From the FasterSkier archive — posts syndicated from athletes’ and coaches’ own blogs between 2004 and 2012, kept online as published. Current coverage is at fasterskier.com.
Photos from the final day of the 2017 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships, with the men’s 20-kilometer freestyle mass start taking place on a 5 k loop at the Jackson Ski Touring Center in Jackson, N.H.
Read more about the races and click here for professional photos by FlyingPointRoad.
(Click each photo to enlarge)
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JACKSON, N.H. — Two years ago, Martin Bergström quit skiing.
A month ago, Petra Hyncicova took three weeks off skiing following U23 World Championships due to a painful bursa between her Achilles tendon and heel bone.
Less than a week after resuming training, Hyncicova, a 22-year-old Czech Republic native and University of Colorado-Boulder (CU) junior, raced to two National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Skiing Championships titles — the first of her career — in Jackson, N.H.
![](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/03/SMF4311.jpg")
Bergström, a 25-year-old Swedish freshman at the University of Utah, did the same, winning both nordic races at 2017 NCAA Championships and leading the Utah Ski Team to its first team title since 2003.
Both started off with decisive victories in the women’s 5-kilometer and men’s 10 k classic individual starts last Thursday, with Hyncicova topping the former by 18.7 seconds and Bergström winning the latter by 26.8 seconds.
Then on Saturday, with temperatures hovering just above the legal racing limit of -20 degrees Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit) and winds ripping across the field that served as the stadium, the two international skiers completed their championships sweep with wins in the women’s 15 k and men’s 20 k freestyle mass starts.
“When the season started, I figured that I was in really good shape this year,” said Hyncicova, whose previous best NCAA Championships result was second in the skate race last year in Steamboat Springs, Colo. “I was hoping that I could be on the podium again at NCAA’s and maybe hoping that I could win the skate race, but after winning the classic race and after the injury and everything I can’t believe it. It’s insane for me.”
“Two years ago, I quit skiing back in Sweden and I took one year of just studying,” Bergström said. “And then a friend of mine was on the [Utah] team, and he said there were spots open and that I should try a different environment of skiing and studying and that I could come over here. So I talked to the coaches, and eventually went for this trip and have had so much fun and made many friends. I’m just so happy I came here.”
On Saturday, Bergström led three Utah men in the top 10, with Martin Mikkelsen placing eighth and Kevin Bolger 10th. The three scored 84 points and their women’s team emerged as the second-highest scorers in the second race of the day to give the Utes a 16.5-point win over Colorado (CU) to end the championships.
Reflecting on his win on Saturday, before the women’s 15 k, Bergström anticipated it would be a tall order to win the team title.
“It’s been amazing, and it’s an amazing team,” he said of his season with Utah. “All the training we’ve done and the work we’ve put in this fall and winter. I’m just so happy. Hopefully there’s a slim chance the girls can pull off an amazing race. We’ll see.”
Utah Director of Skiing Kevin Sweeney later explained just how difficult it was to come from second place on Friday to take the win over CU and Denver University (with Denver finishing third, just one point behind Colorado). In the last decade of NCAAs, Colorado has placed first or second seven times, according to a press release. Denver is next in line with six top-two finishes (including five titles) since 2008.
“We’ve been crunching numbers and have been able to beat Denver and Colorado by about 30 points on a really good showing during the RMISA [Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Skiing Association] season, but didn’t know if we could do it in the championships,” Sweeney said, according to a Utah press release. “Bergström was skiing at a whole new level this week, and Mikkelsen had stepped it up, and I knew Kevin Bolger could get top 10. I was also confident in the women, who have been skiing awesome, so I felt good there. It’s awesome to be able to take this new trophy back to our new ski building.”
Bergström’s Late Move
The men’s 20 k came down to a five-way sprint to the line, with Bergström taking the win by 0.5 seconds over Mads Ek Strøm, CU senior and two-time 2016 NCAA champion.
![](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/03/3O4A4705.jpg")
After Denver’s Moritz Madlener led most of the race, Bergström moved to the front on the start of the fourth and final lap. With 5 k remaining, six men remained together: Bergström, Madlener, Strøm, Adam Martin of Northern Michigan University (NMU), Fabian Stocek of Dartmouth College, and Petter Reistad (CU). On the final lap, the group began to string out and Bergström opened up the narrow lead he needed to win at the finish, crossing in 46:02.8 minutes.
“I just went for it,” Bergström said. “Tried to check who still had power in the legs. Moritz just answered when I upped the tempo, and he continued my push in the second lap, and I knew I was faster in the finish than Moritz, so he had to make his move before the sprint. As an old sprinter, I feel pretty comfortable making a pass. I can maneuver pretty efficiently. I was just happy too see that it was a high-tempo, pack finish, and with the wind and everything, I think it was smart to go a little before the final stretch.”
On the final lap, Strøm, the defending champion who won both races at last year’s NCAAs, tried to position himself near the lead going into the first climb out of the stadium, just in case someone attacked.
“They went kind of fast up there, but not too fast, and I was in fourth and I felt pretty good,” Strøm, a 25-year-old Norwegian, said. “Adam Martin caught me sleeping, and gave a gap, so I had to pass him.”
