired sprint course four times — nailing fast-enough times to advance after each round. The top six made the A-finals, and the next six battled for seventh through 12th place (and All-American status in the top 10). Complete results

Stay tuned for a video recapping Wednesday’s action and follow us on Twitter and Instagram, as well as the 2014 Junior Nationals website for updates, photos and videos.

 

U16 Men

1. Forrest Hamilton (Mansfield Nordic/New England)
2. Leo Lukens (Mt. Bachelor/Pacific Northwest)
3. Zach Williams (Sun Valley/Intermountain)
4. Benjamin Koenig (NSCF-Fairbanks-FXC/Alaska)
5. Everett Sapp (New York SEF/Mid-Atlantic)
6. Tracen Knopp (Alaska Nordic Racing/Alaska)
7. Daniel Streinz (Maine WSC/New England)
8. Matthew Hoefler (Alaska Winter Stars/Alaska)
9. Dawson Knopp (ANR/Alaska)
10. Will Balcao (AWS/Alaska)

Fun Facts: Hamilton didn’t have to travel far to win his first national title; he’s a student at Champlain Valley Union High School 40 miles from Stowe in Hinesburg, Vt. His longtime teammates call him ‘Fo-Money.’ “I guess that’s my ski-trail name,” he says.

 

U16 Women

1. Amanda Kautzer (Loppet Nordic Racing/Midwest)
2. Hailey Swirbul (Aspen Valley SSC/Rocky Mountain)
3. Leah Lange (Park City NSC/Intermountain)
4. Hannah Halvorsen (Sugar Bowl/Far West)
5. Leah Brams (Cambridge Sports Union/New England)
6. Claire Benton (LNR/Midwest)
7. Jordan Floyd (Steamboat Springs/Rocky Mountain)
8. Chloe Levins (Mountain Top/New England)
9. Lizzie Larkins (Auburn/Far West)
10. Anna Johnson (Mesabi East/Midwest)

Fun Facts: Mini Kikkan? Kautzer has pink hair just like the three-time World Cup Sprint champion from Alaska, and she just nabbed her first Junior Nationals victory after placing fifth in the 5 k classic on Monday. “I was not expecting anything like this this week,” Kautzer says. She’s originally from Southeast Asia and lived there until she was 3. “I was born in Singapore, which is about as far away from a snowy climate as you can get,” she says. “From super warm to super cold, I like the transition.”

 

U18 Men:

1. Peter Holmes (Unleashed Coaching/Far West)
2. Jack Bassett (AWS/Alaska)
3. Thomas O’Harra (Alaska Pacific University/Alaska)
4. Karsten Hokanson (Wasatch/Intermountain)
5. Zak Ketterson (LNR/Midwest)
6. Henry Harmeyer (Mansfield/New England)
7. Forrest Smith (Crested Butte/Rocky Mountain)
8. Logan Diekmann (Bridger Ski Foundation/Intermountain)
9. John Farr (APU/Alaska)
10. Juho Muhonen (Teacup Nordic/Pacific Northwest)

Fun Facts: This was Holmes’ second title in as many races at Junior Nationals. “I always wear the same socks when I race,” he says.“I haven’t washed them since I’ve been here.”

 

U18 Women:

1. Julia Kern (Cambridge Sports Union/New England)
2. Mattie Watts (Endurance United/Midwest)
3. Vivian Hett (LNR/Midwest)
4. Zoe Snow (CSU/New England)
5. Sarah Bezdicek (LNR/Midwest)
6. Katharine Ogden (Stratton/New England)
7. Emily Hyde (Mt. Bachelor/Pacific Northwest)
8. Hannah Peterson (Durango/Rocky Mountain)
9. Olivia Ekblad (Methow Valley Nordic/Pacific Northwest)
10. Racquel Wohlk (Nordicwerks/Midwest)

Fun Fact: With at least five national titles in the last two years, Kern, 16, racked up her first victory of the 2014 championships. In her free time, she says she likes to surf around New England in places like Cape Cod or Hampton “and do photography and film stuff.”

 

U20 Men:

1. Fabian Stocek (Holderness School/New England)
2. *Cole Morgan (University of Vermont/New England)
3. Jack Hegman (UVM/New England)
4. Jack Schrupp (Gunstock/New England)
5. Patrick McElravey (Middlebury/Far West)
6. Haakon Sigurslid (Durango/Rocky Mountain)
7. Scott Harrison (LNR/Midwest)
8. Luke Brown (LNR/Midwest)
9. Connor Gray (BSF/Intermountain)
10. Andrew Egger (LNR/Midwest)

*Top American

Fun Facts: Originally from the Czech Republic, Stocek, 19, is a freshman at Dartmouth College and according to a NENSA blog post from a couple years ago, a fierce competitor at the game Twister. Morgan, a UVM sophomore, won his second-straight U.S. title in as many races at this year’s Junior Nationals. He shared the podium with his college teammate, Hegman, who hails from Huntington, Vt. 

 

U20 Women:

1. Heidi Halvorsen (New England)
2. Ulrika Axelsson (Michigan Tech/Great Lakes)
3. Kelsey Phinney (New England)
4. Hannah Benson (Williams Outing Club/New England)
5. Kristen Bourne (Northern Michigan University/Midwest)
6. Sadie James (Bates College/New England)
7. Nora Gilbertson (St. Olaf College/Midwest)
8. Marion Woods (Alaska Winter Stars/Alaska)
9. Joelle Rommo (BSF/Intermountain)
10. Maddy Pfeifer (Andover Outing Club/New England)

Fun Fact: According to Halvorsen, 18, she has podiumed five times at Junior Nationals, and this was her first victory. A 2013 graduate of the Green Mountain Valley School Ski Academy, Trapps was her home course. When she’s not skiing: “I have a lot of grannie pastimes,” she says, “like knitting and troll making and quilting.”

Complete results

Day 1 All-Americans