Anchorage's Jack Novak won the junior men's 20-kilometer classic-technique race in Thursday's U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association's Distance Nationals in Norden, Calif., and Reese Hanneman's sixth-place finish topped Alaska nordic skiers in the senior men's 50-K.
Both Hanneman and Novak train with the Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center.
Novak won a battle for the junior title, clocking 56:51.4 to edge Adam Martin by half a second. APU's Forrest Mahlen took fourth in 58:12.6.
Hanneman led five Alaskans who finished in the top-15 in the 50-K mass start race won by U.S. Olympian Kris Freeman, who clocked 2 hours, 24 minutes, 52.8 seconds to win by nearly a minute over Andy Newell (2:25:46.4).
Hanneman clocked 2:29:17.6. Patrick Johnson of Anchorage, who trains in Sun Valley, Idaho, finished 11th in 2:30:20.4, APU's Erik Bjornsen grabbed 12th in 2:30:41.5, Fairbanks' David Norris finished 14th in 2:31:57.1 and APU's Mark Iverson took 15th in 2:32:08.4.
USSA Distance Nationals
Norden, Calif.
Men's 50-K Classic mass start
1) Kris Freeman, 2:24:52.8; 2) Andrew Newell, 2:25:46.4; 3) Elnar Usland, 2:26:15.5; 4) Knute Johnsgaard, 2:28:33.7; 5) Tad Elliott, 2:28:38.6; 6) Reese Hanneman, APU, 2:29:17.6; 7) Torin Koos, 2:29:28.5; 8) Patrick O'Brien, 2:29:52.6; 9) Trygve Markset 2:29:55.3; 10) Rune Oedegaard, 2:30:15.1.
Other Alaskans -- 11) Patrick Johnson, 2:30:20.4; 12) Erik Bjornsen, APU, 2:30:41; 14) David Norris, 2:31:57.1; 15) Mark Iverson, APU, 2:32:08.4; 18) Brent Knight, APU, 2:35:21.5; 21) Scott Patterson, 2:37:38.5; 27) Peter Kling, APU, 2:41:47.7.
Juniors 20-K -- Top 5
1) Jack Novak, APU, 56:51.4; 2) Adam Martin, 56:51.9; 3) Patrick McElravey, 57:58.6; 4) Forrest Mahlen, APU, 58:12.6; 5) Tucker McCrerey, 58:56.5.
Anchorage Daily News