With about 2 k to go, Strøm said about four men remained in the front group before his teammate, Reistad, pushed to latch back on.
“Petter came back up, and I was like, ‘Come on dude, just use the speed and try to move up and take the lead,’ and he did,” Strøm said.
On the pivotal last A-climb at the top of the course, Strøm found himself in third and unsure of his next move.
“I wasn’t sure how strong the people in front of me were,” he said. “I should have done something sooner, over the last hill of the race. It’s kind of short, the last stretch of the race. I felt pretty good so I’m a little disappointed in second.”
Saturday stood as Strøm’s second skate race of the season. He had appendix surgery in January.
“I hadn’t raced much this year,” he said. “At first, I felt pretty good, actually.”
He started Thursday’s 10 k classic in bib 1 and double poled to eighth place.
“We decided on double poling and I started bib 1, and I got pretty screwed by that because I had to plow all the snow out of the way,” Strøm said. “I knew the shape was good, and today I was just… I mean second place is OK, but I wanted to win.”
Just 0.1 seconds behind Strøm on Saturday, Madlener, a 23-year-old German senior who placed second and third at NCAA’s last year, achieved his first podium of the week, 0.6 seconds out of first.
Reistad finished fourth (+1.2), Stocek fifth (+1.9) and Martin, who was in podium contention until the final lap, sixth (+18.7).
Asked what his skiing plans are now, Bergström wasn’t sure.
“I started a civil engineering program back home, and I have two years of eligibility here, but I don’t know,” he said. “I took a chance, and came here, but I haven’t decided if I’m going to stay or not, but we’ll see.”
Hyncicova Goes For It
![](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/03/SMF8405-2.jpg")
Two-time 2017 women’s champion Hyncicova, who broke away from the pack with the University of Vermont’s (UVM) Alayna Sonnesyn halfway though the women’s 15 k, said coming to the U.S. was one of her best decisions.
“I’m so glad I went to the U.S. Every year I’m more and more glad,” she said. “This year was actually supposed to be my last year. I have one more year of NCAA eligibility so I applied for a master’s program so I can be here next year also and I’m so excited.”
She raced to a 21.1-second victory over Sonnesyn on Saturday in 39:21.6. The next-closest finisher, Hyncicova’s CU teammate Christina Rolandsen, crossed 17.8 seconds later in third (+38.9).
“Starting with bib 1, it’s easy to be first out of the start,” Hyncicova said of leading out of the start.
After setting the pace for the first 5 k, she tucked behind Rolandsen, a Norwegian sophomore, to start the the second lap.
“I was trying on each lap to make a little bit smaller group, and I saw my teammate Christina so I was trying to get her in the group [so] we could go together,” Hyncicova added.
When she noticed Rolandsen tiring on the second lap, she surged back to the front.
“Then I took off a little bit,” Hyncicova said. “It wasn’t intentional, but Alayna stuck with me, so I was like, ‘OK, we can do it together. It will be nice to go just in two.’ ”
Sonnesyn, a junior from Minnesota, led the two-woman breakaway for roughly four kilometers, up until the final A-climb of the race.
“Coming through this field, it’s so windy, no one wanted to be up front,” Sonnesyn reflected. “I knew that she didn’t want to take the lead, I could tell, but I thought that if I sat back and didn’t take the lead either, the other girls were gonna come back and catch us and I didn’t want that to happen.
“I kind of knew what was going to happen,” she added of Hyncicova’s game-changing move on the last hill. “She made a really great move up one of the hardest hills up to the high point and I was so impressed with how fast she could ski. I wanted to stay with her, but I just couldn’t. … I mean, she just took off. It was impressive.”
While the women’s race included several downhill crashes on a hard-packed course, including a close one from Sonnesyn while she was leading on the second lap, Hyncicova said she wasn’t afraid to send it.
“I love downhill skiing on nordic skis, so for me, it was really fun,” Hyncicova said. “I’m not scared and I enjoyed it.”
For Sonnesyn, second place marked her second podium of 2017 NCAAs after placing third last Thursday. In two NCAA appearances before that, she had yet to crack the top 20.
“I am so happy with the way things went,” Sonnesyn said on Saturday. “I definitely had some high goals for this week. I haven’t had the best luck with my NCAA experiences in the past and so I knew I could be competitive this year, but I didn’t know how competitive I could be.”
She made a point to focus on how she was feeling and not worry about anyone else, both in Thursday’s individual start and Saturday’s mass start.
“It’s tough to break away on this course, so I knew that if someone was going to break away I didn’t want to be the one to do it, but I wanted to be with them,” she added. “And that’s kind of exactly how it happened. I’m just so happy with the way things went this whole week. … I feel like I’ve improved so much over these last few years with Patrick Weaver as a coach. He’s helped me so much just to become a better skier. I love the sport and I’m just so excited for next year.”
