The Alaska Nanooks Nordic skiing team began the RMISA Championships in Midway, Utah, on Friday with a 7.5-kilometer classic interval start. The team finished the day in fifth place overall, collecting 116 points.
Rosie Fordham returned from competing at the Winter Olympics in Italy and secured third place in the women’s race, completing the course in 24:02.6. She was just 0.2 seconds behind second-place finisher Eve-Ondine Duchaufour of Denver University. Other top finishers for the Nanooks women included Piper Sears, who placed 20th with a time of 27:49.9, Viktorie Kahounova in 22nd at 28:23.9, and Kolibri Drobish in 24th at 28:49.4. The women’s squad ended the day fourth among Nordic teams with 62 points.
On the men’s side, Blake Hanley led the Nanooks by finishing 13th with a time of 19:53.1. Matyas Pavek took 15th (19:59.5), Cole Flowers was 18th (20:10.2), and Philipp Moosmayer finished close behind in 20th (20:10.5). Additional results included Josh Baurick in 25th (20:47.3), Gabriele Rigaudo in 28th (21:16.0), and P.J. Bragonier in 32nd (21:54.7). The men’s team also placed fifth among their Nordic competitors, earning a total of 54 points.
The RMISA Championships will conclude on Saturday morning with a 20-kilometer freestyle event, starting at 7 a.m. AKST for women and followed by the men’s race at 8:30 a.m.
