Kramer Wins U.S. Nationals!

By Colin A. Warren

Fairbanks hometown hero Kendall Kramer is a celebrated athlete. She won over a dozen state titles in skiing, cross-country running, and track and field while attending West Valley High School. Now, as a student-athlete at UAF, she’s racked up a fistful of titles. These titles include runner-up at the NCAA Division II National Cross Country Championships last fall and finishing second in the 10k freestyle at this year’s U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships early this January. Three days later, in a nail-biting sprint finish at the championships, Kramer outpowered her fierce competitor, University of Utah’s Erica Laven, to win her first national championship title in a 20-kilometer classic mass start race.

**Photo by Tobias Albrigtson**
*Kramer takes her place on the winner’s podium*

The championship races were held at Kincaid Park in Anchorage from January 2 to 7, with four days of competition. Earlier in the week, Laven edged out Kramer by 11.2 seconds in the women’s 10-kilometer freestyle race.

As the 20-kilometer classic race took shape, it was clear that it would be a battle between Kramer and Laven for gold. This race consisted of four 5-kilometer laps around the park. Kramer told The Sun Star that she and Laven maintained good sportsmanship throughout the race.

“Me and Erica were off the front by a minute, and it [their lead] was kind of growing…It was a really fun race because of how it wasn’t just like a dog fight the whole time. We both knew that we were doing good,” Kramer said.

Kramer also expressed she was “really relaxed” because she had raced the course so much throughout high school, giving her a home-court advantage.

With unseasonably warm weather this winter in Anchorage, a volunteer corps made up of coaches, parents, and fans helped prepare the course the week before by relocating snow and distributing it throughout the course in Kincaid where necessary.

Kramer said the conditions were “really fast” but that it was definitely “dirty snow that had some personality to it.”

UAF Head Cross Country Ski Coach Eliska Albrigtsen described the conditions as “kind of funky,” which she said happens when there is a combination of man-made snow and natural snow. Albrigsten, a former elite cross-country skier herself, said she was out testing the course conditions and ski wax right before the competition, which she said helped our team have “the best skis on for the day and gave the girls and guys the best conditions to succeed.”

Kramer and Laven were neck and neck until the last meters of the race when Kendall put on a “kick” and pulled away. Cross-country experts observed her growing lead was due to her powerful “double pole,” which is when skiers use both arms to propel themselves across flats.

“I think that technique specifically has always been my strength the whole time I’ve been skiing. Because I’m so small, I can do a lot of things like pull-ups or push-ups…So I just try to use only my arms on everything I can. And it worked pretty well…” Kramer shared with The Sun Star.

With her home state crowd roaring on the edge of Cook Inlet, Kramer edged out Laven by 2.4 seconds for her first national title, winning with a time of 58:17.2.

UAF’s Alia Berrigan was the next Nanook women’s finisher in the 20-kilometer classic, completing the race in 1:09.34, coming in 53rd place. The women’s team placed 4th overall on both days of the competition.

For the men, UAF’s Ben Dolby placed 21st in the 20-kilometer classic with a time of 52:56.3. Dolby’s teammate Philipp Moosmayer came in right behind him in 22nd with a time of 52:59.4. The men’s team took 5th place overall in both days of competition.

In the 10-kilometer freestyle race, Moosmayer came in 23rd place in 22:34.1, and Dolby placed 24th at 22.35.2. They were followed by Cole Flowers and Aidan Hay, who placed 54th and 59th, respectively. Flowers finished 9th in the U20, or under age 20, category, which qualified him to represent the U.S. for the U20 Junior World Championships in Schilpario, Italy.

UAF’s Tabitha Williams was the next women’s finisher in the 10-kilometer freestyle race, behind Kramer, placing 31st with a time of 26:29.4. Williams qualified for the U23 World Junior Championships and is competing there for Team Great Britain. Nanook Rosie Fordham, who’s redshirting this season, also represents Team Australia.

Interestingly, U.S. Nationals is the beginning of the collegiate cross-country ski season. The Nanooks have since competed in Utah and Montana ski invitationals. The NCAA Championships is over the second weekend in March, which conflicts with the Nordic World Ski Championships. Although the teams are not yet chosen, Kramer may earn a spot. As a senior, this is also her last year of NCAA competition. When asked which she would choose between representing the Nanooks at the NCAA Championships or representing the U.S. in the World Ski Championships, her answer came quickly.

“It’s pretty easy for me because this is my last NCAAs that I could ever do. I’ll choose that,” Kendall said.

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