Kendall Kramer, Zanden McMullen claim decisive wins at state high school ski championships

Kendall Kramer and Zanden McMullen registered no-doubt-about-it victories on the first day of the Alaska high school ski championships Thursday in Fairbanks.

And little wonder — they are two of the best teen-aged skiers in the nation, having represented the United States at the World Junior Championships earlier this year.

Kramer, a West Valley junior, put on the most impressive show of the day at Birch Hill Recreation Area. She won the 5-kilometer classic race by 83 seconds over West High’s Aubrey Leclair, who edged Service’s Garvee Tobin by two seconds to claim second place.

McMullen, a South High senior, won the boys 7.5K classic race by 27 seconds over West’s Everett Cason, who took second place by a 33-second margin over Service’s Alexander Maurer.

Though Leclair and Cason were runner-ups in the individual results, their teams are in the lead after the first of three days of racing at Birch Hill.

The West girls landed five skiers in the top 11 to carve a 71-second lead over West Valley, which in turn is 25 seconds ahead of third-place Service. Ivy Eski was fifth, Quincy Donley sixth, Annie Gonzales 10th and Ellie Mitchell 11th for the Eagles.

It’s much closer among the boys, where West leads South by four-tenths of a second. Service and West Valley are also close behind the Eagles, with Service trailing by 14.9 seconds and West Valley trailing by 15.7 seconds.

Cason was the only West boy to ski into the top 10, while South, Service and West Valley all boasted a pair of top-10 finishers.

The race was the first of three days of competition at Birch Hill. Skimeisters will be crowned Friday after the individual freestyle races, but team titles won’t be decided until Saturday’s relay races are finished.

ASAA/First National Bank state skiing championships

Top 30 finishers

Girls 5K classic — 1) Kendall Kramer, West Valley, 15:28.4; 2) Aubrey Leclair, West, 16:51.0; 3) Garvee Tobin, Service, 16:53.0; 4) Adrianna Proffitt, Chugiak, 17:01.3; 5) Ivy Eski, West, 17:10.2; 6) Quincy Donley, West, 17:46.1; 7) Annika Hanestad, Colony, 17:59.7; 8) Emma Jerome, West Valley, 18:07.3; 9) Marit Flora, Service, 18:08.0; 10) Annie Gonzales, West, 18:13.3; 11) Ellie Mitchell, West, 18:15.3; 12) Emily Walsh, Eagle River, 18:16.9; 13) Neena Brubaker, Service, 18:17.4; 14) Tatum Witter, Service, 18:18.2; 15) Helen Wilson, Eagle River, 18:21.5; 16) Katey Houser , Palmer, 18:26.6; 17) Morgan Coniglio, West, 18:46.1; 18) Maggie Druckenmiller, West Valley, 18:47.7; 19) Maggie Whitaker, West Valley, 18:48.3; 20) Abigail Haas, Lathrop, 18:51.2; 21) Hjelle Personius, West Valley, 18:56.2; 22) Ava Earl, South, 19:02.6; 23) Tjarn Bross, Lathrop, 19:05.0; 24) Alison Ulrich, South, 19:15.1; 25) Hannah Delamere, West Valley, 19:31.3; 26) Lucy Young, SANC 19:33.5; 27) Elizabeth Kilby, South, 19:36.5; 28) Mazzy Jackson, Grace Christian, 19:37.9; 29) Maria Salzetti, Kenai, 19:43.6; 30) Claire Nelson, Eagle River, 19:44.1.

Boys 7.5K classic — Zanden McMullen, South, 22:14.0; 2) Everett Cason, West, 22:41.0; 3) Alexander Maurer, Service, 23:14.0; 4) Kai Meyers, South, 23:45.7; 5) Michael Earnhart, Chugiak, 23:47.3; 6) Joel Power, Service, 24:12.0; 7) Dale Baurick, West Valley, 24:16.4; 8) Eric Difolco, West Valley, 24:34.8; 9) Jonathan Burrell, Lathrop, 24:58.9; 10) Joseph Walling, Palmer, 25:02.9; 11) Ari Endestad, West Valley, 25:05.4; 12) Matthew Reiger, West, 25:07.0; 13) Miles Dennis, Chugiak, 25:08.6; 14) Josh Baurick, West Valley, 25:15.0; 15) Max Beiergrohslein, Chugiak. 25:16.1; 16) Sam Delemare, West Valley, 25:16.7; 17) Hayden Ulbrich, Service, 25:17.5; 18) Kelly Martin, West, 25:29.9; 19) Sean Clapp, South, 25:33.2; 20) Bryce Pintner, Dimond, 25:36.5; 21) Aaron Maves, West, 25:38.0; 22) George Cvancara, Dimond, 25:38.1; 23) Jordan Laker-Morris, West Valley, 25:43.2; 24) Jeremy Kupferschmid, Soldotna, 26:18.6; 25) Noah Hanestad, Colony, 26:23.9; 26) Michael Connelly, Chugiak, 26:26.2; 27) Kai Caldwell, Service, 26:27.3; 28) Konrad Renner, Chugiak, 26:27.9; 29) Kaj Taylor, Palmer, 26:29.1; 30) Cole Fritzel, Grace Christian, 26:34.9.