Tag: 2015 U23 World Championships

FasterSkier’s Collegiate Skiers of 2015: Kyle Bratrud and Veronika Mayerhofer

Kyle Bratrud (l) and Veronika Mayerhofer (r) are FasterSkier’s collegiate skiers of the year.

With the 2014/2015 season officially in the rearview, FasterSkier is excited to unveil its annual award winners for this past winter. Votes stem from the FS staff, scattered across the U.S. and Canada, and while not scientific, they are intended to reflect a broader sense of the season in review.

We kicked off the series Monday with awards for Junior Skiers of the Year (SOTY), Katharine Ogden and Sean Doherty. This second set of honors goes to outstanding male and female skiers on the U.S. NCAA collegiate circuit.

***

Kyle Bratrud, Northern Michigan University

For a 22-year-old, Kyle Bratrud had a momentous 2015 season.

The Northern Michigan University skier came out swinging at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships, winning the 15 k freestyle individual start by 5o seconds over veteran Kris Freeman. The win and his subsequent bronze in the 30 k classic mass start started Bratrud on a whirlwind European adventure that would take him from competing at the U23 World Championships in Kazakhstan to being the second-youngest member of the American FIS Nordic World Ski Championships team in Sweden.

Kyle Bratrud collapses after his 51-second win in the men’s 15 k freestyle at the 2015 Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.

Entering the season, the Eden Prairie, Minnesota native told FasterSkier that his goals for the year were to qualify for the U23 World Championships and earn a podium at the NCAA Championships in Lake Placid, N.Y. After his successful week at U.S. Nationals it was clear that the NMU senior was well on his way to completing his goals. At the U23 World Championships, Bratrud’s best finish was 19th in the 15 k freestyle.

When the USST announced its World Championship team in late January many were surprised and pleased to see Bratrud’s name on the list. According to USST Head Coach Chris Grover, the decision to select Bratrud was an investment in the future.

For Bratrud, his selection was a major step in his career that offered valuable experience in the year before he jumped into professional racing. “This is a gigantic accomplishment for me and not necessarily something that I targeted going into this year. I really think this is a step in the right direction towards accomplishing my goal of making the USST,” he wrote in late January. “I am super stoked to see how the big boys race and hopefully I can contribute to the team in some way! It will be a great step in my ski career.”

At World Championships Bratrud raced the 15 k freestyle individual start and as the third leg of the men’s 4 x 10 k relay. The relay was significant for the 22-year-old as it provided him with international experience that is extremely rare for a collegiate skier.

“They asked me if I wanted to be in it and I said sure. I was flattered,” he said after the relay. “It’s another race on the international stage for me so I was all for it. I knew I was going to get my butt kicked around a little bit out there but that’s how you get better, racing these guys.”

Bratrud returned to the U.S. after what he called an exhausting European tour and arrived in Lake Placid for the NCAA Championships. He raced to seventh in both the 10 k freestyle and the 20 k classic. He was the first American in the mass start.

Bratrud will graduate from Northern Michigan University this spring. He plans to race for the CXC elite team in the 2015/2016 season.

Veronika Mayerhofer, University of Utah

University of Utah’s Natalia Mueller (l) and Veronika Mayerhofer (r) at the 2015 U.S. Distance Nationals 30 k freestyle mass start in Sun Valley, Idaho as part of the year’s SuperTour Finals . (Photo: flyingpointroad)

It’s clear that Veronika Mayerhofer is an unassuming and good-natured person. If you meet her in a ski race, however, watch out – the University of Utah skier is always a threat and has the experience to back it up. Her achievements aren’t surprising, as the 22-year-old has competed for the Austrian National Team and raced at the 2013 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships and the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

In her first year as a Ute Mayhofer rose to the top a strong field of international and domestic collegiate women. She ended the regular season ranked second in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA) and earned the year’s Women’s Nordic MVP award for the region. She was the only skier to finish in the top five of all regular season races.

At the NCAA Championships in Lake Placid, N.Y. the Austrian won the 5 k freestyle individual start by a large 13.2 seconds and finished second in a sprint finish at the end of the 15 k classic mass start.

“It’s my first year of college racing and I was so happy that I could go to the NCAAs,” Mayerhofer said after her NCAA 5 k win. “I really enjoyed it so much because it is so much for the team and not just individual racing, because cross country skiing is so much on your own. It’s maybe less pressure and everyone is so happy for you.”

