Orienteering at the North American Championships

In even-numbered years, the North American Orienteering Championships (NAOC) are alternately hosted between Canada and the United States. The NAOC is the largest orienteering meet in the western hemisphere. The Army West Point Orienteering Team traveled to Hanover, NH to compete with the world’s best orienteers, including France’s Thierry Gueorgiou, the 13-time world orienteering champion. The event consisted of three individual world-ranking events (WRE) and finished with a Sprint Relay. The first day, the team competed in a Middle Course situated on a ski slope. Cadets ran courses ranging from 3.7 to 5.5 km. CDT David Sayles ’20 took 2nd place and CDT Charlie Fredrickson ’19 took 5th in the 3.7 km Orange Middle. On the second day the team took on the infamous Long on Burnt Mountain. These courses ranged from 3.8 to 13.7 km. This proved to be a technically and physically challenging course, but CDT David Sayles was able to snag 2nd place once again. On Sunday, the team participated in the final WRE race, a sprint course on the Dartmouth campus. The fast pace and arena finish created an exciting environment for competitors and spectators alike. CDT Gino Saponari ’20 took 1st in the 2.2 km Orange Sprint, with a total time of 11:24. This meet concluded the team’s last major meet for the fall season.