Bend nordic skier Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess broke through for his first senior national title on Tuesday at the U.S. Cross Country Championships. The event was staged at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, the site for cross-country skiing, biathlon and nordic combined at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.

Blackhorse-von Jess, 26 and a member of the Bend Endurance Academy, took first place in the men’s free sprint, defeating five competitors in the “A” final, including runner-up Erik Bjornsen of the APU Nordic Ski Center and third-place finisher Alexander Howe of Craftsbury Green RP. Times for the final were not available on Tuesday.

Blackhorse-von Jess cruised to the third-fastest time in the 137-skier field in his first sprint of the day, the qualifier, easily advancing to the heats by finishing in the top 30, based on time. But in his quarterfinal heat, Blackhorse-von Jess took third place, which proved just enough to move him on to the semifinals. With another third place in his semi, he moved on to the final.

The national title came after a couple of near-misses for the Bend skier over the past two national championship meets. On Jan. 2, the first day of these championships, Blackhorse-von Jess took third place in the classic sprint, 0.6 seconds out of first. And in early January 2012 in Maine, he narrowly lost to former Bend resident Torin Koos in the men’s free sprint, finishing second.