Nordic ski team has strong showing this season
The Glacier Nordic Competitive Team has been putting out some amazing results this season across the Intermountain Region.
With COVID restrictions locally, and at many race venues, this year has looked quite different but the good results and smiles on our athletes have stayed the same, according to team organizers.
The team was able to compete locally at races in Libby and the Carnival Skate Race.
In Libby on Jan. 23 and 24, there were classic races Saturday and skate races on Sunday, with some of the GNST team only racing one day. Racers from Missoula, Libby, Seeley Lake and Sandpoint provided some strong competition.
On Saturday, the U16 girls raced a 7.5K classic. Maeve Ingelfinger came in second, Charlotte Lehman earned third place, Olivia Genovese earned fourth and Signe Ebbett came in sixth.
For the U14 boys racing a 5K, Ethan Amick, Noah and Hudson Longenecker and Liam Browne took first, second, third and fifth, respectively.
For the U12 girls, Abby Visnovske was fifth in the 5k. In the 2K U10 race Junia Longenecker was first for the girls, and Colter and Henry Tate were second and fourth in the boy's race.
On Sunday, racing a 10K skate race, Winslow Nichols was second in the men’s 18 and over category. For the U18 boys, Jacob Henson, Nate Ingelfinger, Ruedi Steiner and Barrett Garcia were first, second, third and fourth, respectively.
For the U16 boys, Deneb Linton was third and for the U14’s Noah and Hudson Longenecker were second and third. Jacob Henson was second overall in the 10K.
In the 5K skate race, for the U14 boys, Liam Browne and Stimson Dolesh were second and fourth. In the U12 category, Euell Browne was seventh for the boys in a big field of racers and Abby Visnovske was third.
In the 2K girls' race Junia Longenecker was first and Merritt Dolesh second.
The Glacier Nordic competitive team was represented in the three Intermountain Division Junior National race series this year. Skiers travelled to Soldier Hollow, Utah, Bozeman and McCall, Idaho. These races bring teams from across the region and western U.S. to compete in individual sprint and distance events. In a typical year results from this race series are used to form the Intermountain Junior National Team.
In Soldier Hollow the second weekend in January, Jacob Henson was ninth in the 10K skate race and 19th in a classic sprint for the overall U18/U20 category.
In Bozeman, on Jan. 30-31, Glacier Nordic had three athletes put out some amazing skate ski races. Ethan Amick placed ninth in the U14 boys 3.5K race. U18 athlete Ruedi Steiner and U20 Winslow Nichols raced through a tough 11K race course with Steiner placing 16th among U18s and Nichols placing 13th among U20s with a time of 38:58.
All Glacier Nordic racers sprinted around a 1.5K loop as part of the competition. U14 Ethan Amick had his career best result placing fourth. For the U18/U20 category Steiner held his place at 16th and U20 Nichols moved up to 12th in his age group
In McCall, Idaho, five competitive team athletes raced over beautiful snow at the McCall Super Junior National Qualifier against athletes from our division and Pacific Northwest skiers.
U18 boys Jacob Henson and Ruedi Stiener raced with U20 Winslow Nichols on a challenging U18/U20 combined 10 kilometer freestyle course. Henson had his career best race winning the stacked U18 age group beating the second place racer by over 30 seconds and placing third overall in the U18/U20 combined field.
Steiner also had an impressive race placing 15th. Winslow worked through the tough field of U20 men and placed 10th with a time of 36:07.
Maddy Alexander, in U16, and her brother Reid Alexander, in U14, raced in 5K and 3K freestyle events. Maddy had a great race placing 23rd. In his first ever big travel race Reid placed an impressive 14th in the 3K.
Maddy Alexander also took 25th in the classic 5K event. U18 Jacob Henson led Glacier again with a ninth place finish and time of 15:15 in the classic race. Steiner placed 16th and Nichols placed 10th.
The Glacier Nordic Comp Team is set to travel to Soldier Hollow, Utah, on March 10 for the Western Region Junior Championships.
