Valley athletes strike gold at Arctic Winter Games

PALMER — A handful of Mat-Su athletes struck gold in Canada earlier this month.

A number of Valley athletes competing in sports ranging from Arctic games to volleyball earned gold, silver and bronze medals during the Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada, in early March.

A pair of local prep volleyball players — Colony High junior Allison Leigh and Palmer High senior Morgan Morfe — helped the Team Alaska girls’ volleyball team finish with a perfect mark en route to winning the gold ulu, the top prize awarded at the games.

“It was really amazing. The best part of the trip was meeting so many new people,” Leigh said after returning from the games. “We stayed in a school with all the different volleyball teams, and learned about all different cultures. Getting to know so many people was really special.”

Team Alaska competed against squads from Northwest Canada and Russia.

The Team Alaska volleyball squad was 10-0 before beating Yukon Territory 3-0 (25-3, 25-12, 25-11) in the gold medal game. Team Alaska did not lose a single set in the tournament.

Palmer’s Tracen Knopp earned four ulus in cross-country skiing. Knopp won a gold medal in the 7.5-kilometer relay. He also scored silver medals in the 2.5-K classic and classic sprint, and a bronze in the 5-K freestyle.

David Thomas of Palmer, a local Native Youth Olympics and Arctic Winter Games veteran, also medaled four times. The Arctic sports athlete earned gold in the one hand reach, silver in the Alaskan high kick, and bronze medals in the knuckle hop and sledge jump.

Wasilla’s Alice Strick medaled twice, earning gold in the one foot high kick and bronze in the two foot high kick.

Wasilla’s Paulina Nicole Valencia earned gold in the pole push, and silver medals in the stick pull and hand games.

Marissa Ketterman, who skates for the Palmer High hockey team, helped Team Alaska earn silver in the junior girls hockey division. Ketterman recorded an assist during a 5-2 loss to Northern Alberta in the gold medal game.

Wasilla High senior Nikki Vanni earned a bronze medal for Team USA in the intermediate female indoor soccer division.

Team Alaska earned a total of 190 ulus in 20 different sports to finish on top of the team standings. A total of 61 gold, 67 silver and 62 bronze medals were brought back to the 49th state.

Yukon Territory finished second at 121 and Northwest Territories was third at 115.

The Arctic Winter Games are hosted every two years. The 2014 games will be hosted by the city of Fairbanks.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.

Arctic Winter Games

Valley athletes

Dene games:

Robert Strick, Wasilla; Paulina Valencia, Wasilla.

Arctic sports:

David Thomas, Palmer; Alice Strick, Wasilla.

Hockey (midget):

Steve MacSwain (coach), Palmer; Jacob Inukai, Palmer; Dalton Buness, Palmer; William Harren, Wasilla; Trevor Naylor, Palmer; Forrest Savel, Palmer; Payton Stackywicz, Palmer.

Hockey (girls):

Marissa Ketterman, Palmer.

Volleyball:

Allison Leigh, Palmer; Morgan Morfe, Palmer.

Indoor soccer:

Nikki Vanni, Wasilla.