Joe Davies is a national champion.
On March 9, the Pemberton-born cross-country skier blew away his opponents at the NCAA Skiing Championships as he finished the men's 10-kilometre interval start in 22 minutes and 33.20 seconds. He bested runner-up John Hagenbuch of Dartmouth College (22:58.20) by a full 25 seconds in Lake Placid, N.Y., in an event where medallists are often separated by fractions of a second.
"What a weekend! Glad I could keep the good shape rolling and win one for the [Nanooks]," said Davies on his Instagram account after the event. "So much love for everyone and everything that makes college skiing so fun!"
A 22-year-old sophomore, the Pembertonian is just the third athlete in University of Alaska Fairbanks history to win a national title. The only other Nanooks to accomplish the feat were Marius Korthauer in 2008, and Sigrid Aas, who won two titles in 2004.
Once a member of Nordiq Canada's junior development squad, Davies now represents Great Britain in international competition. He placed 30th in the 15-kilometre freestyle discipline at this year's World Championships in Slovenia.
Bernhard Flaschberger of Denver earned bronze (23:03.50), while Remi Drolet found himself in sixth for Harvard (23:39.40). Drolet, much like Davies, is a B.C. native who placed sixth in the U23 mixed team relay and 17th in the 20-kilometre mass start at the Nordic World Juniors in Whistler.
