Fairbanks skier David Norris enjoyed one of the best results of his career while leading a strong showing by Alaskans in a USSA Super Tour race Saturday in Lake Placid, New York.
Norris, 25, won the men's freestyle sprint to collect his first Super Tour win since 2012. It was perhaps his best result since winning a bronze medal in a distance race at the 2013 national championships.
"It's really good to have a good result this season, and hopefully I can keep it rolling till the end of the year," Norris said in a post-race interview.
Seven of the 12 skiers who made it to the men's and women's finals were Alaskans, including six who are members of the Alaska Pacific University team
Norris won all of his heats and dominated the 1.4-kilometer final, finishing in 3 minutes, 18.9 seconds to beat APU teammate Eric Packer of Anchorage – the reigning national champion in the classic sprint – by 2.16 seconds. APU's Tyler Kornfield placed sixth.
In the women's final, Caitlin Patterson of Anchorage, who skis for Vermont's Craftsbury Green Racing Project, finished second. She was .45 of a second behind teammate Kelsey Phinney, who won in 3:51.3.
Grabbing fourth, fifth and sixth place in the women's race for APU were Jessica Yeaton, Chelsea Holmes and Becca Rorabaugh, in that order.