A pleasant surprise awaited athletes on the first day of the state cross-country skiing championships -- snow.
Thanks to half a foot that began falling two days prior, conditions at Kincaid Park on Thursday were much better than expected.
"We were forewarned by ASAA, 'Bring your B skis,' " West Valley head coach Greg Whisenhant said.
Whisenhant's daughter, Stephanie, kept him aware of Anchorage's lack of snow. A student at UAA, Stephanie sent her dad pictures of Kincaid's bare course.
It was not what he wanted to see.
"We were scared of skiing on the ice," Whisenhant said.
Enough blanketed the trails at the last minute to ease the Wolfpack's worries.
"We were delighted to see the snow," Whisenhant said.
There was talk of moving the races to Chugiak's Beach Lake Trails, something Chugiak coach Cody Priest said ASAA officials contacted him two weeks ago. Thankfully, he said, the snowfall allowed the three-day event to go on as planned at Kincaid, where conditions were better than expected.
"I thought it was going to be a lot softer," Soldotna junior Sadie Fox said. "They groomed really well."
Thursday's conditions were the best of the season, South senior Seiji Takagi said.
"Today was awesome," he said. "Smokin' fast. Best of the year."
West Valley's Max Donaldson said coverage wasn't an issue.
"I didn't see any bad patches," he said.
Donaldson, a junior, is seeking to defend his Skimeister title when racing continues Friday. A 15-second lead earned on Thursday should help.
Donaldson won the boys 7.5-kilometer freestyle race in 19 minutes, 14.7 seconds. Takagi was second and East's Thomas O'Harra finished third in 19:57.1.
Chugiak senior Sarissa Lammers secured the girls top spot with a time of 14:43.3. Lammers finished the 5-kilometer course 22 seconds ahead of Fox. South sophomore Anna Darnell was third in 15:20.6.
West Valley's boys and South's girls -- last year's team champs -- were in first place Thursday.
Lammers was the 35th skier on the course and the second of Chugiak's six. Priest said he sent his top skiers out early to give them optimal conditions. "I was hoping for better snow," he said.
Lammers' lead puts her in firm position to claim the girls Skimeister title.
"I'm super stoked," she said. "I gave myself a nice cushion.
"Making up 20 seconds is hard. I know. I've tried before."
Lammers' fitness is what sets her apart, Priest said.
"She's a grinder," he said. "It's a tough course, and it suits her well."
Lammers said her sizeable lead will keep her relaxed heading into Friday's 7.5-kilometer classic race. She said the key to finishing as the state's top high school skier is simple: focus on herself.
"I've just got to ski my race," she said. "Don't let anybody take it away."
Donaldson has a similar attitude about the boys 10-kilometer race .
"I just want to go out there and have fun," he said. "Ski like I usually do."
Thursday's race was Donaldson's first high school event in three weeks. He chose to forego the Region VI meet in Fairbanks because it came right after his return from a trip to Finland for the Scando Cup, an international race series for top junior-level racers.
It didn't matter.
"He was rested," Whisenhant said. "He felt good."
Repeating as boys Skimeister has been on Donaldson's mind all season, Whisenhant said.
"He was really focused on state," he said.
Takagi is anticipating Donaldson and O'Harra, who competed for Team USA at this year's World Junior Championships, to come out fast Friday.
"Those guys are going to push the pace," he said.
Donaldson's lead makes him the Skimeister favorite, Takagi said, but that could change following Friday's classic race.
"It's a mass start," he said. "Anything can happen."
Reach Mike Nesper at mnesper@adn.com or 257-4335.