After Anika Miller of Montana State University (MSU) placed fourth (+44.0), Utah took fifth and sixth with Merete Myrseth (+1:01.5) and Guro Jordheim (+1:16.1), and was the only women’s team with all three in the top 14 with Natalia Müller in 14th (+1:32.1). In all, the Utah women scored 73 points (behind Colorado with 77) to help their program notch its 11th NCAA Skiing title.
“The turning point of today is when Guro broke a pole, and she was back in the 20’s, and she and Natalia were skiing together,” Sweeney said, according to the press release. “We told them that they had to go and they busted out and made a big move. The men’s results were tremendous, but whether or not we were going to win was based on those guys making the move. It was exceptional athleticism and gutsy performances.”
Behind Utah with 541.5 points, CU (525) and DU (524) in the top three, Dartmouth placed fourth (400), UVM fifth (355), and MSU sixth (320) in the four-day alpine-nordic, season-ending series.
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NCAA Skiing Championships (Jackson, N.H.): 15/20 k freestyle mass starts
On the final day of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Skiing Championships in northern New Hampshire, the University of Utah pulled out a 16.5-point victory over the University of Colorado-Boulder (and finished 17.5 points ahead of the University of Denver) in the team standings, and the two previous NCAA champions from Thursday’s 5/10 k classic races, Martin Bergström and Petra Hyncicova, achieved their second-straight titles in as many nordic races this week.
On a frigid Saturday morning in Jackson, N.H., with temperatures just below zero Fahrenheit for the start of the men’s 20 k freestyle mass start, Bergström, a Utah freshman from Sweden, outlasted the University of Colorado’s (CU) Mads Ek Strøm, a Norwegian senior and two-time 2016 NCAA champion, by 0.5 seconds to win his second-straight race in 46:02.8 minutes. Moritz Madlener, a German senior at Denver University (DU), placed third (+0.6). Just behind him CU’s Petter Reistad, of Norway, finished fourth (+1.2), and Dartmouth College’s Fabian Stocek, of the Czech Republic, placed fifth (+1.9).
While temperatures warmed up to about 1 degree for the women’s 15 k freestyle mass start and the wind picked up to about 15-20 miles per hour, the women raced three laps around the Jackson Ski Touring Center’s race loop and navigated even faster downhills that caused a few crashes.
Hyncicova used her love for downhills and skate races to capture her second consecutive NCAA title, breaking away with University of Vermont (UVM) junior Alayna Sonnesyn on the second lap. The Czech Republic native and CU junior attacked on the A-climb at the top of the course and won by 21.1 seconds in 39:21.6. Sonnesyn, of Minnesota, bested her third place from Thursday’s 5 k with a second-place finish on Saturday. CU’s Christina Rolandsen, of Norway, finished third (+38.9), ahead of Idaho native Anika Miller of Montana State University (MSU) in fourth (+44.0).
Utah took fifth and sixth with Merete Myrseth (+1:01.5) and Guro Jordheim (+1:16.1), and had two other men in the top 10 (Martin Mikkelsen in 8th and Kevin Bolger in 10th) to achieve the alpine-nordic team title.
In the women’s race, the Utes were the only team with all three women in the top 14, with Natalia Müller in 14th (+1:32.1).
“The turning point of today is when Guro broke a pole, and she was back in the 20’s, and she and Natalia were skiing together,” Utah Director of Skiing Kevin Sweeney said, according to a team press release. “We told them that they had to go and they busted out and made a big move. The men’s results were tremendous, but whether or not we were going to win was based on those guys making the move. It was exceptional athleticism and gutsy performances.”
The NCAA team title was the 11th for Utah and its first since 2003.
“I am stunned with the win today,” Sweeney added. “In all my years of coaching, it was one of the most challenging four days of competition. I say that because the weather was incredibly cold and windy, and challenging from both a waxing perspective, as well as visibility and conditions. I know all the teams had to deal with it, but it really beat us up. It took a lot of perseverance and gutsy performances for us to win. We struggled a little bit in the slalom, but they were going for it and came up short.
“We’ve been crunching numbers and have been able to beat Denver and Colorado by about 30 points on a really good showing during the RMISA season, but didn’t know if we could do it in the championships,” he continued. “Bergström was skiing at a whole new level this week, and Mikkelsen had stepped it up, and I knew Kevin Bolger could get top 10. I was also confident in the women, who have been skiing awesome, so I felt good there. It’s awesome to be able to take this new trophy back to our new ski building.”
As for those earning All-American status on Saturday with a top-10 finish, Utah had five (Bergström 1st, Myrseth 5th, Jordheim 6th, Mikkelsen 8th, Bolger 10th), Colorado had four (Hyncincova 1st, Strøm 2nd, Rolandsen 3rd, Reistad 4th), Denver had two (Madlener, Dag Frode Trollebø 7th), MSU had two (Miller 4th, Johanna Talihärm 7th), Dartmouth had two (Stocek 5th, Luke Brown 9th), UVM had one (Sonnesyn 2nd), Northern Michigan University (NMU) had one (Adam Martin 5th), the University of Alaska-Fairbanks (UAF) had one (Sarissa Lammers 8th), UNH had one (Lizzie Gill 9th), and Bowdoin had one (Hannah Miller 10th).
