Alaska News

Alaska sports digest for April 12

WINTER SPORTS

Sullivan sets records

It's no surprise a skier towed by a snowmachine can reach speeds exceeding 75 mph, but Friday's competitors in the 28th Tesoro Arctic Man Classic in the Hoodoo Mountains turned in some of the fastest times the event has ever produced, breaking the four-minute barrier on a five-mile course for the first time.

Skier Marco Sullivan of Truckee, Calif., won a record third straight Arctic Man, teaming with Palmer snowmachiner Tyler Aklestad to set a record of 3 minutes, 52 seconds. Skier Chris Beckman of Attamont, N.Y. also broke the four-minute mark, finishing second in 3:56 with the help of Anchorage snowmachiner Spike Laskey.

The adrenaline-laced competition requires skiers to drop 1,700 feet and just less than two miles from the top of a peak, hook up to a snowmachine on the fly for a tow of a little more than two miles to the next summit, and then separate from the snowmachine for another drop of 1,200 feet over the final mile or so.

A tailwind helped propel Sullivan down the first slope, Sullivan told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

"I came in so much faster than in training that we had a little bobble, but I managed to get away pretty clean," he said.

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Aklestad went full throttle through a smooth, fast tow section and Sullivan caught air for about 100 feet at the top of the second hill, which is known as First Aid.

Aklestad also helped set a record in the snowboard division, towing snowboarder Nate Holland toward a winning time of 4:26.

Skier Danielle Shannon teamed with snowmachiner Carly Davis to win the women's skiing division, and Sunny Pratcher won the women's snowboard division in 5:25, with an assist from snowmachiner Moanna Hollers.

Skier Tyler Walker and snowmachiner Paul Thacker paired up to win a new adaptive skiers division, in which skiers who don't have the use of their legs ride a monoski.

UAA BASKETBALL

Horn, King are MVPs

Alysa Horn was the primary post player and Sasha King handled the point this season for the UAA women's basketball team. The two seniors were named co-Most Valuable Players on Friday, during the Seawolves' annual banquet at the Petroleum Club.

Horn nearly averaged a double-double, putting up 15.4 points per game and averaging nine rebounds. The 6-foot forward from Kodiak was the sixth-leading scorer in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and second-leading rebounder. Horn is the fifth woman in UAA history to reach 1,000 career points, 500 rebounds and 50 blocks.

King, a 5-6 point guard from Norman, Okla., was the GNAC's fifth-leading scorer with an average of 15.6 points. She led the league in steals (2.9) per game and 3-pointers (2.6) made per game, and was one of three NCAA Division II players to average at least 15 points and five assists.

Jessica Madison was awarded Most Improved Player, the redshirt freshman from Port Angeles, Wash., averaging 9.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. The 5-8 guard, who was also named GNAC Freshman of the Year, set a UAA freshman record with 36 made 3-pointers.

Anchorage's Jordan Martin took home the Most Inspirational Player honor for the third-straight season. The 5-6 guard recorded 5.6 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in helping the Seawolves finish with a 17-10 overall record.

PREP TRACK AND FIELD

Dimond boys lead

Led by strong performances in the long jump by Stanson Afoa and Susumu Jones, the Dimond boys took the lead Friday at The Dome, the first of the two-day Prosser-Whitmore Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Afoa won the boys long jump with a leap of 20 feet, 3.75 inches, and Jones took second at 19-5.75 to help the Lynx accumulate 35 points.

The Kodiak boys, led by Levi Thomet's win in the 3,200-meter run, racked 30.5 points. Thomet clocked 9 minutes, 20.4 seconds to win by more than 30 seconds over teammate Cole Christiansen (9:52.2).

On the girls side, Grace Christian and West Valley are tied with 20 points apiece. Claire Trujillo led Grace with a win in the girls 3,200 at 11:23.4, and at least one West Valley athlete finished in the top 10 of all four Friday events.

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Megan Drange led the Wolfpack with a second-place finish in the high jump, clearing 5-00.

Prosser-Whitmore Indoor Track and Field Championships

At The Dome

Team scores

Girls -- 1) (tie) Grace; West Valley, 20; 3) Eagle River, 19; 4) Dimond, 16; 5) Wasilla, 14; 6) Chugiak, 13; 7) East, 12; 8) West, 11; 9) ACS, 9; 10) Bartlett, 8; 11) (tie) Kodiak; Palmer, 7.

Boys -- 1) Dimond 35; 2) Kodiak, 30.5; 3) Lathrop, 17.5; 4) (tie) Eagle River; Grace, 15; 6) Chugiak, 10; 7) West, 8; 8) West Valley, 7; 9) (tie) East; Service, 6; 11) ACS, 3; 12) Palmer, 2; 13) Bartlett, 1.

