Junior national team named plus a race report from the final qualifier event in Jackson, Wyoming
The Bridger Ski Foundation competed in the last of three Junior National Qualifying races at Trail Creek Ranch in Jackson, Wyoming, last weekend, where an impressive 16 BSF athletes were named to the team that will represent the Intermountain Division at Junior Nationals in Minneapolis, MN, in early March.
BSF Athletes representing the Intermountain Division at Junior Nationals include:
U16 Girls: Natalie Nicholas, Hanna Kluck, and Tobi Jacobsen. First Alternate: Necia Nicholas
U16 Boys: Landon Wyatt, Aldo Mcwethy, Ryan Galyen, Cole Bothner.
U20-18 Girls: Kolibri Drobish, Clara Wyatt. Second Alternate: Annalise Pessl
U20-18 Boys: Max Kluck, Cale Woods, Phineas Fischer, Sumner Cotton, Woody West, Gray Wasson, Sam Haynes. First Alternate: Wyatt Stoddart
BSF Nordic Comp Team Coach Julia Hayes said, “BSF athletes showed an incredible range of diversity and grit this weekend. They adapted to adversity and pushed themselves past their own boundaries. It was special to watch the hard work these kids put in pay off in so many ways.”
The first day of racing was a classic sprint. On the girls’ U20-U18 side, seniors Jessie Kalinowski, Anna Alexander, Clara Wyatt, Lita Keefer and Annalise Pessl all finished in the top 30, which sent them onto quarterfinal sprint heats where the top two racers move on to the semifinals and finals.
The top 30 of the boys’s U20-U18 race was filled with BSF skiers. Sam Haynes, Gray Wasson, Wayatt Stoddard, Soren Davidson, Sumner Cotton, Max Kluck, Woody West, and Phineas Fischer all represented BSF in the sprint heats. Junior, Phineas Fischer when on to finish second overall with PG skier, Sumner Cotton a close third and Butte’s Max Kluck in fifth.
In the girls U16 sprint, sophomore Natalie Nicholas finished fourth overall while 8th grader Tobi Jacobsen placed a strong seventh in the preliminary sprint and went on to win her quarterfinal round. BSF skiers Hanna Kluck, Maya Keefer, Reeve Alexander, and Necia Nicholas all qualified in the top 30 to compete in the rounds.
The boy’s U16 race finished the way it started with BSF’s Landon Wyatt dominating each sprint heat including the final where he took top honors. Aldo Macwethy finished an impressive fifth overall. Ryan Galyen and Cole Bothner both put up strong sprints. Galyen ended the day eight overall.
Saturday’s mass start 5 and 10 kilometer race was set on a lightning fast course. BSF Post-Grad (PG) skier Cooper Hartman won a tight sprint to take the top spot in the 10km race with a blistering time of 23:40. Cale Woods, Sumner Cotton, and Gray Wasson were first, third and fourth in their age groups, respectively. Soren Davidson was eighth and Bozeman High senior Ben Sites finished ninth in the U20 category. Max Kluck was seventh in the U18 category with Phineas Fischer in 12th, Woody West in 14th, Wyatt Stoddart in 17th, Jasper Jacobson in 29th, Orrin Coleman in 36th, senior Gus Chisholm in 41st, and Kell Christenson in 45th.
The women also competed in a four-lap 10-km freestyle race. Seniors Clara Wyatt, Lita Keefer, and Jessie Kalinowski finished second, sixth and seventh, respectively, in the U20 category. An impressive show of grit by the BSF senior girls was led by Annalise Pessl in 12th, Anna Alexander in 25th, Fiona Jacobson, 28th and Elena Rubsam in 29th.
The U16 girls raced a two-lap, 5-km freestyle. Natalie Nicholas continued her strong season with a fifth place finish. Also representing BSF, Hanna Kluck 9th, Necia Nicholas 12th, Brenna Barton 16th, Reeve Alexander 18th, Tobi Jacobson 19th, Maya Keefer 24th, and Grace Lux in 44th.
The last race for the BSF Nordic Comp team was the U16 boys race, which was won by Landon Wyatt. Cole Bothner had a breakthrough race finishing close behind in fourth. Also representing BSF, Ryan Galyan 15th, Aldo Mcwethy 18th, Henry Higman 48th, Joren Nielson 50th.
