HOUGHTON, Mich. (Jan. 4) - Two-time Olympian Kris Freeman (Andover, NH)
picked up his eighth U.S. gold medal and fattened his SuperTour points
lead in a 15K race Thursday at the U.S. Cross Country Championships
while 18-year-old Alexa Turzian (Sun Valley, ID) became what is
believed to be the youngest U.S. cross country champion by winning the
women's 10K freestyle race.
It was the second win in 24 hours
for Freeman, who captured the 10K classic technique crown a day earlier
on the Michigan Tech ski trails. His covered the three-lap, 15K course
in 39:34.7 with two-time Olympic teammate Lars Flora (Anchorage, AK) in
second place (40:21.8). The bronze medal in the field of 242 racers
went to James Southam (also Anchorage), another 2006 Olympic athlete,
who was timed in 40:38.2.
In 35-degree weather, Turzian - a former alpine skier - covered the
two-lap 10K in 27:49.5 with Olympian Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, AK)
silver medalist for the second day in a row, this time with a 27:58.6
clocking. Bronze medalist in the field of 173 was Randall's training
mate in Alaska, Taz Mannix (also Anchorage), whose time was 28:17.8
over the same course as Wednesday's classic technique races.
First skating gold for Freeman
"I'm pretty psyched about this. It's my first skate [i.e., freestyle]
title. I had seven classic and now I'm staring to balance it in
skating," Freeman said.
He had some trouble at the start of the race, but got things going
midway through the first lap and piled on the time through the rest of
the race. It was his 21st SuperTour victory, tying him with Olympic
teammate Carl Swenson (Park City, UT), who was fourth in the 10K, and
Canadian Olympic champion Beckie Scott, for the most SuperTour wins.
He said the unseasonally warm temperatures, along with the 400-plus
racers, softened course conditions as the men's race went along. "They
lost a lot of snow," according to Freeman, "and it's getting pretty
mushy. It wasn't too dirty with dirt coming up through the snow, but
it's soft...although we're supposed to get snow this weekend."
"I definitely surprised myself. It's awesome but I'm definitely in
shock," said Turzian, a senior at Wood River H.S. who plans to enter
Middlebury College next fall. "I felt like I was gonna be top 10, but I
felt really strong...
Alpine background helped women's champion
"I tend to do really well on the downhills because I was an alpine
skier," she said. At the end, Olympian Lindsey Weier (Mahtomedi, MN), a
senior at Northern Michigan University who won Wednesday's 5K classic
title, skied up to Turzian with a fast pace as she worked through her
first lap and the teenager, completing her second loop, was able to
track her for a while before heading into the finish. "I could stick
behind [Weier] and keep a steady pace," Turzian explained.
U.S. Coach Chris Grover said, "It only cooled down to about 38 degrees
during the night, so during the women's race it was kind of like
boilerplate ice. But by the guys' race, it softened up and then turned
to slush and was loose.
"I saw Alexa, who'd won the skate race last season at junior nationals,
at the finish and she was looking smooth and relaxed - and fast. In the
men's race, Kris had a one-second lead over Flora and James at the 3K
mark, but then they got into the climbs - which aren't great but he
could take advantage of - and he just kept putting more time on the
field. He skied away from everyone," Grover said.
The championships have a down day Friday before concluding on the
weekend with sprints at the Michigan Tech trails. Saturday will be
given to classic sprint racing with team (i.e., two-skier) races on
Sunday.
2007 U.S. CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Michigan Tech Ski Trails
Houghton, MI - Jan. 4, 2007
(Only U.S. skiers eligible for medals)
Men's 15K Freestyle
1. Kris Freeman, Andover, NH/U.S. Ski Team, 39:34.7
2. Lars Flora, Anchorage, AK/Subaru Factory Team, 40:21.8
3. James Southam, Anchorage, AK/Team Rossignol, 40:38.2
4. Carl Swenson, Park City, UT/Subaru Factory Team, 40:51.6
5. Garrott Kuzzy, Hayward, WI/CXC, 40:54.6
6. Andrew Johnson, Greensboro, VT/U.S. Ski Team, 41:12.2
7. Brayton Osgood, Putney, VT/XC Oregon, 41:25.1
8. Dave Chamberlain, Bethel, ME/Maine Winter Sports Center, 41:28.3
9. Eli Enman, Huntington, VT/Team Rossignol, 41:44.5
10. Chad Giese, St. Paul, MN, Subaru Factory Team, 41:46.9
--
Women's 10K FR
1. Alexa Turzian, Sun Valley, ID/Sun Valley Ski Educational Foundation, 27:49.5
2. Kikkan Randall, Anchorage, AK/U.S. Ski Team, 27:58.8
3. Karin Camenisch, Switzerland/Team Rossignol, 28:05.5
4. Taz Mannix, Anchorage, AK/U.S. Ski Team, 28:17.8
5. Lindsey Weier, Mahtomedi, MN/Northern Michigan U., 28:19.1
6. Sarah Konrad, Laramie,WY/Team Madshus, 28:22.5
7. Caitlin Compton, Minneapolis/CXC, 28:37.1
8. Liz Stephen, East Montpelier, VT/U.S. Ski Team, 28:39.9
9. Lindsay Williams, Hastings, MN/Northern Michigan U., 28:40.2
10. Kristina Strandberg, Sweden/Subaru Factory Team, 29:09.6
For complete results:
www.seniornationals.org