Five more medals for Team Alaska at Junior National ski championships

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Team Alaska's Ethan Eski, left, double-poles off the starting line during the U16M freestyle sprint quarterfinals at the 2020 Cross Country Skiing Junior Nationals Wednesday, March 11, 2020 at the Auburn Ski Club Training Center at Donner Summit, California. Racing continues with freestyle mass start distance on Friday, and classic relays on Saturday. Photo by Eric Engman

Alaskans picked up five more medals, including one gold, Wednesday at the U.S. Junior Cross Country Championships in Donner Summit, California.

The U20 men led the way for Team Alaska, just as they did Monday in the first races of the week-long championships for skiers under 20.

Kai Meyers won the freestyle sprint title to lead a 1-2-4 finish by Alaska men in U20 men’s finals. Ari Endestad, who led an Alaska podium sweep for the U20 men Monday, was second, and Everett Cason was fourth. All three train with the Alaska Pacific University ski program.

Kendall Kramer of Fairbanks and Maria Nedom of Anchorage each won silver medals and Michael Earnhart of Eagle River claimed a bronze.

Kramer, the state high school Skimeister who won medals earlier this season at the World Junior Championships and the Winter Youth Olympics, placed second in the U18 women’s sprint. Tatum Witter of the Alaska Winter Stars was fourth in that race.

Nedom, an APU skier, won her silver medal in the U16 girls sprint. Earnhart’s bronze came in the U18 men’s sprint, where the Alaska Nordic Racing skier placed third. Alexander Maurer of the Alaska Winter Stars, who won the state boys Skimeister title at the recent state championships, finished fifth in the U16 finals.

Only one other Alaskan qualified for the six-skier sprint finals — Helen Wilson of Alaska Nordic Racing, who was fifth in the U20 women’s race.

Alaska’s top finisher in the U16 boys race was 15th-place Aaron Power of the Alaska Winter Stars.

Team Alaska has 10 total medals at the championships, which continue Friday.