March 14, 2016 (Cable, WI) – Warm weather and tough conditions greeted 500 top 14-19 year old skiers as the 2016 USSA Junior National Championships kicked off Monday, March 7, on the historic and grueling Telemark Trails in Cable, WI and ran until March 12. The hallowed trails of Mt. Telemark has hosted cross-country ski races since 1973 including: the first ever World Cup hosting North America’s largest annual race – The American Birkebeiner, a 2013 IPC Nordic Skiing World Cup race and the 2015 IPC Nordic Skiing World Championships.  This was the first time, the Junior National Championships were held in Wisconsin.

The men’s U20 10k race had first tracks and the coolest temperatures of the day as Nick Gardner (Midwest) skied to a convincing first place finish 35.1 seconds ahead of Logan Diekmann (Intermountain) who was second and Max Donaldson (Alaska) who finished third. In the men’s U18 10k race, Hunter Wonders (Alaska) claimed the Junior National classic title 26 seconds ahead of Nolan Herzog (Rocky Mountain) and Xavier Mansfield (Midwest) who finished third. Wonders also had the fastest time of the day overall on the 10k course. Wonders has had an exceptional year competing in the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway and the U18 Scandinavian Championships in Otepaa, Estonia in February.

In the women’s U20 5k race, Abigail Drach (Midwest) dominated the race to claim the Junior National classic title 32.5 seconds ahead of Mattie Watts (Midwest) and Lauren Jortberg (New England) who finished third. In the women’s U18 race Leah Brams won the women’s race overall and claimed the Junior National classic title just 4.8 seconds ahead of Mackenzie Rizio (New England) and Hailey Swirbul (Rocky Mountain) who finished third. Brams also had the fastest time of the day for the U20/U18 women’s 5k race.

The U16 races became more challenging as the temperature increased, causing the course to become soft. In the men’s 5k race, Gus Schumacher (Alaska) claimed the victory by 6.8 seconds over Ben Ogden (New England) and Conor Munns (New England) who finished third.

In the women’s U16 5k, Mae Chalmers (New England) claimed the Junior National individual classic title just 3.9 seconds over teammate Anna Lehmann and Abigail Jarzin (Midwest) who finished third.

Day 1 Results
U20/U18 Men
U20/U18 Women
U16 Men
U16 Women

Day 2 – 15/10/5k Individual FR
After hundreds of volunteers gathered at Telemark Trails to shovel snow and restore the course, after a spell of unseasonably warm temperatures Tuesday and Wednesday. The 2016 USSA Junior National Championships freestyle distance races went on successfully on Thursday.

In the U20 men’s 15k freestyle race, it was a battle for the victory, as first through third were within 3.1 seconds of each other. Max Lachance edged Max Donaldson (Alaska) by 1.6 seconds to claim the Junior National freestyle distance title. Lewis Nottonson (New England) followed close behind in third, just 3.1 seconds out of first. This is Max Donaldson’s second podium at the 2016 Junior National Championships, after finishing second in the individual classic race on Monday.

“I’m in disbelief!” said Lachance. “Definitely happier with my season now! The course was really fast!”

“It was a tough battle the whole race”, said Donaldson. “It was fun trading off the lead with Max. Endless thanks to the volunteers for making a hard fast course possible today.”

The women’s U20 10k race was another battle to the podium, as first through fifth were within 10.2 seconds of eachother. Sophie McDonald (Intermountain) edged Abigail Drach (Midwest) by 1.7 seconds, to claim the Junior National freestyle distance title. Mattie Watts (Midwest) followed close behind in third, just 8.7 seconds behind first. This is Drach’s and Watt’s second podium after Drach claimed the Junior National distance classic title on Monday, while Watt finished second overall. The U20 women had to complete three loops around the course, which made up the grueling 10k.

“I am so impressed with how all the volunteers have worked really hard to pull this event off with the lack of snow!” said McDonald. “It was a fun and hard race!”

“It was a hard race with steep uphills and technical downhills, but I really enjoyed racing the 10k skate.” Said Drach.

“The course was in incredible shape! Said Watts. “Thank you to all the volunteers for all their hard work to help put on an amazing race!”

In the men’s U18 10k, Hunter Wonders claimed his second Junior National title, after winning the individual classic race on Monday. Wonders skied to a convincing first place finish, 44.1 seconds over Karl Schulz (Mid-Atlantic) and Wyatt Gebhardt (Rocky Mountain) who finished third. The U18 men had to complete three laps of the 3.75k loop.

The race felt great, I took it out hot and just tried to hold on.” said, Wonders.

“The race felt awesome, one of the hardest and best races of the season.” Said Schulz. “I went out hard and finished harder!”

The U18 women skied an impressive 10k, as first through third had the three fastest times out of the U18 and U20 women. Anna Darnell (Alaska) grabbed the Junior National individual freestyle title just 0.6 seconds ahead of Hailey Swirburl (Rocky Mountain) and Leah Brams (New England) who finished third. This is both Swirbul and Brams’ second podium at the 2016 Junior National Championships. Brams claimed the Junior National individual classic title on Monday, while Swirbul finished third overall.

