Ella Hubert crowned middle school girls’ Skimeister at WISA

The Nanooks finished their ski and biathlon season last weekend with the 2026 First Tracks Ski Race & Invitational in White Mountain.
The previous weekend, Nanooks competed at the Western Interior Ski Association Championships, or WISA, in Galena where Ella Hubert of Nome was crowned the Middle School Girls Skimeister.
Head Coach Rosa Wright said that Hubert is in her third year competing in skiing. “She’s figured out a lot of stuff with skiing this season, and she wants it, too,” she said. “She’s really competitive. She cares about how she does.”
Assistant Coach Jeff Collins said this has been a great year for the team. “They’re a very young group, and they’re a very new group,” he said. “But I think it really boils down to their character. They’re good kids. They work really hard, and they’re out there.”
The team is made up entirely of middle schoolers, apart from high school sophomore Dade Ellanna. Collins said that Ellanna is in a kind of “parent” role to the younger athletes. “He’s in a role model position,” Collins said. “He’s a great person for that. He is a big brother to a lot of the kids, and it’s great out there. He pushes them.”
Wright said that Ellanna has really stepped into a leadership role. “Sports are not just about the races. You’re growing a person as well,” she said. “Those opportunities for leadership are really important. Watching Dade step into that role is really powerful.”
Collins attributes the success of the team to how much fun the kids are having. “Sports is an avenue to release our potential, and through that, you get the potential of that person’s character” he said. “On our team, we find that definitely to be the case. I’m very thankful that they are all just openly, very high character, great kids.”
To fund their season this year, the team fundraised over $30,000; over half went to a chartered flight to Galena for the WISA championships. Still, the challenge of fundraising helps teach athletes important skills. “It’s definitely great life skills for planning or for customer service interactions or handling money,” said Wright.  
The WISA championships were held in Galena March 26-28. There, the Nanooks had a great showing, where Ella Hubert earned the title of Middle School Girls’ Skimeister. The Nome middle school girls team placed first in the team scores; the middle school boys team placed second overall in the team scores.
On day one, Dade Ellanna placed 14th in the high school boys 7-kilometer race. In the middle school boys 5-kilometer race, Miles Collins took third place, Michael Koelsch took fourth, Willis Breuker took seventh, Lucas Pantelis took eighth, Nate Piscoya tied for ninth place and Sinnok Weston took 16th place.
In the middle school girls five kilometer, Ella Hubert won, Demi Pantelis took third, Kinley Krift took sixth, Joetta Hubert took ninth and Artemis Irelan took 12th place. 
On the second day, skiers participated in a 6.1-kilometer biathlon race. Dade Ellanna took sixth place in the high school boys division. For middle school boys, Miles Collins took fourth, Michael Koelsch took eighth, Willis Breuker took ninth, Nate Piscoya took 13th place, Lucas Pantelis took 14th place and Sinnok Weston took 16th place.
Ella Hubert once again took first place in the middle school girls division and shot a perfect ten. Demi Pantelis took sixth place, Joetta Hubert took eighth place, Kinley Krift took ninth, and Artemis Irelan took twelfth. 
Going into the relay on the third day, the middle school boys, middle school girls and high school boys were all tied for team scores, which made for exciting competition. Demi Pantelis and Ella Hubert ended up winning the middle school girls’ relay, and Michael Koelsch and Miles Collins placed second in the middle school boys’ relay. 
While the Nanooks did not have any high school girls racing, standout athletes Isabella Eller and Ayuu Roesch of Unalakleet dominated the top two spots in the high school girls’ races during the individual competition and the relay.
Eller was crowned High School girls’ Skimeister. “They’ve been battling back and forth for quite some time,” said Wright. “They’ve been standout athletes for their entire middle school, high school career.”
The 2026 First Tracks Ski Race & Invitational was a post-season 3.7-kilometer race in White Mountain, and the Nanooks still showed up.
Max Breuker took first place, Miles Collins took second, Michael Koelsch took fourth, Willis Breuker took seventh, Caleb Rhodes took 11th place, Sinnok Weston took 18th and Ethan Piscoya took 19th place.
For middle school girls, Ella Hubert won, Gabby Hughes took second, Joetta Hubert took sixth, Kinley Krift took seventh and Artemis Irelan took ninth. For the high school boys, Dade Ellanna took second. Amos Collins, an elementary schooler from Nome was present and took first.