ASAA/First National Bank
State ski championship
Kincaid Park
Thursday's results
Boys
Team scores
1) West Valley 1:20:58.5, 2) South 1:21:05.3, 3) West 1:24:42.3, 4) Service 1:26:54.9, 5) Grace 1:27:00.1, 6) Chugiak 1:28:19.4, 7) East 1:28:20.3, 8) Dimond 1:29:10.9, 9) Colony 1:29:38.5, 10) Kenai 1:30:19.4, 11) Lathrop 1:32:18.7, 12) Palmer 1:32:28.9, 13) Soldotna 1:34:04.2, 14) Skyview 1:38:01.4, 15) Homer 1:40:18.0, 16) Eagle River 1:41:46.0, 17) Wasilla 1:47:39.2, 18) Bartlett 1:56:58.3, 19) North Pole 2:15:36.2, 20) Valdez Incomplete, 20) Seward Incomplete, 20) Monroe Incomplete, 20) Hutchison Incomplete, 20) Unalakleet Incomplete,
7.5-kilometer freestyle
1) Max Donaldson, West Valley, 19:14.7; 2) Seiji Takagi, South, 19:29.9; 3) Thomas O `Harra, East, 19:57.1; 4) Hunter Wonders, South, 20:05.2; 5) Daniel Serventi, Grace, 20:08.6; 6) Tanner Ramey, South, 20:16.1; 7) Jacob Volz, West, 20:22.5; 8) Jonathan Koenig, West Valley, 20:24.9; 9) Joe Bue, West Valley, 20:28.3; 10) Ben Koenig, West Valley, 20:50.6; 11) Tristan Sayre, West Valley, 20:55.7; 12) John Farr, East, 20:56.7; 13) Jesse Mayo, West Valley, 20:57.6; 14) Jake Bassett, Service, 21:02.5; 15) Mike Wise, West, 21:07.5; 16) Luke McLaughlin, Grace, 21:10.1; 17) David McPhetres, Chugiak, 21:13.0; 18) Matthew Hoefler, South, 21:14.1; 19) Roan Hall, Chugiak, 21:17.1; 20) Conner Truskowski, Service, 21:21.9; 21) Kelson Denton, Dimond, 21:24.0; 22) Will Balcao, South, 21:24.7; 23) Luke Cvancara, Dimond, 21:29.4; 24) Jack Consenstein, West, 21:34.4; 25) Will Mans, West, 21:37.9; 26) Tracen Knopp, Colony, 21:42.6; 27) Riley Bickford, West, 21:45.6; 28) John Snelders, Palmer, 21:46.0; 29) Travis Cooper, Kenai, 21:48.3; 30) Brian Rowe, Homer, 22:03.6; 31) David Warner, Chugiak, 22:06.0; 32) Sam King, Lathrop, 22:06.4; 33) Bryant Brewster, South, 22:09.6; 34) Paul Butera, West, 22:10.9; 35) Canyon Tobin, Service, 22:11.9; 36) Jordan Theisen, Kenai, 22:14.5; 37) Dawson Knopp, Colony, 22:17.1; 38) Matthew Muffoletto, Service, 22:18.6; 39) Lyon Kopsack, Colony, 22:18.7; 40) Levi Michael, Soldotna, 22:27.5; 41) Trent Fritzel, Grace, 22:33.5; 42) Zach Bassett, Service, 22:34.5; 43) Hunter Thompson, Service, 22:35.9; 44) Colton Diehl, Soldotna, 22:39.7; 45) Kevin Brune, Lathrop, 22:39.8; 46) Fox Michaud, Kenai, 22:54.8; 47) Brenner Musgrave, Skyview, 22:55.3; 48) Tobin Sworts, Palmer, 22:57.6; 49) David Cvancara, Dimond, 23:07.3; 50) Ivan David Isaacs, Grace, 23:07.9; 51) Connor Swalling, Dimond, 23:10.2; 52) Brandon Schafer, Colony, 23:20.1; 53) James Butler, Kenai, 23:21.8; 54) Colbe Hand, Palmer, 23:25.9; 55) Zayn Roohi, Dimond, 23:26.1; 56) Logan Mowry, Lathrop, 23:27.5; 57) Sergei Wegner, Valdez, 23:29.1; 58) Max Robicheaux, East, 23:34.3; 59) Tanner Best, Soldotna, 23:35.1; 60) John Cosgrave, Grace, 23:38.8; 61) Caleb Huntington, Chugiak, 23:43.3; 62) Nick Harrison, Colony, 23:49.8; 63) Paul Maytas, East, 23:52.2; 64) Riley Jones, East, 23:59.8; 65) Timothy Sorensen, Chugiak, 24:03.0; 66) Vance Underwood, Lathrop, 24:05.0; 67) Olen Danielson, Kenai, 24:11.4; 68) Jacob Walsh, Eagle River, 24:18.8; 69) Josiah Alverts, Palmer, 24:19.4; 70) Luke Button, Monroe, 