Mayerhofer’s impressive skiing led the University of Utah women – including Sloan Storey and Anna-lena Heynen – to earn the most team points in both of the NCAA women’s nordic races. Their strong performances contributed to a third-place finish for the Utes.

The Austrian’s season didn’t end there. She competed at the 2015 U.S. SuperTour Finals in Sun Valley, Idaho, skiing amongst the best American skiers throughout the entire week. Her strongest performance was perhaps in the mixed team relay where she brought her team from a far seventh to first. She posted the fastest third leg and overcame a charging and motivated Chelsea Holmes (APU) in the process.

In addition to FasterSkier’s Colliegiate Skier of the Year Award, the 22-year-old was also named the United States Collegiate Ski Association’s skier of the year. Mayehofer will return as a sophomore to the University of Utah in the upcoming season.

Honorable Mentions:

Patrick Caldwell, Dartmouth College

Caldwell also had a breakthrough season that rivaled Bratrud’s. The Vermont native raced to third in the 15 k freestyle at U.S. Nationals which was enough to earn him a spot on the U23 World Championships team. In Kazakhstan Caldwell finished 15^th in the 15 k freestyle and 20^th in the 30 k skiathlon. Throughout regular the season, Caldwell won all but one of the Eastern Collegiate Ski Association races at which he was present. At the NCAA Skiing Championships, Caldwell won the 10 k freestyle individual start to cap a largely dominant season. He finished 10^th in the 20 k classic mass start.

Emilie Cedervaern, University of New Mexico

Cedervaern finished the 2015 season as the RMISA’s top-ranked woman. Over the course of the regular season the Lobo earned seven podiums, four of which were wins. She continued her dominance into NCAA’s where she placed third in the 5 k freestyle and won the 15 k classic in a sprint finish over Mayerhoffer.

***

See also: Junior SOTY

May 5, 2015
Kvåle Racks Up 10 k Freestyle Title at U23 Worlds; Bouffard-Nesbitt Cracks Top 20

The women’s 10 k freestyle podium on Thursday at U23 World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan: with Norwegian winner Barbro Kvåle (c), Russia’s Daria Storozhilova (l) in second, and Switzerland’s Nathalie von Siebenthal (r) in third. (Photo: FIS)

Does the name Barbro Kvåle ring a bell? If you’ve been following international skiing since late November of last year, you might recall the day when the 22-year-old Norwegian won the classic sprint in Beitostølen, Norway.

Yes, it was a pre-season tuneup International Ski Federation (FIS) race and not a World Cup event, but she beat fellow Norwegians Kari Vikhagen Gjeitnes and her best friend Kathrine Harsem to do so.

Kvåle was also known as a junior world champion in ski orienteering. On Thursday, she added a FIS Nordic U23 World Championships title to her list.

With her 23rd birthday coming at the end of the month, Kvåle of the Lillehammer Skiklub bested Russia’s Daria Storozhilova by 5.8 seconds to win the women’s 10-kilometer freestyle at U23 World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Kvåle started 28th out of 41 women, and by the first 1.7 k checkpoint, her time ranked 10th. She was up to fourth by the halfway point and clocked the fifth-fastest time at 6.7 k. There, Storozhilova ranked second behind Switzerland’s Nathalie von Siebenthal, who was fastest through every timing point on the two-lap course until the finish.

Siebenthal started 38th and couldn’t match Kvåle’s finishing kick despite having an 11.4-second lead on the Norwegian, and 2.6 seconds on Storozhilova, with 3.3 k to go. She finished third, 6.4 seconds back from Kvåle and 0.6 seconds behind Storozhilova.

“I am on the podium today and happy with it,” the 21-year-old Siebenthal told FIS after the race. “I would say the race was not hard to me.”

It was her first podium at a U23 or Junior World Championships, besting her previous best of eighth in the 15 k skiathlon at 2014 U23 worlds in Val di Fiemme, Italy.

For Kvåle, the victory also marked her first podium at a cross-country World Championships after placing seventh in the classic sprint earlier this week.

“I am very happy with the race despite the fact that it was very difficult,” she told FIS. “This is my second victory in international championships and I am very happy to be here in Almaty.”

Storozhilova, 22, was also pleased with her performance in her first race at an international championships.

“The slopes are dangerous and sharp, but I am satisfied with my result,” she said.

Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt (42) leads one of the heats in the Frozen Thunder classic sprint in late October 2014 in Canmore, Alberta. (Photo: Angus Cockney)

Despite falling on the last downhill, Canada’s Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt, 22, of Rocky Mountain Racers posted the top North American women’s result in 17th, 1:18 behind Kvåle’s winning time of 27:20.3. In her second U23 worlds, it was Bouffard-Nesbitt’s career best, improving on her 21st from Tuesday’s classic sprint.

“I was sooo stoked about today’s race,” Bouffard-Nesbitt wrote in an email. “It was unlike any distance race I’ve done this season. Normally I feel really good early in the race and have a fast first lap and then die on the second lap.”

On Thursday, she found that she wasn’t moving too fast on the first lap, sitting in the middle of the pack in 25th at 5 k, but had the energy to push the pace her second time around. The terrain required a “decent amount of one skate,” or V2, she explained, so she used that to her advantage to power through it.

“I was caught by a Slovenian who was on her first lap near the end of my race and pushed as hard as I could from that point on to the end and stayed with her, and I was stoked that I felt really good the whole time,” Bouffard-Nesbitt wrote. “I fell on the very last downhill on the course unfortunately, but I don’t think I lost more than five seconds. It felt so good to feel so strong at the end of a race, it was a ton of fun.”

Cendrine Browne of the Pierre-Harvey Training Centre (CNEPH) and Canadian National U23 Team placed 23rd, 1:45.4 behind the winner.

Joanne Reid, a 22-year-old graduate student at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU) and former Buffs skier and NCAA champion, led the Americans in 25th (+1:47.4). After taking last season off following her senior year at CU, Reid returned to the U.S. SuperTour scene in November and went on to place ninth and 11th at U.S. nationals last month in the 10 k freestyle and freestyle sprint, respectively. Thursday’s race marked her first at a U23 World Championships after racing at two junior worlds in 2010 and 2011.

“It was definitely a bit jarring to be back into the international scene, but also a great experience,” Reid wrote in an email. “The most fascinating thing about racing in Almaty is the army lining the course!! It looks like a really boring job for them but makes you feel like you’re in a really big deal race.”

Reid explained that she ramped up her training, which she does solo, in late August/early September.

“It’s certainly a building year for me, I didn’t have many expectations for this year, since I just didn’t know how I would stack up,” she wrote. “Hoping to do better in the next race, now that I got the experience of this one. We’ll see!”

“The most fascinating thing about racing in Almaty is the army lining the course!! It looks like a really boring job for them but makes you feel like you’re in a really big deal race.” — Joanne Reid, 25th in U23 World Championships 10 k freestyle

Canada’s Dahria Beatty of the Alberta World Cup Academy (AWCA) and national U23 team finished 30th (+2:12.2), and Americans Cambria McDermott (Montana State University) and Annie Pokorny (Stratton Mountain School T2 Team) placed 32nd (+2:22.4) and 36th (+2:51.4), respectively.

“Kazakhstan has been a whirlwind of new experiences,” McDermott wrote in an email. “We were so lucky to be able to spend a full week here before the races began. Almaty is a beautiful, though smokey city and all of the people here have been incredibly warm and welcoming.

“The level of competition here has been the most eye-opening component of this trip,” she added.

The U23 World Championships wrap up with the 15/30 k skiathlons on Saturday.

— Chelsea Little contributed reporting

Results: Women | Men

February 5, 2015
Saxton Skis to Sixth in U23 Classic Sprint; Beatty 20th for Canada

Ben Saxton (SMS T2/U.S. Ski Team) leads Norwegian Sondre Fossli in a quarterfinal of the 1.3 k classic sprint at the 2015 U23 World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Saxton finished sixth in Tuesday’s final after crashing in the final. (Photo: Bryan Fish/USSA)

Ben Saxton of the Stratton Mountain School (SMS) T2 Team and U.S. Ski Team had a a lot to celebrate after the finish of Tuesday’s 1.3-kilometer classic sprint at the U23 World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan. He notched a top-10 result in the qualifier, he dominated a challenging quarterfinal, survived the fastest semifinal of the day, and was in strong position near the last meters of the final before falling victim to a crash.

