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Photo by John Wagner

Siblings Marius and Aurelia Korthauer were named the men’s and women’s Most Valuable Skiers in Sunday’s Alaska Nanooks ski banquet at the Birch Hill Recreation Area.

Marius captured the first men’s national individual title in the program’s history by winning the 20-kilometer classic race at the NCAA Championships in March in Bozeman, Mont. The 20K championship followed a runner-up finish a day earlier in the 10K freestyle.

The senior from Bonndorf, Germany, was the top overall finisher in six straight events during the season, and the run included the 10K freestyle crown in the Central Collegiate Ski Association Qualifier in Marquette, Mich., in January.

The six-time All-American was the top collegiate finisher in both distance races at the U.S. Nationals in January in Houghton, Mich., taking fifth in the 10K freestyle and sixth in the 15K classical.

Aurelia came on strong late in the season, racing to the women’s 5K freestyle title at the CCSA meet and posting a team-best 14th-place finish in the 15K classical at the NCAA’s. The junior finished the season with eight overall top-10 finishes and eight top-five collegiate efforts, including a run of six straight from Jan. 19 to Feb. 17.

Sophomore John Parry and junior Julia Coulter collected Most Improved Skier honors.

Parry, from Whitehorse, Yukon, made a charge for NCAA qualification in his first full season of competition with Alaska, staying in the running for a CCSA berth all the way to the final event of the season. He produced a career-best seventh-place collegiate and 10th-place overall effort in the 10K freestyle race in Marquette.

Coulter redshirted for the Nanooks this season but the native of Traverse City, Mich., posted an impressive 15th-place finish in the women’s 5K freestyle at the U.S. nationals.

Nanooks seniors Vahur Teppan of Tartu, Estonia, and Tamra Kornfield of Anchorage received the Teammate of the Year honors on Sunday.

Teppan grabbed All-America honors at the NCAAs with fifth place in the classical race and eighth place in the freestyle event.

Kornstad, a member of the 2006 CCSA championship team, finished 38th in the 5K freestyle in Marquette in January.

Armstrong aids SIFE win

Hannah Armstrong, a junior libero for the Nanooks volleyball team, helped the University of Alaska Fairbanks capture the title at the Students in Free Enterprise Regional Competition on April 4 in Seattle.

The business administration major and 11 other teammates will compete in the national competition in May in Chicago.

Voros a hit for Wild

Minnesota Wild left wing Aaron Voros, who skated for the Nanooks from 2001-04, registered a game-high seven hits in a Monday’s 3-2 overtime victory over the Colorado Avalanche in Denver in Game 3 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series of the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup playoffs.

Voros also recorded two shots and blocked a shot in the second straight overtime victory for the Wild, who also won by same score last Friday in St. Paul, Minn. He had one hit in that game.

Raffle winners

Roger McGill had the lucky ticket for a 2008 Ford Fusion and he was among 14 prize winners in the Locker Room Raffle, which the proceeds benefit the locker rooms expansion project at the Carlson Center.

The winners were announced Saturday night during the Alaska Nanooks Hockey Banquet in the Pioneer Room of the Carlson Center.

Randy Weaver won tickets on Alaska Airlines and Dennis Forslund took home Hawaiian Vacation tickets.

Other winners were Lance Howk (satellite system); Mary Klienschmidt (Arctic Circle trip); J. Kowaleski (500 gallons of fuel oil); Chris Sexton (Brown’s Hill Quarry $500 gift certificate); Walt Gelinas (Safeway $500 gift certificate); Leland Corkran (Fred Meyer $500 gift certificate); Art Zack (Alaska Petroleum $250 gift certificate); Larry Birklid (Fishcat Steamer raft); Elaine Partnow (Honda lawnmower) and Quinn Olson (camera).