Kirkeng, Baangman Win Season-Opening 10K Classic

Tuesday, January 2, 2024 • by Ron Knabenbauer, RMISA

MIDWAY, Utah—The 2024 campaign got underway on Tuesday with the first of day of the Westminster Invitational at the 2024 U.S. Cross Country National Championships at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center.

The Nordic portion of the Westminster Invite is taking placing in conjunction with U.S. Nationals, with the results of the RMISA athletes being pulled from the first two championship races to make up the first half of the RMISA-opening meet.

Denver's Andreas Kirkeng and Montana State's Tilde Baangman picked up individual wins in the men's and women's 10-kilometer classical to begin the New Year, while the University of Utah owns the lead in the team standings after Day 1.

Kirkeng posted a time of 23:50.8 in the interval start race to edge Utah's Joe Davies by less than three seconds (23:53.1) while Alaska Fairbanks' Christopher Kalev joined the duo on the podium in third place (24:16.1), beating out DU freshman Florian Knopf in fourth (24:19.0).

The athletes on the women's podium where the only three among the 43 participants with a sub-28-minute time. Baangman clocked in the 27:13.3, while a pair of Utah Utes joined her on the stand as Sydney Palmer-Leger earned silver (27:32.5) and Karianne Dengerud picked up the bronze (27:54.7).

Utah gained 98 team points in the women's race and 85 in the men's to take a 25-point lead over Denver after the first two races of the Westminster Invitational (183-158). DU, which won the men's team event with 90 points, holds a 26-point edge over third-place Alaska Fairbanks (132), while Montana State is fourth (132).

Rounding out the team standings is Alaska Anchorage in fifth with 125 points, while Colorado is sixth with 118 points and Wyoming is seventh with 66 points.

The Nordic portion of the Westminster Invitational concludes on Thursday with freestyle sprints at the U.S. Cross County National Championships. The squads will stay at Soldier Hollow for classic sprints as part of a RMISA Nordic Qualifier on Sunday before beginning the Utah Invitational at the same venue on Jan. 12-13.

TEAM STANDINGS (through 2-of-8 events): 1. Utah 183; 2. Denver 158; 3. Alaska Fairbanks 132; 4. Montana State 127; 5. Alaska Anchorage 124; 6. Colorado 118; 7. Wyoming 66.

WOMEN'S 10K CLASSIC TOP 10 (40 RMISA finishers): 1. Tilde Baangman, MSU, 27:13.3; 2. Sydney Palmer-Leger, UU, 27:32.5; 3. Karianne Dengerud, UU, 27:54.7; 4. Astrid Stav, UAA, 28:10.8; 5. Hanna Ray, DU, 28:18.2; 6. Nina Schamberger, UU, 28:23.0; 7. Tuva Bygrave, UAA, 28:24.4; 8. Mariel Pulles, UAF, 28:28.4; 9. Kendall Kramer, UAF, 28:34.5; 10. Selma Andersen, DU, 28:45.1.

MEN'S 10K CLASSIC TOP 10 (38 RMISA finishers): 1. Andreas Kirkeng, DU, 23:50.8; 2. Joe Davies, UU, 23:53.1; 3. Christopher Kalev, UAF, 24:16.1; 4. Florian Knopf, DU, 24:19.0; 5. Magnus Boee, CU, 24:21.5; 6. Brian Bushey, UU, 24:28.8; 7. Will Koch, CU, 24:35.7; 8. Florian Winker, MSU, 24:59.5; 9. Walker Hall, UU, 24:59.8; 10. Johannes Flaaten, CU, 25:12.3.