(Photo) Robert Mattei takes throw-down at third base on a successful steal during the 2023 Midnight Sun Game.
Gavin Struve - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner - January 2, 2024
Each week in my Sports Sentiments column, I’ve highlighted a handful of sports-centric things I’m looking forward to for that coming week. Separately, in recent weeks, we’ve wrapped up 2023 and previewed 2024 in Fairbanks sports with games, performances and athletes that stood out.
So it feels fitting that in our first paper of the new year, I should highlight some of the sporting events on the 2024 calendar that I’m most looking forward to. Several of these events take place in Fairbanks, but all feature Fairbanks teams.
An emphasis will be placed on events in the first half of the year, in large part because fall and winter sports teams recently concluded their seasons or are currently in them. As a result, it’s difficult to know what to expect in the 2024 iteration of events that took place in the past few months.
Yukon Quest (Feb. 3)
A litany of dog mushing races in the early months of 2024 is highlighted by Fairbanks’ prime event in the inherently Alaskan sport. The 2024 Yukon Quest begins on the first Saturday of February and features three different race distances from 100 miles to 450.
March Madness Alaska (March 20-23)
Last year brought a landmark season for Fairbanks boys prep hoops. West Valley finished as the 4A state runner-up, and Monroe Catholic finished just behind, in fourth place, in the same tournament. The Wolf Pack boys will be angling for a 10th consecutive Mid-Alaska Conference title while the girls basketball scene in Fairbanks appears comparatively wide open. The 1A and 2A tournaments, also in Anchorage, will be held one week prior and should include other Interior outfits.
NCAA Division I Men’s Hockey Championship selection show (March 24):
UAF was the “first team out” of the 16-team college hockey postseason in 2023 and is in similar standing this season, currently at No. 20 in the PairWise Rankings. The prospect of a postseason berth will give the Nanooks something to play for late into the season (beyond their already-won Governor’s Cup). At any rate, I’ll have more knowledge and interest in the sport this year, after covering it, than any years past.
ASAA Softball State Championships (May 30-June 1)
The final ASAA state championships event of the 2023-24 academic year and the only held in Fairbanks figures to include multiple Fairbanks North Star Borough teams if North Pole can make it back to the Division II State Championships after a third-place finish in 2023.
Midnight Sun Game (June 21)
The Alaska Goldpanners’ opponent for their annual Summer Solstice showcase has yet to be announced, but this game looms as arguably the marquee sporting event of the summer in Fairbanks. And the ‘Panners have won three straight on this date.
Paris 2024 Summer Olympics (July 26-Aug. 11)
As a bonus, here’s one non-Fairbanks addition, although it could feature one or more Alaska-born athletes. The City of Light will play host to the first Olympics on an unaltered timeline since the Rio 2016 Games and features a few new sports, including climbing and surfing.