Saxton ended his day in sixth behind eventual race-winner Sondre Turvill Fossli of Norway. Despite being a U23, Fossli has skied to much success on the World Cup circuit with several qualifier wins and podium finishes. He was recently named to the Norwegian World Championships team. In Tuesday’s sprint, Fossli skied to a time of 2:56.46 in the final to best teammate Sindre Bjørnestad Skar by 2.02 seconds. Taking the final podium spot was Russian Emil Vokuev, who finished 3.42 seconds off the winning time. Rounding out the final were France’s Richard Jouve (+4.66), Norway’s Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget (+6.48), and Saxton (+17.54).

Saxton entered the classic sprint looking to crack the top-10, a feat he had yet to accomplish as a junior or U23 skier. He did just that in qualifier, placing 10th and 3.59 seconds off the pace of Fossli.

Saxton used a strong start in his quarterfinal to catapult himself into the lead. He and Fossli led the pack through the winding course, which featured many twists and turns in the form of switchbacks and 180 degree turns. The group crested the final hill and Saxton powered down the finish to place first, easily qualifying for the semifinals.

“I was able to get out front for most of my races today and control that. It’s not like I was working that hard but I was controlling the rest of the field,” Saxton said in a post-race phone interview. “I had a clean run up the hill and I was able to go up with Fossli. I’m not exactly sure how but I beat him in the quarterfinal.”

Saxton employed similar tactics in the semifinal but was unable to ski the heat with the ease of his quarterfinal. Forced to tactically maneuver around competitors when his preferred tracks were blocked, Saxton recovered from a fourth place standing to finish third. The heat was the faster of the two semifinals, meaning Saxton advanced to the final as lucky loser.

“I’m supposed to be racing with them at their level on a regular basis. I’m capable of that and that’s the biggest thing I took away from today. It’s not just some pipe dream. I’m here and I can race them.” — Ben Saxton on finishing sixth in the 1.3 k classic sprint at 2015 U23 World Championships

In the final, Saxton was sitting in fourth and close to the leaders at the bottom of the final hill. A lane opened in front of him, giving him a chance to power forward. However, the chance was denied as Russia’s Vokuev skied from the far left track to cut in front of Saxton. In the process, the Russian clipped Saxton’s pole, which he subsequently planted between his legs. The resulting fall took Saxton out of contention and he skied the remainder of the race behind the pack to finish sixth.

Ben Saxton (10) in the semifinal of Tuesday’s 1.3 k classic sprint at the U23 World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Saxton finished third in the heat and sixth in the final for his best international result. (Photo: Bryan Fish/USSA)

“It was probably a clean move, but the tail of his ski clipped my pole and I just planted between my legs and went down. After that I just got up, finished, and enjoyed it because it was still a really fantastic day,” he said of the fall. “Honestly right now my biggest emotion is a little bit of regret. I didn’t put myself in 100 percent the best position [in the final] and I paid for it.”

Saxton said that the sixth-place finish is a strong indicator of where his fitness and abilities are in the 2015 season. According to the SMST2 skier, his previous results, especially at the U.S. Cross Country Championships in early January, were not representative of his potential as a skier. With a strong showing in Kazakhstan, Saxton is confident that he has reached his top shape.

“I qualified less than four seconds out from Fossli who has won World Cup qualifiers and I beat him in a quarterfinal and skied with him all the way up the climb in the semifinal,” Saxton said. “All those things are representative that I belong with those guys and I’m supposed to be racing with them at their level on a regular basis. I’m capable of that and that’s the biggest thing I took away from today. It’s not just some pipe dream. I’m here and I can race them.”

Saxton wasn’t the only North American to find success in Tuesday’s sprint.

The men’s 1.3 k classic sprint podium at the U23 World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan. (Photo: Ben Saxton/Facebook)

Canada’s Knute Johnsgaard (Yukon Elite Squad) finished just out of the semifinals with a 14th place finish. He improved two spots from his qualification placement in 16th after finishing third in his quarterfinal heat. Johnsgard explained that his results on the domestic circuit this season haven’t matched his expectations but that his performance in the U23 classic sprint demonstrated his fitness is back.

“Last year my best result was 21st so I was happy to improve on that today. Every opportunity I get to race in Europe is always a learning experience so for sure it helps having gone to World Juniors and U23s before,” he wrote in an email.

The third North American finisher of the day was Logan Hanneman of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Hanneman skied his way to 21st in the qualifier and finished fifth in his quarterfinal — the same as Saxton and Fossli — to take 23rd overall.

“It was just awesome to be in a heat with [Saxton], and with Sondre Fossli,” Hannmen wrote in a post-race email.

