PARK CITY, UT (Jan. 21) – Two-time Olympian Carl Swenson (Boulder, NH), who won three more titles at the recent Chevy Truck U.S. championships, heads a group of eight men and five women named Tuesday to compete in the 2003 World Championships, which begin Feb. 18 in Val di Fiemme, Italy.

U.S. Nordic Director Luke Bodensteiner said final decisions on the Ski Team were made following the championships in Rumford, ME. Nine members of the 2002 Olympic Team are in the group. “We may add another skier, too, depending on results at the World Junior Championships or the U-23 championships, which are just before Worlds,” he said.

Swenson, who grew up in North Conway, NH, but moved to the West after graduating from Dartmouth College, boosted his national titles total to seven this month as he swept the free technique (skating) races. Also on the team are Kris Freeman (Andover, NH) and his brother Justin (also Andover), who finished 1-2 in both class technique races, and Wendy Wagner (Park City, UT), who won both women's classic races.

The 2003 U.S. cross country team for the World Championships (with age, hometown and previous Olympics or Worlds participation):

Men
Dave Chamberlain, 27, Bethel, ME (2001 Worlds)
Lars Flora, 25, Anchorage, AK (2002 Olympics)
Kris Freeman, 22, Andover, NH (2002 Olympics, '01 Worlds)
Justin Freeman, 26, Andover, NH
Andrew Johnson, 25, Greensboro, VT (2002 Olympics)
Torin Koos, 22, Leavenworth, WA (2002 Olympics, '01 Worlds)
Carl Swenson, 32, Boulder, CO (2002 and '94 Olympics, 3 Worlds)
Justin Wadsworth, 34, Bend, OR (3 Olympics, 5 Worlds)

Women
Aelin Peterson, 28, Fairbanks, AK (2002 Olympics)
Kikkan Randall, 21, Anchorage, AK (2002 Olympics, '01 Worlds)
Aubrey Smith, 22, Seward, AK
Kristina Trygstad-Saari, 18, Bozeman, MT
Wendy Wagner, 29, Park City, UT (2002 Olympics, '99 and '01 Worlds)

“The men are skiing are a very high level now. We have some good expectations for the championships,” said Head Coach Trond Nystad.

Bodensteiner, pointing to the men's success at the 2002 Olympics (including alltime-best fifth in the Olympic relay), said he was pleased with the mix of veterans and up-and-coming athletes. “This program has been making major progress for a couple of years, and with some of these younger skiers joining Carl and some of the veterans, that's a good foundation for more success.”