Stay tuned for a more in-depth report with quotes and photos from Saturday’s skate mass starts.
***
USSA Cross Country Junior Championships (Lake Placid, N.Y.): Freestyle team relays
![](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/03/17240071_773208999522825_4460887754161520602_o.jpg")
[UPDATED] For the final day of 2017 U.S. Junior Nationals in Lake Placid, N.Y., regional divisions formed three-racer teams for the U16, U18 and U20 freestyle relays.
Intermountain swept the U16 team events with Lane Myshrall, Skylar Patten and Johnny Hagenbuch winning the U16 boys’ relay by 3.6 seconds over the Midwest’s James Schneider, Alexander Nameth and Peter Moore in 23:00.4 minutes. Another 1.1 seconds back, Alaska reached the podium in third (+4.7) with Eli Hermann, Zander McMullen and George Cvancara.
Intermountain’s U16 girls’ team of Sarah Morgan, Annabel Hagen and Sydney Palmer-Leger posted a 53.7-second victory over New England’s Charlotte Ogden, Anna Lehmann and Abigail Streinz, winning in 26:21.4. The Pacific Northwest finished 18.1 seconds later in third place (+1:29.9) with Fiona Max, Gretta Scholz and Annie McColgan.
Alaska won the U18 boys’ relay with Luke Jager, Canyon Tobin and Gus Schumacher finishing in 21:42.9, 7.5 seconds ahead of New England’s Elliot Ketchel, Adam Glueck and Ben Ogden in second. The Midwest’s Anders Sonnesyn, Patrick Acton and Luc Golin rounded out the podium in third (+22.2).
Rocky Mountain topped the U18 girls’ relay with Katja Freeburn, Ezra Smith and Maddie Donovan crossing first in 25:47.3. Just 5.8 seconds back, Intermountain’s Brooke Dunnagan, Anna Gibson and Sofia Schomento placed second, and the Midwest secured third (+16.7) with Margaret McCollor, Luci Anderson and Anja Maijala.
The U20 men’s relay title went to New England, with Kam Husain, Koby Gordon and Daniel Streinz pulling out a 1.3-second win over Alaska’s Tracen Knopp, Logan Mowrey and Hunter Wonders in 21:53.1. Intermountain followed in third (+8.8) with Eli Jensen, Peter Wolter and Nathan Wells.
The Midwest came up big in the U20 women’s relay, with Abby Jarzin, Hannah Rudd and Margie Freed finishing 10.1 seconds ahead of New England’s Alexandra Lawson, Mary Kretchmer and Mackenzie Rizio in 25:41.4. Another 1.1 seconds back, Intermountain’s Leah Lange, Maddie Morgan and Marin Coletta placed third (+11.2).
New England won the Alaska Cup with 325 points, the same point total as Intermountain in second. Alaska placed third in the overall team competition with 295 points, just five points ahead of the Midwest in fourth.
Results: U16 boys | U16 girls | U18 boys | U18 girls | U20 men | U20 women | Alaska Cup
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FIS Cross-Country World Cup (Oslo, Norway): Holmenkollen 50 k classic mass start
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In a historic Holmenkollen, Norway’s Martin Johnsrud Sundby took his second 50 k win in a row, claiming this year’s title in a time of 2:02:59.7 (he won last year’s Holmenkollen in a time of 2:08:41.9). Sundby is now the only male skier to win two consecutive World Cup Holmenkollen 50 k competitions.
Crossing behind Sundby in second was Finland’s Iivo Niskanen, 9.9 seconds back from the race winner’s time. In a three-way photo finish, Russian Alexander Bessmertnykh bested Norwegians Niklas Dryhaug, and Sjur Røthe in the lunge to the line, with Bessmertnykh taking third (+1:15.2), Røthe fourth (+1:15.2) and Dryhaug fifth (+1:15.2).
Canada’s Alex Harvey was just two tenths of a second behind the three-way lunge, finishing in sixth (+1:15.4). Norway’s Christer Hans Holund crossed 2.2 seconds later in seventh (+1:17.2). Three more Russians rounded out the top ten, with Sergey Ustiugov finishing in eighth (+2:35.0), Andrey Larkov two tenths of a second behind in ninth (+2:35.2) and Sergey Turyshev in tenth (+2:42.2).
The top U.S. skier for the day was Scott Patterson (Alaska Pacific University), earning World Cup points in 28th (+7:18.8). Canada’s Devon Kershaw crossed 33rd (+2:11:59.1) and American David Norris (Alaska Pacific University) finished 35th (+9:56.4).
Two more Americans competed in Saturday’s Holmenkollen, with Noah Hoffman finishing in 38th (+11:02.6) and Ben Lustgarten 46th (+18:44.7). Canadian Russell Kennedy was the final North American to finish in 47th (+20:16.3).
