Led by siblings Sadie and Erik Bjornsen, the Alaska Pacific University ski team advanced three women and two men to the finals of the classic sprint race Friday at the SuperTour finals in Craftsbury, Vermont.
Erik Bjornsen finished third in the men's six-man final and Sadie Bjornsen finished fourth in the women's six-woman final.
Victories went to Andy Newell and Jessie Diggins.
In the women's final, Rosie Brennan and Kikkan Randall of APU finished fifth and sixth, respectively. In the men's final, APU's Reese Hanneman placed sixth.
The race was the first in a season-ending series featuring the nation's top cross-country skiers, many of them just back from the Winter Olympics and the final World Cup races of the season.
The first two races at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center are SuperTour races; the final three are U.S. national championship races.
Competition continues Saturday with more SuperTour races — the 15-kilometer and 10-kilometer freestyle races.
The first national championship race is Sunday's mixed-gender relay, followed by national championship races in the women's 30K classic Tuesday and the men's 50K classic Wednesday.