Nearly six years after winning a junior national title, Alaska’s Ari Endestad collected his first medal at the senior level Tuesday at the U.S. National Championships in New York.
Endestad, a 25-year-old who grew up in Fairbanks and trains in Anchorage, grabbed the silver medal in the men’s freestyle sprint race on the trails at Mt. Van Hoevenberg. Eagle River’s Michael Earnhart, 23, took the bronze.
Meanwhile, 16-year-old Jack Leveque of Anchorage continued his reign as one of the country’s top juniors. Leveque placed third in the junior boys sprint to add bronze to the gold he won in Sunday’s 10-kilometer classic race…