24:26.1; 71) James Lynn, Palmer, 24:26.5; 72) Austin Desatoff, Dimond, 24:30.0; 73) Josh Vantrease, Homer, 24:31.8; 74) Larson Isaac, Bartlett, 24:32.7; 75) Michael Teeples, Chugiak, 24:33.9; 76) Andrew Nelson, Colony, 24:40.1; 77) Daniel Dahms, Palmer, 24:40.5; 78) Nate Mole, Kenai, 24:41.6; 79) Daniel Shuler, Skyview, 24:52.1; 80) Colton Pulver, Wasilla, 24:55.3; 81) Jeremiah Hudson, Skyview, 24:55.7; 82) Bradan Tobin, Eagle River, 24:59.3; 83) Hickey Conor, East, 25:01.4; 84) Wyatt Brown, Grace, 25:16.9; 85) Sky Schlung, Skyview, 25:18.3; 86) Addison Downing, Soldotna, 25:21.9; 87) Aron Swedberg, Soldotna, 25:41.3; 88) Logan Hemphill, Skyview, 25:43.7; 89) Noah Tsigonis, Lathrop, 25:45.0; 90) Gabe Rueter, Hutchison, 25:45.7; 91) Torgen Karns, Lathrop, 25:48.2; 92) Nathan Albright, Valdez, 25:52.2; 93) Alec Smith, Eagle River, 25:52.4; 94) Drew Kant, Soldotna, 25:56.7; 95) Seims Logan, Wasilla, 26:03.1; 96) Hoxie Parks, Homer, 26:13.6; 97) Nick Zweifel, Seward, 26:14.9; 98) Sterling Stasak, Skyview, 26:22.7; 99) Nick Roth, Eagle River, 26:35.5; 100) Sam Erickson, Eagle River, 26:40.7; 101) Jerry Swanson, Seward, 26:54.8; 102) Tian-en Liu, Homer, 27:29.0; 103) Dylan Gillespie, Seward, 27:30.5; 104) Ryan Navrot, Homer, 27:33.5; 105) LeCrone Gavin, Bartlett, 27:47.7; 106) Brock Fitzgerald, Eagle River, 27:49.3; 107) Sikulik Johnson, Unalakleet, 27:59.3; 108) Mike Wieliczkiewicz, Wasilla, 28:06.9; 109) Fuller Quincy, Wasilla, 28:33.9; 110) Stuart Relay, Valdez, 29:59.2; 111) Reid Declan, Bartlett, 30:07.8; 112) Andrew Mendenhall, North Pole, 31:31.2; 113) Daniel Iles, North Pole, 33:34.2; 114) Victor DeWilde, North Pole, 34:06.4; 115) McGrath Robert, Bartlett, 34:30.1; 116) Mathias Sattler, North Pole, 36:24.4; 117) Austin Stewart, North Pole, 44:05.1.
Girls
Team scores
1) South 1:03:19.6, 2) West 1:04:29.2, 3) Service 1:05:35.2, 4) Chugiak 1:06:05.2, 5) Soldotna 1:06:26.3, 6) East 1:06:30.9, 7) Palmer 1:09:05.8, 8) Dimond 1:09:28.8, 9) West Valley 1:09:58.8, 10) Grace 1:10:47.0, 11) Colony 1:11:17.5, 12) Kenai 1:11:25.7, 13) Homer 1:11:55.3, 14) Lathrop 1:16:04.9, 15) Eagle River 1:18:10.5, 16) Skyview 1:19:31.6, 17) Bartlett Incomplete, 17) Wasilla Incomplete, 17) North Pole Incomplete, 17) Valdez Incomplete, 17) Seward Incomplete, 17) Hutchison Incomplete,
5-kilometer freestle
1) Sarissa Lammers, Chugiak, 14:43.3; 2) Sadie Fox, Soldotna, 15:05.2; 3) Anna Darnell, South, 15:20.6; 4) Annika Flynn, South, 15:34.3; 5) Emma Tarbath, Service, 15:35.3; 6) Morgan Flynn, East, 15:36.6; 7) Magdalen York, West, 15:36.8; 8) Barae Hirsch, West, 15:48.0; 9) Jenna Difolco, West Valley, 15:57.3; 10) Janey Hoefler, South, 16:01.3; 11) Ryan Terry, Service, 16:15.7; 12) Hannah Pothast, Soldotna, 16:16.1; 13) Kiersten Johnson, Palmer, 16:19.6; 14) Naomi Kiekintveld, South, 16:23.4; 15) Ana Jager, East, 16:24.7; 16) Kinsey Denton, Dimond, 16:31.8; 17) Carlie Gellert, West, 16:32.1; 18) Alejandra Legate, West, 16:32.3; 19) Megan Fink, East, 16:33.5; 20) Kayla Rowe, Grace, 16:34.5; 21) Elle Arnold, Grace, 16:41.6; 22) Taryn Hunt-Smith, Service, 16:49.0; 23) Liesel Von Imhof, Dimond, 16:52.7; 24) Sage Romey, Service, 16:55.2; 25) Irene