Two other American women also scored World Cup points in the race -- 20-year-old phenom Jessie Diggins of Minnesota placed 18th in her fourth World Cup appearance and Liz Stephen of Vermont finished 21st. The other two Americans on the women's team -- Sadie Bjornsen of Anchorage and Ida Sargent of Vermont -- both finished in the top 40.
"I used to be psyched with a top 40 so to have our whole women's team in there just shows what a huge step forward we've taken, " Randall wrote in an email.
In the men's 15-K, Kris Freeman of New Hampshire placed 22nd and Noah Hoffman of Colorado was 26th, giving the Americans five skiers in who scored points.
"It's nice to flex some depth like this, " U.S. coach Matt Whitcomb said in a press release. "It helps us build momentum, and lets athletes back home see the possibilities. There is a connection. It can happen with a lot of good training and commitment to the sport. It IS happening -- top-30 finishes are no longer historic."
Victories went to Poland's Justyna Kowalczyk and Switzerland's Dario Cologna.
The World Cup takes a break this week before resuming Feb. 2 in Moscow. Randall and the rest of the Americans will spend the break training in Ramsau, Austria.
"Having only had one weekend off since mid-November, I am really looking forward to this upcoming recovery block until Moscow, " Randall wrote. "My coach Erik Flora is here and it will be nice to rest and do a little training again. Also hoping to revive my pink highlights!"
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