Morgan Arritola (USST/SVSEF) skied to victory in the women’s freestyle SuperTour in West Yellowstone, Montana, edging Friday’s winner Shayla Swanson (CAN) by 4.1 seconds. Arritola finished third in Friday’s classic race, nearly a minute behind Swanson, but took her revenge in the skate competition.
“Morgan has been on fire this week. Her training has been really solid,” Cross Country Development Coach Matt Whitcomb said. “She’s made some huge strides and improvements and we are seeing the benefit of that right now.”
Swanson, an Olympic hopeful for Canada, turned in her second straight strong performance after dominating the classic race by 34 seconds. She maintains her hold on the SuperTour leader bib.
Lenka Palanova of the University of Colorado rounded out the podium, 22 seconds in back of Arritola. Caitlin Compton (CXC Elite) sowed her usual strength in skating, finishing 4th, less than four seconds in back of Palanova.
The University of Colorado showed impressive strength with Palanova, and teammate Maria Grevsgaard in 5th. Grevsgaard matched her place in Friday’s classic event.
Kristina Trygstaad Saari (BSF/Saab Factory Team), recovering from illness showed good form, skiing to 6th place.
The point-to-point course featured significant climbing and ended with a big one. Most skiers collapsed across the line in exhaustion.
With the next three SuperTour races canceled due to lack of snow, athletes head to Vernon, British Columbia for races next weekend.
Shayla Swanson in the leader’s bib (Photo: Swix Sport)
Kristina Trygstaad Saari (Photo: Swix Sport)