Bembenek, South, 16:56.3; 26) Jewel Hediger, West Valley, 16:57.9; 27) Jordan Lane, Service, 16:58.5; 28) Annie Connelly, Chugiak, 16:59.1; 29) Alexandria Bergholtz, Kenai, 17:01.5; 30) Hannah Booher, Chugiak, 17:02.3; 31) Dani McCormick, Soldotna, 17:10.6; 32) Katja Grumman, West, 17:11.3; 33) Karina Zyatitsky, West, 17:12.1; 34) Aspen Daigle, Homer, 17:13.0; 35) Kirsten Nyquist, Kenai, 17:15.1; 36) Stephanie Allen, Valdez, 17:19.6; 37) Katrina Arthen, Chugiak, 17:20.5; 38) Mika Morton, Skyview, 17:21.1; 39) Tatjana Spaic, Colony, 17:25.9; 40) Rya Berrigan, Palmer, 17:26.7; 41) Greta Jenkins, Colony, 17:29.5; 42) Jonna Laitinen, Palmer, 17:30.4; 43) Cassidy Soistman, Homer, 17:36.3; 44) Rachel Zafren, Service, 17:38.9; 45) Ruth Cvancara, Dimond, 17:42.6; 46) Rylee Norris, Valdez, 17:45.1; 47) Jordyn Block, Colony, 17:46.9; 48) Anne Woodings, Palmer, 17:49.1; 49) Cheyenne Applegate, Grace, 17:52.9; 50) Emily Werner, Soldotna, 17:54.4; 51) Jade Wood, South, 17:55.5; 52) Emily Beiring, East, 17:56.1; 53) Megan Neale, East, 18:01.8; 54) Rachel Ellert, Homer, 18:03.8; 55) Ripleigh Campnell, Chugiak, 18:08.6; 56) Olivia Hutchings, Soldotna, 18:12.3; 57) Summer Frazier, Eagle River, 18:17.7; 58) Jade Hajdukovich, Lathrop, 18:19.1; 59) Kelin Reitano, West Valley, 18:19.8; 60) Katherine McWhite, Dimond, 18:21.7; 60) Mikaela Salzetti, Kenai, 18:21.7; 62) Sara Hartke, Chugiak, 18:23.3; 63) Mackenzie Parrott, Lathrop, 18:28.5; 64) Ruby Woodings, Palmer, 18:32.3; 65) Tracie Haan, Colony, 18:35.2; 66) Morgen Lundin, Palmer, 18:41.6; 67) Annamarieka Chythlook, Skyview, 18:43.6; 68) Peyton Pressler, West Valley, 18:43.8; 69) Katie Cooper, Kenai, 18:47.4; 70) M.E. Meyerhofer, Colony, 18:55.4; 71) Mariah Vantrease, Homer, 19:02.2; 72) Chloe Bee, Dimond, 19:05.0; 73) Tamara Freistone, Dimond, 19:12.2; 74) Audrey Russell, Homer, 19:12.8; 75) Allison Hebard, Lathrop, 19:23.3; 76) Lis Olsen, Colony, 19:23.7; 77) Claire Gamache, Grace, 19:38.0; 78) Xochi Harbison, Soldotna, 19:38.3; 79) Danielle Owens, Eagle River, 19:39.7; 80) Maddie Michaud, Kenai, 19:46.8; 81) Heather Lindsey, Bartlett, 19:47.4; 82) Lauren Tsao-Wu, Grace, 19:47.6; 83) Brooke Estes, Seward, 19:47.7; 84) Alex Durazo, Grace, 19:50.7; 85) Tessa Heagy, Eagle River, 19:52.3; 86) Kiana Hamlin, Lathrop, 19:54.0; 87) Isabel Beach, Homer, 19:58.0; 88) Brooke Gottmeier, West Valley, 20:08.9; 89) Leah Allan, Lathrop, 20:14.9; 90) Lupua Oba, Lathrop, 20:20.5; 91) Lauren Grismer, Eagle River, 20:20.8; 92) Danika Ingersoll, Wasilla, 20:28.9; 93) Allison Gonzales, East, 20:39.8; 94) Kate Paskievitch, Eagle River, 20:48.8; 95) Patty Eagan, West Valley, 21:02.2; 96) Brittany Hollers, Skyview, 21:07.1; 97) Jessa Montoya, Eagle River, 21:39.1; 98) Beverly Schindler, Kenai, 21:57.2; 99) Abby Cook, Skyview, 22:19.8; 100) Sage Link, Skyview, 22:21.7; 101) Mariah Rose, Hutchison, 27:15.0; 102) Caitlyn Elgin, North Pole, 30:45.4; 103) Judith Hepburn, North Pole, 32:10.6.
ASAA/First National Bank
State ski championship
Kincaid Park
Friday's races
11 a.m. -- 10-K boys classic
Noon -- 7.5-K girls classic
Saturday's races
11 a.m. -- 4x3-K girls relay
Noon -- 4x5-K boys relay
By MIKE NESPER