***
IBU World Cup Biathlon (Kontiolahti, Finland): Men’s & women’s pursuits
After one day knocked down to the second spot of the podium, it was back to the usual winning ways for Germany’s Laura Dahlmeier in the 10 k pursuit. Dahlmeier caught Norway’s Tiril Eckhoff, who won Friday’s sprint, early in the race after Eckhoff had one penalty in the first prone and second-starter Dahlmeier cleaned. While Eckhoff picked up five more penalties as the race went on, finishing 15th (+1:12.0), Dahlmeier had just one – and cleaned when it counted, on the final shoot with France’s Marie Dorin Habert and the Czech Republic’s Gabriela Koukalova right there with her. Dorin Habert missed one shot and held on to second place (+16.5) despite the penalty loop, while Italy’s Lisa Vittozi picked up her first individual podium in third (+19.9).
The win secured the overall World Cup title for Dahlmeier, her first. “That makes me really speechless,” she told Germany’s ARD broadcaster. “This is an amazing moment.”
Susan Dunklee collected four penalties and dropped from fifth place to 14th (+1:02.8) for the United States. Teammates Clare Egan and Joanne Reid finished 45th (+3:24.7) and 52nd (+4:07.0), respectively.
For Canada, Julia Ransom finished 53rd with three penalties (+4:14.0) and Emma Lunder 58th with four missed shots (+6:20.7).
Earlier in the day, Martin Fourcade had started the men’s race in bib one and set out to win the men’s 12.5 k pursuit, but was undone by four errors on the shooting range. No matter: the French biathlete still picked up the World Cup crystal globe for the pursuit discipline after finishing fifth (+25.5 seconds) and now he’s skipping tomorrow’s mixed relays to go be with his wife, who is about to have their second child.
Capitalizing on Fourcade’s errors were a group of chasers, among whom Arnd Peiffer of Germany managed to shoot 20-for-20. The race came down to a sprint finish between him and Simon Eder of Austria; Peiffer took a 0.3-second win for his eighth career victory. Emil Hegle Svendsen of Norway finished third, +2.3 seconds, and Andrej Moravec of the Czech Republic fourth, +9.8.
Besides Peiffer, the only other man in the field to shoot clean was Sean Doherty of the United States. That allowed Doherty to jump from 44th at the start to a season-best 18th (+1:19.5) at the finish, the top result for the American team. Lowell Bailey finished 27th (+1:57.2) and Leif Nordgren 43rd (+3:24.4) with three and four penalties, respectively.
Christian Gow led Canada with just one penalty and a 37th-place finish (+2:36.0), a big improvement from his 50th-place starting position. Brendan Green placed 50th with three penalties (+4:47.3).
In the fifth and final part of “The Road to Jackson” series on Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) teams competing at NCAA Skiing Championships, we hear from five out of the six Dartmouth College skiers (Abigail Drach, Lydia Blanchet, Lauren Jortberg, Fabián Štoček, Luke Brown, and Cal DeLine) that qualified for the season-ending championships in Jackson, N.H.
“I’m really happy with my individual results, but it’s just so much better when your whole team is also sharing the same happiness.”
See also: EISA season in review | Part I: Williams | Part II: UNH | Part III: Colby | Part VI: UVM
![The men's podium in the 20 k freestyle mass start at the 2014 NCAA Championships in Soldier Hollow. (Photo: http://bertboyer.zenfolio.com) All proceeds from photo sales will be directly donated to NNF.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/03/Mens-full-podium.jpg")
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Come Wednesday, the 148 best collegiate skiers in the U.S. will descend upon Lake Placid for the 2015 NCAA Skiing Championships. Hosted by St. Lawrence University, NCAA’s will serve as the premier collegiate races of the season as skiers aim for both individual and team success. The last time Lake Placid hosted the Championships was 33 years ago in 1982, when the national races were only for men.
The nordic portion of NCAA’s will take place on the trails of the Mt. Van Hoevenberg, the site of the cross-country events in the 1980 Olympic games. The first day of competition on Wednesday will comprise of the 5- and 10-kilometer women’s and men’s freestyle interval starts, while Friday will feature the 15/20 k classic mass starts. Conditions should be pristine in the Adirondacks as recent weather has provided ample snow and below average temperatures.
The 2015 NCAA Championships will have similar team favorites in 2014. At last year’s championships in Park City, Utah, the University of Denver dominated the nordic races to win the overall team title. With several departures from the Pioneers’ squad, however, other schools from the west and east will look to capture the trophy.
The University of Colorado enters the NCAA’s as the top-ranked team from the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA). The Buffs earned the most combined points throughout the season and were recently crowned the RMISA regional champions. If that wasn’t enough to boost their pre-championships confidence, their history in the east certainly will. Colorado has won the last two national collegiate titles in the east in 2011 and 2013.
Utah and Denver followed close behind in the 2015 RIMSA points rankings and will likely be Colorado’s top competition in New York, while the University of Vermont will look to extend its Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) dominance to the national stage. The last time Vermont won the NCAA team title was in 2012 in Bozeman, Mont.
![University of New Hampshire's Annika Taylor races in the 2013 NCAA Championships.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/03/IMG_0215.jpg")
The East:
If there are two skiers from the EISA to know before the start of NCAA’s, they are Middlebury College’s Heather Mooney and University of New Hampshire’s Annika Taylor.
