The US SuperTour presented by the National Nordic Foundation wraps up its long trip from Sovereign Lakes, BC in November to this weekend, with four days of racing in Craftsbury, Vermont. The weekend also marks the conclusion of the NNF Cup, and with all the clubs in contention present and vying for first place, there is much to watch in all three classifications.
Racing got underway with Craftsbury in full spring-time New England form, sunny and warm, as skiers raced a 10 k classic individual start. The conditions and course played well into the hands of home club skier Margie Freed, who continued her recent string of good form to win the race by four seconds over the University of Colorado’s Hanna Abrahamsson. Freed was joined on the podium by Craftsbury Green Racing Project teammate Alex Lawson in third place, and the duo helped to close the gap on University of Utah in the Women’s NNF Cup standings. Going into the final three days of racing, the two clubs are separated by 26 points, with UU holding the advantage. Craftsbury’s Thursday performance though, netted them 23 points over the UU squad, keeping the Women’s title an open race going into the final three races of the season.
Things are even closer in the Men’s classification, where Bridger Ski Foundation (BSF) is in first place by just nine points over Alaska Pacific University (APU). Nine points was actually a gain for BSF from where they stood going into Thursday, as a ninth and tenth place on the day from Graham Houtsma and Finn O’Connell helped net BSF five points over APU in a classification that will be won by thinnest of margins either way. Michael Earnhart earned the top marks for APU in 14th on the day. At the front of the race was John Steel Hagenbuch (Dartmouth), who won the race by ten seconds over University of Denver’s Andreas Kirkeng, while David Norris rounded out the podium in third place for Steamboat Springs.
In the Overall classification, there are now just forty points separating BSF in first from the University of Utah in second. That leaves every NNF Cup title unsettled going into a tense three days of racing over the weekend. A skate sprint Thursday is followed by a 4×5 k Mixed Gender Relay that put that team competition into focus on Saturday, before the SuperTour, and NNF Cup, finishes with a classic 50 k/30 k on Sunday.
Full Results
Craftsbury 10 k Classic Results
NNF Cup Standings After Craftsbury SuperTour Finals Day 1:
Overall
- Bridger Ski Foundation Pro Team – 1105 points.
- University of Utah – 1065 points.
- APU Nordic Ski Center – 981 points.
Men
- Bridger Ski Foundation Pro Team – 619 points.
- APU Nordic Ski Center – 610 points.
- University of Utah – 474 points.
Women
- University of Utah – 591 points.
- Craftsbury Green Racing Project – 565 points.
- Bridger Ski Foundation Pro Team – 486 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 Alaska Pacific University 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.
(Photo: (c) 2023 American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation)
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