Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Super Tour leader Sinnott clinches World Cup start

Gelso, DeYong among top racers at Bozeman


Courtesy photo by Craig Phelan. Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation coach Colin Rodgers (right) encourages SVSEF racer Matt Gelso (left) during last weekend’s SuperTour races at Bohart Ranch in Bozeman, Mont.

Ketchum cross-country skier Mike Sinnott, 26, put down a solid weekend on the Bohart Ranch trails in Bozeman, Mt. and kept his spot as the 2011-12 USSA Nordic SuperTour men's leader after the tour's first competition period.

Last winter's SuperTour men's sprint king and overall runner-up Sinnott won Saturday's 1.4-kilometer prologue freestyle sprint and placed second to Vail's 24-year-old Sylvan Ellefson in the 10k freestyle event the same day. Sinnott was seventh of 52 finishers in Sunday's 15k classic race.

Sinnott entered the weekend with a 15-point lead over 2011 Boulder Mountain Ski Tour winner Ellefson and collected another 69 points for a 160-148 advantage over second-place Ellefson. Sinnott's Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation teammate Matt Gelso, 23, is currently third with 116 points.

His standing—overall point leader after seven SuperTour races at Bozeman and West Yellowstone, Mt.—meant that Sinnott earned World Cup start rights for the first two weekends of Period 2 in Europe, starting Jan. 14, 2012.

That includes city sprints in Milan, Italy and a 15k race and team sprint at Otepaa, Estonia over the Jan. 21-22 weekend.

Joining Sinnott in Europe will be the female skier who swept the three women's races at Bohart Ranch—20-year-old Jessie Diggins of the dominant Central Cross Country (CXC) women's team from the Midwest. Diggins leads CXC teammate Caitlin Gregg, 31, by a 200-152 cushion in the standings.

SVSEF racer Nicole DeYong, 29, picked up 46 points last weekend at Bozeman and is fourth overall with 117 points.

Here are last weekend's results from Bohart Ranch:

Sunday's classic racing

Men's 15 kilometer (52 finishers); 1—Sylvan Ellefson, 24, SSCV/Team Homegrown 39:07. 4—Matthew Gelso, 23, SVSEF 39:53. 7—Mike Sinnott, 26, SVSEF 40:11. 22—Cole Morgan, 17, SVSEF 42:47 (1st Junior). 31—Scott Phelan, 20, MSU Ski Club 44:06. 32—Jack Steele, 18, SVSEF 44:09 (4th Junior). 33—Max Christman, 19, Bend Endurance Academy 44:20 (5th Junior). 44—Will Spiller, 19, MSU Ski Club 46:29. 46—Evan Martell, 19, SVSEF 46:48. 48—Kevin Bolger, 18, SVSEF 48:43.

Women's 10 kilometer (43 finishers): 1—Jessie Diggins, 20, CXC Team 33:40. 5—Nicole DeYong, 29, SVSEF 35:11. 21—Mali Noyes, 22, Univ. of Utah 38:58. 26—Kristen Monahan, 24, SVSEF 39:42. 28—Carrie Heagney, 20, Montana State Univ. 39:46. DNF—Kelsey Dickinson, 18, SVSEF.

Saturday's freestyle racing

Women's 5 kilometer (49 finishers): 1—Jessie Diggins, 20, CXC Team 14:02. 7—Nicole DeYong, 29, SVSEF 15:06. 20—Mali Noyes, 22, Univ. of Utah 16:13. 27—Kristen Monahan, 24, SVSEF 16:50. 33—Carrie Heagney, 20, MSU 17:21.

Men's 10 kilometer (51 finishers): 1—Sylvan Ellefson, 24, SSCV/Team Homegrown 25:57. 2—Mike Sinnott, 26, SVSEF 26:10. 4—Matthew Gelso, 23, SVSEF 26:13. 18—Cole Morgan, 17, SVSEF 28:19 (1st Junior). 35—Max Christman, 19, Bend Endurance Academy 29:35 (5th Junior). 37—Jack Steele, 18, SVSEF 29:54 (7th Junior). 40—Scott Phelan, 20, MSU 30:37. 41—Evan Martell, 19, SVSEF 30:50. 45—Will Spiller, 19, MSU 31:29.

Saturday's prologue 1.4k sprint

Men's skate sprint (49 finishers): 1—Mike Sinnott, 26, SVSEF 3:35.1. 5—Matthew Gelso, 23, SVSEF 3:40.1. 6—Colin Rodgers, 30, SVSEF 3:40.2. 18—Cole Morgan, 17, SVSEF 3:54.5 (1st Junior). 25—Jack Steele, 18, SVSEF 4:06.2 (4th Junior). 31—Evan Martell, 19, SVSEF 4:15.4.

Women's skate sprint (31 finishers): 1—Jessie Diggins, 20, CXC Team 4:14.0. 5—Nicole DeYong, 29, SVSEF 4:32.2. 17—Kristen Monahan, 24, SVSEF 5:00.3.




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