With five wins apiece in the 2014/2015 season, Mooney and Taylor have shut out the rest of the eastern competition from the top of the podium. While their fight for eastern dominance will continue in Lake Placid, it remains to be seen how they will match up with the western and central women.
The Middlebury College women’s nordic team has qualified a full team for the first time in many years, including Mooney, Kelsey Phinney and Stella Holt. The trio has won many women’s nordic competitions throughout the season and will look to do the same in Lake Placid. If the recent EISA Regional Championships results are any indication — where Mooney and Phinney finished second and third, respectively, in the 15 k classic mass start — the Panthers are well on their way to their goal.
![Patrick Caldwell finishes the men's 15 k freestyle in fourth place at the 2015 Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Michigan.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2015/01/Cadlwell2.jpg")
If the eastern women have been defined by two individuals, the region’s men are characterized by dueling schools — Vermont and Dartmouth. The Vermont trio of Rogan Brown, Jørgen Grav and Jack Hegman ended the eastern season ranked second, third and sixth, while Paddy Caldwell, Fabian Stocek and Silas Talbot took the first, fourth, and fifth spots.
Caldwell, who spent a large chunk of the season in Europe at the U23 World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, enters as one of the favorites at NCAA’s. Last year, his best finish was fifth in the 20 k freestyle mass start. Talbot’s best finish at 2014 NCAA’s was 11th in the 20 k freestyle.
Brown’s best finish at the same championships was 13th in the 20 k freestyle, while Grav’s was 20th in the 10 k classic.
The West:
![Rune Malo Ødegård of CU races to first in the 10 k individual classic at the 2014 NCAA Championships in Soldier Hollow. (Photo: http://bertboyer.zenfolio.com) All proceeds from photo sales will be directly donated to NNF.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/03/Oedegaard-11.jpg")
If Caldwell wants to step atop the NCAA podium, he’ll have to overcome the RMISA frontrunners from the University of Colorado, Rune Malo Ødegård and Mads Ek Strøm. With the exception of one race, the two have alternated on the top rungs of the 2014/2015 RIMSA podium in every single competition. By the end of the regular season, Ødegård won five of 10 races while Strøm won four.
Ødegård is no stranger to NCAA’s as the Norwegian won two national titles in 2013 and 2014. His wins made NCAA history, as he is the first collegiate skier to repeat as an individual national championship in the classic discipline. Strøm earned his national title in the 20 k freestyle mass start in 2014.
While the two Buffs are the RMISA favorites, there are several other standouts to watch in this week’s races. German Moritz Madlener of DU and enters Lake Placid as the third-ranked westerner after earning bronze in four western qualifiers. The University of Utah’s Niklas Persson is another potential top finisher. The Ute finished third at 2014 NCAA’s in the 10 k classic. Mats Rudin Resaland of the University of New Mexico is also another top contender, and will look to improve on his bronze from last year’s 20 k freestyle.
The University of New Mexico’s Emilie Cedervarn is the top-ranked western woman after winning the last four RMISA races of the season. The Utes’ Veronika Mayerhofer is close behind for total wins in the west with three. Denver’s Sylvia Nordskar will look to repeat her podium performances from 2014 NCAA’s where she placed second and third. The Norwegian only raced the first four RMISA races this season. She won both the races in the Utah qualifiers and placed first and second at the Colorado invite before taking a six-race hiatus.
Other skiers to watch from the West are the Buffs’ Petra Hyncincova and the Utes’ Sloan Storey.
Central:
![Kyle Bratrud of Northern Michigan University racing to 52nd in the men's 15 k freestyle at 2015 World Championships in Falun, Sweden.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2015/02/Bratrud-1st-lap.jpg")
Kyle Bratrud of the University of Northern Michigan is the favorite from the central region after a successful season that saw him win the 15 k freestyle at the 2015 U.S. nationals and compete at the U23 World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, followed by senior World Championships in Falun, Sweden.
Bratrud will look to overcome the fatigue of weeks of international racing and travel to fight for a spot on the NCAA podium. In 2014, he was the top American in the 10 k classic in sixth overall.
Joining Bratrud in the quest for collegiate success will be teammates Fredrik Schwenke and Erik Soderman. If the UNM trio can repeat their impressive performances from U.S. nationals, they have the possibility of leading the men’s nordic at NCAA’s. Last year, the men finished third overall in the 10 k classic and helped their coach, Sten Fjeldheim, earn 2014 national coach of the year.
Logan Hanneman of the University of Alaska – Fairbanks is another strong skier to watch from central.
Despite the graduation of Rosie Frankowski, the central women have a chance at top performances from NMU’s Jordyn Ross and Michigan Tech’s Deedra Irwin, among others. They will look to build on the region’s successful 2014 Championships to gain more starting spots in future national events.
Live timing will be available at BartTiming.com. FasterSkier will be on site for both days of nordic racing, so stay tuned for recaps from Wednesday and Friday.