Hanneman, who achieved his goal of a top-30 finish, wrote in an email that he was pleased and proud of his result.

Canadian Sebastian Townsend (Alberta World Cup Academy) narrowly missed the heats, finishing 31st and 0.15 seconds out of qualification. Rounding out the North American finishers were Canadian Raphael Couturier (CNEPH/NST-U23), American Scott Patterson (Alaska Pacific University), and Canadian Scott James Hill (Thunder Bay NDC) who placed 33rd, 39th, and 40th in the field of 52.

Beatty Top North American Women in 20th

In the U23 women’s 1.3 k classic sprint, Canada’s Dahria Beatty (AWCA/NST-U23) led the North American contingent in 20th place. She qualified 27th and finished fourth in her quarterfinal. Beatty explained in an email that her goal for each race of U23s is to place in the top 20 and that Tuesday’s result was a good start to the week.

“I had a poor qualifier and was glad to be able to move up a bit. I was hoping to contend for a lucky loser spot but the last little pitch I ran out of energy and dropped back a bit from the first three ladies,” Beatty wrote. “I placed exactly the same this year as I did in the junior sprint last year. I am hoping to have stronger results in the distance races.”

Just behind Beatty was Canadian Olivia Bouffard-Nesbit (Rocky Mountain Racers) in 21st. Bouffard-Nesbit had a strong to start the day and placed 12th in the qualifier. She finished fifth in her quarterfinal to end the sprint as the second North American.

Annie Hart (21) skis at the back of her quarterfinal in Tuesday’s 1.3 k classic sprint at the U23 World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan. She finished her day in 24th. (Photo: Bryan Fish/USSA)

Anne Hart (SMST2) was the top American finisher in Tuesday’s race after qualifying in 21st position and finishing fifth in her quarterfinal.

Hart, who earned her best-ever international finish, explained that she was confident going into the quarterfinals, but got “caught a little off guard” at the start of the race.

Regardless, she was able to maintain her position in the pack of skiers until one of leading women forced the heat to nearly stop, and subsequently charged ahead to leave the pack behind her. After the move, Hart explained that she was unable to match the fast pace and maintained her fifth-place standing into the finish.

“It was unlike any race I had ever done, with very aggressive lane changing, cornering, and skiing,” she wrote in an email. “There is no room for error, no time for panicking, and no time to let off the pedal. Everyone really just sends it the entire way, and it was pretty cool to be a part of. In a perfect world I would have moved on past the quarters, but for my first international heat experience I would call the day a smashing success.”

Canada’s Cendrine Browne (CNEPH/NST-U23) also finished in the top 30. She placed 23rd in the qualifier and skied to fifth in her quarterfinal to take 26th overall.

Tuesday’s race was dominated by Italian Francesca Baudin who won the qualifier and ultimately the final. Her final time of 3:27.66 bested second place finisher Silje Thødorsen of Norway by 0.48 seconds. Fellow Italian Giulia Stuerz claimed the remaining podium spot, 1.59 seconds back.

Other North American finishers in the women’s 1.3 k classic sprint were Deedra Irwin (Michigan Tech), Annie Pokorny (SMST2), and Paige Schember (Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation) who finished 31st, 32nd, and 35th, respectively, in the field of 39 women.

Conditions in Kazakhstan

Organizers were forced to reschedule the classic sprint, which was originally planned for Monday, due to an unprepared course and need for more snowmaking. While organizers were able to create a 1.3 k loop, there were still complaints of rock and dirt in the snow. In addition, pollution continued to be a problem at the Almaty venue with many skiers using air masks during training to prevent the inhalation of unhealthy air.

Despite any problems, the possible 2022 Olympic venue still has promise.

“This place has the potential to be an absolutely amazing venue. Huge mountains as backdrops with the city below. Yes the smog is an issue. It is quite bad. But everyone is in the same boat, so you just have to go with it. I am looking forward to the clean air back home…we don’t know how good we have it,” Hanneman wrote.

Beatty agreed, but explained that she had become accustomed to the air quality after several days of training.

“The smog is bad but after having been here a week I barely notice it anymore. Since everyone is having to race in it I don’t think it plays a big part in performance,” she wrote.

Racing continues in Kazakhstan on Wednesday with the Junior World Championships 5/10 k freestyle races.

— Chelsea Little contributed reporting

Results: Men | Women

February 3, 2015