CNSC Juniors at U.S. Nationals
Griffin Wright (John Lazenby photo)
The beginning of the junior boys freestyle mass start was busy! (John Lazenby photo)
Quincy Massey-Bierman (John Lazenby photo)
Tzevi Schwartz (John Lazenby photo)
Last Updated: 11.Jan.2019
Over the past week, more than 600 racers competed in the 2019 edition of the U.S. Cross Country Nationals at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center. Fifteen of our CNSC juniors tested themselves against this competitive crew. The field at Nationals is so large because racers are trying to qualify for World Championships, World Cups, Youth Olympics, U18 Nordic Nations trip, World Juniors, Junior Nationals, and NCAA Championships, so talent and speed are in no short supply. Racers were treated to two classic races and two skate races, each a distance competition and a sprint.
The series kicked off with a classic distance race (10k for women and 15k for men) on Thursday, with several hundred competitors in both the men’s and women’s fields. For the girls, Quincy Massey-Bierman was 110th (2nd U16), while Abigail Streinz was 121st (19th U18) and Adrienne Remick was 168th (39th U18). For the boys, Griffin Wright was also 110th (10th U18), Finn Sweet was 119th (13th U18), Caleb Streinz was 232nd (61st U20), and Jack Young was 262nd (64th U18). Of note, this was Jack’s first 15k and he said it was a lot fun! Aiden Casey was 287th (5th U16), Greyson Davis was 290th (76th U18), and Makail Tipton was 291st (77th U18).
On Friday, racers again waxed up their classic skis, this time for sprint racing. For CNSC juniors on the men’s side, Caleb led the way, qualifying 70th overall (15th U20) and the 15th junior (after the top 30 men moved on to the open heats). In the junior heats, he finished 24th. Next was Finn in 140th (18th U18), Griffin in 183rd (37th U18), and Jack in 25th (57th U18). Greyson was 254th (71st U18) and Aiden was 264th (7th U16). On the women’s side, Abigail was the 1st CNSC junior, qualifying 64th overall (9th U18). In the junior heats, she ultimately placed 8th. Next was Camille Bolduc in 101st (4th U16), followed by Quincy in 110th (5th U16), then Adrienne in 142nd (31st U18).
Racers got to recover on Saturday, in order to gear up for Sunday’s mass start freestyle races. On Sunday, the senior women and men raced 20k and 30k, respectively, while the junior girls and boys raced 7.5k and 10k., respectively. In the girls’ race, Quincy led the way in 24th (3rd U16), followed by Abigail in 26th (10th U18). Camille was 67th (7th U16) and Adrienne was 77th (39th U18). In the boys’ race, Griffin was again the speediest CNSC junior in 25th place (9th U18), while Finn was 36th (12th U18) and Bjorn Westervelt was 59th (24th U18). Caleb was 76th (42nd U20), Jack was 125th (63rd U18), and Luke Streinz was 137th (1st U14). Tzevi Schwartz was 144th (10th U16), Cormac Leahy was 149th (11th U16), Aiden Casey was 157th (12th U16), and Makail was 158th (83rd U18).
After one more day of rest, the final day commenced with freestyle sprint races, with a slightly smaller field (400 racers compared to the usual 600). For the CNSC boys, Finn led the way in 79th (6th U18). He was the 12th junior qualifier (after the top 30), then ultimately placed 13th for juniors. Griffin qualified 85th overall (10th U18). He was the 15th junior after the top 30 and ended the day in the same place after racing his quarterfinal. For the girls, Abigail led the way in 39th (3rd U18). Adrienne was 76th (11th U18). She was the 19th junior after the top 30 and finished her day after the quarterfinal in the same spot. Camille was 70th (3rd U16) and the 20th junior in qualifying, also finishing the day after a quarterfinal in the same standing.
Results can be found here and pictures here thanks to John Lazenby. Congratulations to these juniors for lacing up their boots against the big guns! Abigail qualified for the U18 Nordic Nations trip, which means she’ll travel to Otepaa, Estonia for several races at the end of January.
Eastern Cup racing continues for the juniors in Lake Placid January 25-27.