Schedule (all times Eastern Standard Time)
Wednesday, March 11:
Nordic:
10 a.m.: Men’s 10 k freestyle (start list)
Noon: Women’s 5 k at noon (start list)
Thursday, March 12:
Alpine: Women’s giant slalom (start list); men’s giant slalom (start list) at Whiteface
Friday, March 13:
10 a.m.: Women’s 15 k classic mass start (start list)
Noon: Men’s 20 k classic mass start (start list)
Saturday, March 14:
Alpine: Women’s slalom (start list); men’s slalom (start list) at Whiteface
Note: This article was corrected to state that the last time Lake Placid hosted NCAAs was in 1982, not 1983
![A massive pileup on the first corner shortly after the start of the U20 men's 15 k freestyle mass start on Friday at 2014 Junior Nationals in Stowe, Vt.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/03/IMG_96261.jpg")
STOWE, Vt. — The youngest child of the original von Trapp family, Johannes von Trapp was the man of the hour almost every hour for the start of six freestyle distance races on the last day of individual racing at 2014 Junior Nationals on Friday.
With a rifle in hand, Von Trapp, 75, fired the starting signal for each of the U16, U18 and U20 mass starts. After that, it was up to the racers to determine where they’d end up at the finish — save for a few early pileups in the U20 and U18 men’s races, where one racer did not finish.
![Johannes von Trapp of Trapp Family Lodge presenting medals at 2014 Junior Nationals earlier this week in Stowe, Vt.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/03/IMG_4378.jpg")
The worst series of crashes came in the first race, the U20 men’s 15 k freestyle, which left Far West’s Patrick McElravey seeking medical attention. He was OK (and was listed to start on Saturday), but the incident prompted USSA Nordic Manager Joey Caterinichio to come up with the idea for a paced start.
For every race after the U20 women’s race, a Midwest coach led hundreds of competitors out of the start, down the troublesome 180-degree corner and back up out of the stadium, until passing a set of cones that gave skiers the go-ahead to go for it.
The method generally worked (except for the accordion effect that caused another crash in the U18 men’s race in nearly the same spot coming out of the corner), and by early afternoon, six national champions had been named.
Here’s a look at who made the top 10 and All-American status on Friday in the last of three individual races at Junior Nationals. Relays wrap up the championships on Saturday, starting at 9:30 a.m.
![New England's Fabian Stocek (1) follows Rocky Mountain's Jack Hill (6) in the U20 men's 15 k freestyle mass start at Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vt. Stocek went on to win the Junior Nationals race by 7.5 seconds.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/03/IMG_9950.jpg")
U20 Men’s 15 k
Fun Fact: A Czech Republic native, Stocek, 19, is a Dartmouth College freshman and has lived in the U.S. for the last four years. “[I’ve] made a lot of connections with friends all over New England so that’s been making a support for me,” he says. “My parents are still in the Czech Republic so I have a great way of connecting with people around New England. I like that a lot, traveling around, recognizing all the aspects that the aspects has to offer. … And continuing at Dartmouth, not a bad place to be for skiing.”
U20 Women’s 10 k
Fun Fact: Originally from Ketchum, Idaho, Williams is a freshman at the University of Vermont and this is her first Junior Nationals victory. When she’s not racing: “I like to knit and make stained-glass artwork, kind of some grannie hobbies,” she says. “That’s something I’ve kind of been doing my whole life.”
U18 Men’s 10 k
Fun Fact: For 16-year-old McEwen, this is his first Junior Nationals win. “I don’t usually like to think about race [until] about 10 minutes beforehand,” he says. “I got up kind of late because it was a later start than we usually have, I finished my bowl of oatmeal, which is kind of unusual for me because usually I feel kind of sick. But I felt really good.”
U18 Women’s 10 k
Fun Facts: This is Ogden’s second win of the week and she did so in impressive fashion, breaking away around 4 k and winning by 20 seconds. “I was inspired by Caitlin Gregg’s performance at U.S. nationals so I decided to go for a similar method,” Ogden says. “Channeling my inner Caitlin Gregg for sure.”
Gregg won the 30 k mass start at U.S. nationals in January by more than a minute and 30 seconds.
Ogden explained she’s been knitting between races to channel the rest of her energy.
“I knit when I’m nervous before races,” she says. “I’ve knit almost an entire buff this week, a neckie, so I’m pretty proud.”
U16 Men’s 5 k
Fun Facts: In his first Junior Nationals, this is Wonder’s first time to Vermont. “My first time on the East Coast,” he says. “It felt super nice. Today was super relaxed and just pushing the tempo at the very end.”
The 15-year-old Anchorage native won by nearly six seconds. “My goal for the whole season was to make it to the Junior Nationals and once I did that I was going for any kind of medal,” he says. “I guess gold’s fine.”
U16 Women’s 5 k
Fun Fact: After capturing her first Junior National title in the 5 k classic earlier this week, Swirbul, 15, did it again in the skate mass start. “I have been dreaming of this moment to win a mass start since last Junior Nationals where I got third and it has never tasted sweeter to win a race,” she says. Also relatively sweet is her favorite food: sweet potatoes.
STOWE, Vt. — It was a jam-packed day of classic sprinting up at Trapp Family Lodge on Wednesday, with 54 heats determining six champions at Junior Nationals between the U16, U18 and U20 men’s and women’s categories.
