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Local youth Nordic skiers finish top 10 in junior national qualifier in Utah

Eleven local athletes represented Durango Nordic Ski Club last weekend
Durango Nordic Ski Club youth athletes Sage Wilson (left) and Merritt Graham (right) stand on the podium in Soldier Hollow, Utah, last Saturday after the women's U8/U10 classic distance race in the SoHo Super Q & RMISA Ute Invitational. (Photo by Jeffrey Dingler)

Durango Nordic Ski Club was led by Sage Wilson’s second-place finish and Merritt Graham’s third-place finish at the SoHo Super Q & RMISA Ute Invitational in Soldier Hollow, Utah, last weekend. Eleven youth skiers represented Durango Nordic Ski Club in the ski races.

This was the second of four junior national qualifying races this winter and was one of the biggest events of the season, according to Durango Nordic head coach Evan Elliott, with approximately 800 athletes from the Western U.S. and Alaska in attendance.

On Saturday, Wilson finished second in the women’s 2-kilometer U8/U10 classic individual start in nine minutes and 58 seconds. Graham finished third in women’s 2-kilometer U8/U10 classic individual start in 10:00.4

Nicolas Dingler finished fourth in the men’s U8/U10 classic distance in 12:39.2.

Soldier Hollow is one of the premier cross-country skiing and biathlon venues in the nation, having hosted the 2002 Winter Olympic cross-country events, with a planned return for the 2034 Winter Games as well.

Despite a dry winter in Utah, the athletes were provided with a challenging classic distance and skate sprint course that will likely be used again in the Olympics, according to Durango Nordic assistant coach Abe Ott.

On Friday, the Nordic skiers competed in the 1.3-kilometer freestyle sprint consisting of qualifying rounds (except for the U12/U10 category) and a final race.

Wilson finished fourth in the U8/U10 women’s freestyle sprint in 4:47.28; Graham wasn’t far behind in sixth in 4:50.48. Nicolas Dingler also finished sixth in the U8/U10 men’s freestyle sprint in 5:59.32 and Janelle Dingler finished 10th in the U14 women’s freestyle sprint in 3:38.01.

“We earned spots atop the podium, personal bests, and most importantly, key qualification points to earn a spot on the Rocky Mountain Nordic Junior National team which will return to Soldier Hollow at the end of the ski season,” Ott said.

The team will be traveling to Aspen to race in the third JNQ of the season, the Raoul Wille Memorial Ski Race, on Feb. 1-2.

Youth Nordic skiers compete in the SoHo Super Q & RMISA Ute Invitational Nordic ski races last weekend in Soldier Hollow, Utah. (Photo by Jeffrey Dingler)

More Durango Nordic Ski Club results from Soldier Hollow:

Freestyle sprint:

U16 Men:

Jack Purcell, 3:02.58 (47th place)

U16 Women:

Ellie Bruckbauer, 3:40.86 (47th place)

Quinn Connors, 3:52.13 (71st place)

U14 Men:

Archer Nicovich, 3:46.69 (29th place)

Noah Murrah, 4:24.58 (73rd place)

U12 Women:

Elsie Graham, 5:07.93 (78th place)

U10/U8 Women:

Kyla Nicovich, 5:39.54 (12th place)

Classic Distance:

U8/U10 Classic Individual Start 2K Women:

Kyla Nicovich, 11:47.3 (11th place)

U12/14 Classic Individual Start 4K Women

Janelle Dingler, 16:53.2 (16th place)

Elsie Graham, 23:08.9 (74th place)

U12/14 Classic Individual Start 4K Men

Archer Nicovich, 16:04.6 (23rd place)

Noah Murrah, 18:50.5 (62nd place)

U16 Classic Individual Start 5K Women

Ellie Bruckbauer, 20:58.0 (56th place)

U16 Classic Individual Start 5K Men

Jack Purcell, 16:15.4 (22nd place)