January 2, 2010 News Release

XC Championships Kick-off in Anchorage
Hometown girl grabs national sprint title

ANCHORAGE - U.S. Ski Team members, college athletes and other elite racers kicked-off the 2010 ConocoPhillips Cross Country Ski Championships in Anchorage today with sprint races. Kikkan Randall of Anchorage won the women’s 1.4-kilometer course; Simeon Hamilton of Sun Valley, Idaho, won the men’s 1.5-K course.
 
More than 250 men and women raced for the national sprint title, FIS points and a chance to qualify for the Olympics, World Junior Championships, FIS World Under 23 Championships and Junior Nordic Championships teams for 2010.
 
Alaskan skiers battling on their home turf fared well with 10 qualifying for the finals, eight skiing for the Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center Program.
 
Alaska women:
1st Kikkan Randall, U.S. Ski Team, Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center Program
3rd Laura Valaas, Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center Program
4th Holly Brooks, Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center Program
7th Katie Ronsse, Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center Program
11th Kasandra Rice, Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center Program
 
Alaska men:
2nd Mike Hinkley, Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center Program
4th Tyler Kornfield, University of Alaska Fairbanks Ski Team
6th Mark Iverson, Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center Program
7th Peter Kling, Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center Program
12th Henri Soom, University of Alaska Fairbanks Ski Team
 
Complete results for all sprints are available here: http://www.summittiming.com/live_results/
and event details are available here: http://www.anchoragenordicski.com/nationals10/   
 
Racing resumes on Monday with a Women’s 10-K Freestyle and Men’s 15-K Freestyle at 10 a.m.