While some races were snowy, others were windier, and a few were neck-and-neck to the line, the conditions remained relatively consistent throughout in temperatures around 10 degrees throughout the day. The sun began to set soon after the U20 and U18 women’s finals, making for a picture-perfect ending on Day 2 of 4 at Junior Nationals.
For more about the top finishers: Top-10 Recognition
Extensive qualifier photos: U16 men | U16 women | U18/U20 men | U18/20 women
Trouble viewing video above? Click here.
![Peter Holmes (Unleashed Coaching/Far West) racing to the top U18 men's classic-sprint qualifying time at 2014 Junior Nationals in Stowe, Vt.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/03/Junior-Nationals-Classic-Sprint-Qualification248.jpg")
![Julia Kern (r) racing to a classic-sprint title at Junior Nationals on Wednesday in Stowe, Vt., edging Mattie Watts (c) and Vivian Hett, both from the Midwest.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/03/IMG_9334.jpg")
FasterSkier’s coverage is made possible through the generous support of Madshus.
STOWE, Vt. — Four-hundred and thirty-four athletes whittled down to 180 in 30 quarterfinals. Fifty-four heats total, all on the top of the mountain at Trapp Family Lodge over the course of nine hours.
It was a full day of racing on Day 2 of U.S. Junior Nationals on Wednesday, with men’s and women’s 1.4-kilometer classic sprints determining six national champions.
Below you’ll find the list of who made the top 10 in the U16, U18 and U20 races. Every athlete that did so raced Trapp’s open-aired sprint course four times — nailing fast-enough times to advance after each round. The top six made the A-finals, and the next six battled for seventh through 12th place (and All-American status in the top 10). Complete results
Stay tuned for a video recapping Wednesday’s action and follow us on Twitter and Instagram, as well as the 2014 Junior Nationals website for updates, photos and videos.
![The Junior Nationals U16 men's classic sprint podium with New England's Forrest Hamilton (c) of Mansfield Nordic, the Pacific Northwest's Leo Lukens (l) of Mt. Bachelor in second, and Intermountain's Zach Williams (r) of Sun Valley in third.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/03/IMG_4383.jpg")
U16 Men
Fun Facts: Hamilton didn’t have to travel far to win his first national title; he’s a student at Champlain Valley Union High School 40 miles from Stowe in Hinesburg, Vt. His longtime teammates call him ‘Fo-Money.’ “I guess that’s my ski-trail name,” he says.
![Amanda Kautzer (r) of Loppet Nordic Racing/Midwest, crests the final hill in Wednesday's 1.4 k classic sprint A-final before winning her first title at Junior Nationals, ahead of runner-up Hailey Swirbul (Aspen/Rocky Mountain), in Stowe, Vt.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/03/IMG_8789.jpg")
U16 Women
Fun Facts: Mini Kikkan? Kautzer has pink hair just like the three-time World Cup Sprint champion from Alaska, and she just nabbed her first Junior Nationals victory after placing fifth in the 5 k classic on Monday. “I was not expecting anything like this this week,” Kautzer says. She’s originally from Southeast Asia and lived there until she was 3. “I was born in Singapore, which is about as far away from a snowy climate as you can get,” she says. “From super warm to super cold, I like the transition.”
![Far West's Peter Holmes (1) leads his semifinal in Wednesday's 1.4 k classic sprint at Junior Nationals in Stowe, Vt. He went on to win his second national title in as many races.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/03/IMG_9114.jpg")
U18 Men:
Fun Facts: This was Holmes’ second title in as many races at Junior Nationals. “I always wear the same socks when I race,” he says.“I haven’t washed them since I’ve been here.”
U18 Women:
Fun Fact: With at least five national titles in the last two years, Kern, 16, racked up her first victory of the 2014 championships. In her free time, she says she likes to surf around New England in places like Cape Cod or Hampton “and do photography and film stuff.”
![Three New Englanders race for gold in the U20 men's classic sprint A-final: with Fabian Stocek (2) ultimately taking first, Cole Morgan (l) placing second overall and Jack Hegman (5) finishing third at Junior Nationals in Stowe, Vt.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/03/IMG_9229.jpg")
U20 Men:
*Top American
Fun Facts: Originally from the Czech Republic, Stocek, 19, is a freshman at Dartmouth College and according to a NENSA blog post from a couple years ago, a fierce competitor at the game Twister. Morgan, a UVM sophomore, won his second-straight U.S. title in as many races at this year’s Junior Nationals. He shared the podium with his college teammate, Hegman, who hails from Huntington, Vt.
![New England's Heidi Halvorsen after winning Wednesday's classic sprint for her first national title at 2014 Junior Nationals in Stowe, Vt.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/03/IMG_9426.jpg")
U20 Women:
Fun Fact: According to Halvorsen, 18, she has podiumed five times at Junior Nationals, and this was her first victory. A 2013 graduate of the Green Mountain Valley School Ski Academy, Trapps was her home course. When she’s not skiing: “I have a lot of grannie pastimes,” she says, “like knitting and troll making and quilting.”