Friday's events

Girls

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3,200 -- 1) Trujillo, Claire, Grace, 11:23.4h; 2) Burroughs, Mariah, Wasilla, 11:37.6h; 3) Ford, Jenna, Wasilla, 11:42.1h; 4) Stevens, Hannah, Eagle River, 12:05.5h; 5) Contraras, Sami, Palmer, 12:31.6h; 6) Seidl, Hannah, Dimond, 12:40.4h; 7) Booher, Hannah, Chugiak, 12:40.4h; 8) Bigley, Zoe, Kodiak, 12:48.6h; 9) Fairbanks, Tamara, West Valley, 13:10.8h; 10) Desaussure, Bailey, Bartlett, 13:18.8h.

High Jump -- 1) Warners, Scout, Eagle River, 5-00; 2) Drange, Megan, West Valley, J5-00; 3) Kueter, Taylir, Bartlett, 4-10; 4) Franz, Callie, West Valley, 4-08; 5) Barnett, McKenzie, Kodiak, J4-08; 6) Sims, Taylor, Dimond, 4-06; 6) Broderick, Bridget, Grace, 4-06; 6) Ulofoshio, Olohigie, Bartlett, 4-06; 9) Johnson, Chrisalyn, Dimond, J4-06; 10) Martellaro, Jessie, West Valley, J4-06.

Long Jump -- 1) Johnson, Chrisalyn, Dimond, 15-10.50; 2) Rowe, Kayla, Grace, 14-11.50; 3) Gregg, Rachel, Chugiak, 14-10.50; 4) Reitz, Alicia, Chugiak, 14-07; 5) Owens, Dreanna, Eagle River, 14-06.75; 6) Dickerson, Dallas, ACS, 14-05.75; 7) Acquistapace, Ellen, West Valley, 14-05; 8) Treder, Kathryn, West, 14-03; 9) Sims, Taylor, Dimond, 13-07; 10) Corral, Abigail, Dimond, 13-06.50.

Shot Put -- 1) Tufi, Pauline, West, 37-10.25; 2) Manu, Fiti, East, 33-03; 3) Voss, Jennifer, ACS, 33-00.25; 4) Allen, Kiersten, West Valley, 29-07.50; 5) A'Asa, Faitupe, East, 29-04; 6) DePriest, Leya, Palmer, 29-02; 7) Walker, Richelle, Kodiak, 29-00; 8) Mixson, Jenna, Dimond, 28-11.50; 9) Tuisaula, Sylvia, Wasilla, 28-06.25; 10) Benfield, Kate, Service, 28-04.25.

Boys

3,200 -- 1) Thomet, Levi, Kodiak, 9:20.4h; 2) Christiansen, Cole, Kodiak, 9:52.2h; 3) Szweda-Mittelstadt, Gilly, Service, 10:11.9h; 4) Serventi, Daniel, Grace, 10:13.1h; 5) Hoefler, Erich, West Valley, 10:15.0h; 6) McPhetres, David, Chugiak, 10:18.4h; 7) McCarthy, Julian, Kodiak, 10:21.1h; 8) Hall, Roan, Chugiak, 10:24.0h; 9) Osiensky, Chris, Palmer, 10:28.3h; 10) Lee, Brendon, Wasilla, 10:36.6h.

High Jump -- 1) Gladden, Tevin, Lathrop, 6-02; 2) Elliott, Leroy, West, 6-00; 3) Fullmer, Payton, Chugiak, 5-08; 4) Clayton, Wilson, Dimond, 5-06; 4) Manifo, Michael, Kodiak, 5-06; 6) Swenson, David, West Valley, J5-06; 7) Hawk, Chase, East, J5-06; 8) Jennis, Tyreke, Lathrop, J5-06; 8) Parker, C.J., Dimond, J5-06; 10) Wantenabe, Kohei, Palmer, J5-06; 11) Tui, Esene, West, 5-04.

Long Jump -- 1) Afoa, Stanson, Dimond, 20-03.75; 2) Jones, Susumu, Dimond, 19-05.75; 3) Manifo, Michael, Kodiak, 19-04.75; 4) Gladden, Tevin, Lathrop, 19-04; 5) Schaffer, David, Dimond, 19-02.50; 6) Simmers, Nate, ACS, 18-09.50; 7) Jennis, Tyreke, Lathrop, 18-07.50; 8) Parish, Brandon, Eagle River, 18-03; 9) Pearce, Alex, Service, 18-00; 10) Morman, Brett, South, 17-07.50.

Shot Put -- 1) George, Grant, Grace, 47-11; 2) Reinbold, Rydell, Eagle River, 44-10; 3) Hall, Ed, Eagle River, 42-02.50; 4) Corpuz, Brandon, Dimond, 42-02; 5) Tosi, Tarini, East, 41-10; 6) Charoonsophonsak, Victor, Dimond, 41-05.75; 7) Niekamp, Hayden, Palmer, 40-05.75; 8) Manu, Matini, Bartlett, 40-01.50; 9) Webb, Jeremiah, Lathrop, 39-08.75; 10) Criswell, Cole, Chugiak, 38-08.

Anchorage Daily News

sports@adn.com

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