University of Alaska Fairbanks
Alaska Nanooks
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
Head coach: Scott Jerome (7th season)
Assistant coach: Matt Dunlap
Top male returners: Tyler Kornfield, Erik Soderstrom
Top female returners: Raphaela Sieber, Rebecca Konieczny,Marit Rjabov
Website: www.alaskananooks.com
2011 CCSA Championships: Men – 2nd, Women – 2nd
2011 NCAA Central Region: Men – 2nd, Women – 1st
Alaska’s men face the daunting task of filling gaps left by NCAA competitors David Norris (transferred) and LexTreinen (redshirting). Regardless, the Nanooks still boast plenty of talented skiers, including Tyler Kornfield. Kornfield landed a 17th-place finish at the NCAA Championships last March for the Blue and Gold, despite a fall and a broken pole. The Anchorage native also grabbed a sixth-place finish at the regional freestyle race last season as well.
The Nanooks also welcome back Erik Soderstrom, a solid and improving racer who earned All-CCSA second team honors in 2011. Soderstrom, who took third in the classic race at NCAA regionals, finished among the top 15 scorers among CCSA skiers last season.
Among the new additions to the Nanooks, Logan Hanneman, Ludwig Schott and Jonas Loffler will all look to make a positive impact to the team in their first season. Hanneman, a Fairbanks native, has looked particularly sharp in preseason, and brings plenty of experience racing with the Fairbanks Alaska Ski Team.
On the women’s side, while TheresiaSchnurr will redshirt the 2011-12 season, the Nanooks still return one of the conference’s top skiers in RaphaelaSieber. Sieber topped the CCSA podium six times last season, and finished the year as the conference’s top scoring skier.
Along with Sieber, MaritRjabov came on strong at the end of last season for Alaska. A talented sprinter, Rjabov landed a sixth-place finish in the Hilltop Invitational Classic race, and has looked sharp in preseason this year as well. Rebecca Konieczny could also prove to be a major player for the Nanooks this season; her hard work last year paying off with a career-best second-place finish in the regional classic race.
