NNF Cup Update: Defending Champs UU Come out Strong in Anchorage, with Bridger Ski Foundation Close Behind

by | Dec 21, 2023 | Featured, NNF Cup, Uncategorized

Winter has been hard to find across the North American continent as the 2023-24 ski season has started. Which made last week’s SuperTour opener at the Anchorage WinterStart series in Kincaid Park stand out. No matter the early snow woes from New England to the Intermountain West, some of the best athletes on the continent could head way up North for a full week of competition, and the opening of this year’s NNF Cup. The full week started with back-to-back days of racing a Skate Sprint and 10 k Classic, and then after a couple day’s rest, finished with a mirror of that program, with a classic sprint on Saturday and 10 k Skate race on Sunday.

The domestic SuperTour also took on an especially international flair over the week. Among top pro club athletes vying for a bid at the Tour de Ski, and World Cup beyond, and collegiate skiers getting their first true starts of the season, were many Canadiens, who featured prominently throughout the week. When Kincaid Park opened up the season last Tuesday, it was truly winter, and there was truly a lot of action that would unfold over the week.

In the Women’s field, Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation’s (SVSEF) Sammy Smith scored top marks throughout the week, taking two sprint wins and a win in the Classic 10 k on Wednesday. Smith’s pre-eminence rocketed SVSEF to 2nd place in the NNF Cup’s Women Classification, where they trail the Overall Classification, Women’s Classification leaders, and defending champs, the University of Utah. The University of Utah (UU) were led on the Women’s side by the pairing of Nina Schamberger and Sydney Palmer-Leger. Schamberger got off to a fast start skiing into the Semi-final of the skate sprint on Tuesday, and then followed it up with a 3rd place in the 10 k classic the following day. Later in the week, Palmer-Leger would bolster her teammates early week efforts, skiing to a 3rd place in the 10 k Skate on Sunday. UU also pushed to the top on the Women’s side with a classic sprint finals appearance from Karianne Denegerud.

The depth UU showed in the Women’s field was mirrored by the Men’s side of their squad. Walker Hall got a strong start by finishing 2nd overall in the opening skate sprint, and finishing in the top 10 three times throughout the week in Alaska. Brian Bushey also put in a 4th place performance during Wednesday’s 10 k classic, and the matched depth between the Men’s and Women’s squad put the defending NNF Cup holders on top of the standings headed into the US Cross Country Ski National Championships after New Year’s, with 281 points.

The battle at the top of the standings, however, is already a pitched one. Bridger Ski Foundation (BSF) out of Bozeman, Montana pushed to 235 points and 2nd place in the NNF Cup standings behind a fast start on the Women’s side from Erin Bianco, and from a deep Men’s team which highlighted the week with a 2nd and 3rd place performance for Logan Diekmann and Reid Goble, respectively, at Saturday’s Classic Sprint. 3rd place in the NNF Cup is currently held by University of Colorado, while Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center (APU) saw top performances from Michael Earnhart and Hunter Wonders all week to take 4th in the Overall, but top the Men’s Classification.

The NNF Cup will move, with the SuperTour, to Soldier Hollow, Utah after New Year’s for another week of competition at the US Cross Country Ski National Championships.

Coverage of Last Week’s SuperTour in Anchorage, Alaska:

 Nordic Insights

Full Results

Posted by Nordic Ski Association of Anchorage

NNF Cup Standings After Anchorage WinterStart Series in Anchorage, Alaska

Overall

  1. University of Utah – 281 points.
  2. Bridger Ski Foundation Pro Team – 235 points.
  3. University of Colorado – 190 points.

Men

  1. APU Nordic Ski Center – 142 points.
  2. Bridger Ski Foundation Pro Team – 141 points.
  3. University of Utah – 115 points.

Women

  1. University of Utah – 166 points.
  2. Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation – 127 points.
  3. University of Colorado – 96 points.

 

The NNF Cup celebrates club excellence in America’s premier domestic ski competition by tallying performance of club teams across the SuperTour season. The NNF Cup was awarded to the University of Utah last season. Follow along on our website, Facebook, Instagram, and newsletter as we track this season’s cup!

 

NNF Cup Rules and Regulations can be found here.

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