Muonio, Finland – Despite not being seeded in Saturday’s men’s classic 10k cross country ski race, Kris Freeman, of Andover, N.H., crushed the field to win the race by 12 full seconds.nFreeman crossed the line first with a time of 25:30.40, proving he is strong and ready to race for the 2011 season. Germany’s Tobias Angerer and Martin Jaks of the Czech Republic trailed Freeman to take second and third.

On the women’s side, Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland won by a convincing 19 seconds with a time of 14:03.50, finishing ahead of Slovenia’s Petra Majdic in second and Marianna Longa of Italy in third. Kikkan Randall, of Anchorage, Alaska, was the top U.S. female finishing the day in 14th.

With the first two pre-season races completed, the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team is looking strong and confident posting two wins in two races. Next up for the Team is the men’s and women’s freestyle 10k/5k Sunday, the final race of the Muonio pre-season series.