Juniors Race in Craftsbury and Lake Placid
Last Updated: 23.Jan.2017
This weekend, there were two racing opportunities for juniors. One was on home turf at the Mansfield Nordic Duathlon, while the other was across Lake Champlain at the Lake Placid Junior National Qualifier.
A small Craftsbury contingent went to Lake Placid, where Coach Ollie was also serving as the Assistant Technical Delegate. On Saturday, the women competed in a 5k skate race, in a field combined with collegiate racers. This led to some fast and furious racing, where Avery Ellis led the way in 76th (31st U20). Phoebe Sweet was 80th (4th U18) and Jordi Kulis was 121st (11th U18). On Sunday, Finn Sweet was the lone Craftsbury representative, placing 5th place in the U16 boys 5k skate race.
Close to home, Mansfield Nordic hosted their annual Duathlon, which was well-attended by Craftsbury juniors. To kick off the day, Thomas Kehler took the win in the 1st and 2nd grade category. Next, the true duathlon got under way. For this competition, the race is split in two. Racers start classic skiing then switch to skate skis mid way through. The 3rd and 4th grade boys raced 2.4k, with a ski swap at 1.2k. Charlie Kehler was 2nd and Soren Stelma- Leonard was 7th. The 5th and 6th grade boys raced 3.2k. Cormac Leahy was 1st, followed by Trey Jones in 2nd, Orion Cenkl in 3rd, and Alan Moody in 4th. Sage Grossi was 8th, Charlie Krebs was 9th, Linden Stelma- Leonard 11th, and Finn Tower-Pierce 20th. The seventh and eighth graders raced 3.8k, where Jack Young was 3rd and David Moody was 15th.
On the girls, side, the Craftsbury juniors had an especially strong showing in the 3rd and 4th grade division. They raced 2.4k. Anika Leahy was 1st, Ruth Krebs 2nd, Isabel Linton 3rd, Emily Linton 4th, and Evvi Tower- Pierce 12th. The 7th and 8th grade girls raced 3.8k, where Aliza Wright was 7th.
Results from Lake Placid can be found here. Results from the duathlon can be found here.
Congrats to all these speedy juniors! Stay tuned for coverage from the Rikert Eastern Cup next weekend.
Thomas Kehler preparing for the victory in the Manfield Nordic Duathlon (Photo: David Priganc)
Jordi Kulis approaching the finish line in Lake Placid (Photo: Mary Ellis)
Avery cruising up one of the tough hills on the Ladies 5k in Lake Placid (Photo: Mary Ellis)
Phoebe working hard up the same hill (Photo: Mary Ellis)