Valley skiers win titles at Valdez Invite

VALDEZ — Valley skiers scored individual wins during the Valdez Invitational ski meet last Saturday.

Colony’s Tracen Knopp won the boys 8.4-kilometer skate race. Knopp finished with a time of 21 minutes and 44 seconds to edge runner-up Jesse Mayo of West Valley by only a second. Palmer’s Kiersten Johnson won the girls 5.4-K skate, but had to share her title with West Valley’s Jewel Hediger. Both Johnson and Hediger recorded race times of 16:45. With staggered start times for the skiers, there was no photo finish.

The Colony girls placed five skiers in the top 11 and captured the girls team title.

Tatjana Spaic (fifth), Greta Jenkins (seventh), Tracie Haan (ninth), M.E. Meyerhofer (10th) and Jordyn Block (11th) all helped the Knights win the meet championship.

Led by Knopp, the Colony boys finished second in the team standings. Dawson Knopp (fourth) and Lyon Kopsack (10th) also finished in the top 10 of the skate race.

John Snelders led Palmer with a third-place finish in the skate race. Colton Pulver was 15th for Wasilla. Danika Ingersoll (24th) and Riley Burroughs (25th) placed in the top 25 to lead the Wasilla girls.