Scott Patterson and Chelsea Holmes of Alaska Pacific University's Nordic Ski Center dominated freestyle distance races Sunday in a SuperTour event in Silver Star, British Columbia, to continue the program's podium finishes on the top domestic circuit.
In Davos, Switzerland, U.S. Olympian Jessie Diggins finished fifth in a World Cup freestyle sprint and APU's Sadie Bjornsen, an Olympian, took 15th. Four Americans finished in the points, which go to the top 30 finishers.
Patterson won the men's 15-kilometer race in 40 minutes to win by 13.2 seconds and Holmes clocked 30:42 for 10K to prevail by 13.4 seconds in the women's competition.
Those victories marked the fourth and fifth podium finishes by APU athletes in four SuperTour races this season. Patterson took third in a distance race in West Yellowstone, Montana, a week ago, Reese Hanneman won Saturday's sprint in Silver Star, and Tyler Kornfield and Hanneman finished 2-3 last week in a sprint in West Yellowstone.
Both Patterson and Holmes used explosive starts Sunday to prosper. Patterson led by 15 seconds after one 5K lap and 20 seconds after the second lap. Holmes bolted to a 21-second lead on the first of two laps.
APU's David Norris took 12th (41:59) in the 15K. Anchorage's Silas Talbot, competing for the Bridger Ski Foundation, took 13th (42:00). APU's Jack Novak finished 18th (42:18), just ahead of teammates Thomas O'Harra (19th, 42:21) and Logan Hanneman (20th, 42:29).
In the women's race, APU's Rosie Frankowski grabbed sixth (31:42), teammate Becca Rorabaugh took seventh (31:52) and teammate Jessica Yeaton was 17th (33:14).
In Switzerland, Diggins' fifth-place finish kept her in seventh place in the overall World Cup standings.
Bjornsen's 15th put her 12th in the overall standings. Americans Sophie Caldwell and Ida Sargent took 11th and 20th, respectively, and Anchorage's Caitlin Patterson finished 47th.
Kikkan Randall, the four-time Olympian from Anchorage who skis for APU, finished 58th in qualifying. Freestyle sprints are her specialty — she's won three World Cup overall sprint titles — but she's just starting to get back into racing after taking last season off to have her first child.