“I felt great about my race, I focused on having fun and going hard and my coaches killed it with fast skies!” Said Darnell.

“There is no podium performance without so much hard work behind the scenes.” Said Swirbul. “Unbelieveable coaches, wax testers and teammates throughout the year are what have give me this opportunity! Thanks to all!”

“I felt pretty good about my race! Said Brams. “My skis were rippin’, but the hills were TOUGH!”

In the U16 men’s 10k race, new faces were on the podium. Luke Jager (Alaska) claimed the Junior National individual freestyle title 17.3 seconds ahead of James Clinton (JC) Schoonmaker (Far West) and Ti Donaldson (Alaska) who finished third.

“Our skis were feeling really good and that helped make the entire race feel solid.” Said Jager. “I was getting splits from our coaches that all of my teammates were killing it, which encouraged me to dig a little deeper. I was pretty surprised with the result but couldn’t be more stoked. The race was hard but also fun.”

“On Monday I didn’t really have the best race, so today I just wanted to come out and give it my all and I think I did that so I’m really happy. Said Schoonmaker. “This whole trip has been great despite the weather conditions, but its just awesome we got to race today and I’m super grateful for all the volunteers and everyone out here.”

“This whole season, I’ve been thinking about this race alone.” Said Donaldson. “When today finally came, I couldn’t help feeling butterflies in my stomach. However, I forced myself to retain my focus and concentrate on skiing my absolute best. It worked! Also, HUGE shoutout to all of the volunteers who sacrificed their time to work on such an awesome course.

In the final race of the day, the U16 women battled to the finish in a tough 5k race. Sydney Palmer-Leger (Intermountain) claimed the Junior National individual freestyle title just 3.1 seconds ahead of Novie McCabe (Pacific Northwest) and Margaret Gellert (Alaska) who finished third.

“The whole season I have been working very hard to make it to Junior Nationals.” Said Palmer-Leger. “The first race went okay, but this second race I concentrated and focused on getting top three. My coaches have been a huge help in getting me where I am today. Also, a huge shoutout to all of the volunteers who spend so much of their time working on the course.”

“I have had a really amazing season this winter. I had an amazing racing today and I was super excited to finish top three.” Said McCabe. “This trip has been really fun and I have loved racing here. The courses are super fun and have lot of great hills. I am so lucky to be racing here and I am super excited to start racing next season.”

“It was really awesome coming off of a bad race on Monday, and be able to race competitively with the best female U16s in the Nation today,.” Said Gellert. “It’s always fun to end the season with a race where you feel good! I am so lucky to be a part of such a great team (Alaska Winter Stars) and travel with my teammates from Alaska.”

Day 2 Results
U20 Men
U20/U18 Women
U18 Men
U16 Men
U16 Women

Day 3 – 1.3k Sprint FR
The third day of the USSA Junior National Championships competition continued with hard fought sprint races on the grueling 1.3k course at Telemark Trails.

In the men’s U20 sprints, Logan Diekmann dominated throughout the day all the way to the finals. Diekmann started the day strong, posting the fastest qualifying time which advanced him to the heats. Diekmann won his heat and then skied to a solid first place finish in the finals, finishing 3.75 seconds ahead of Dylan Syben (Far West) and Bill Harmeyer (Pacific Northwest) who finished third.

“This may be my final Junior Nationals and I couldn’t be happier about my race.” Said Diekmann. “It has been a goal of mine to be on top of the sprint podium. I felt good physically and mentally. This race means a lot to me and my team but I couldn’t have done it without my coaches and family members. This is truly a wonderful way to finish out an incredible season.”

“Today was a great day, I am really happy to have had the best race I could have had with a bunch of cool racers/friends.” Said Syben. “So far racing this week had been hard but I am happy to finish the individual races with good results going into the relay. Thanks to all the volunteers!”

“The race was awesome.” Said Harmeyer. “Special thanks to the volunteers who helped keep the course intact. Couldn’t have pulled it off without them! Thanks to my parents who have helped me from the start! Good end to the season!”

 

In the U20 female sprints, Sarah Bezdicek started the day off strong and ended it even stronger. Bezdicek skied the fastest U20 female qualifying time, then won her heat, which advanced her to the finals. Bezdicek claimed the Junior National freestyle sprint title just 2.74 seconds over Lauren Jortberg (New England) and Abigail Drach (Midwest) who finished third.

“It was really warm out there, but the course help up thanks to all the volunteers.” Said Bezdicek. “It was a fun and hard final!”

“I’m really excited to be on the podium and really feel good.” Said Jortberg. “I haven’t been too excited about my previous races here, but stoked to end the individual races feeling awesome! I’m super excited for the relay tomorrow with New England. New England has awesome wax techs and coaches! I’ve had incredible skis!”

Hannah Halvorsen dominated the U18 women’s freestyle sprints. Halvorsen qualified second, won her semifinal heat which advanced her to the finals. Halvorsen skied to a convincing overall freestyle sprint title, 7.30 seconds ahead of Amanda Kautzer (Midwest) and Brooke Dunnagan (Intermountain) who finished third. Halvorsen has had an outstanding season, competing at the Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway and the U18 Scandinavian Championships in Oteppa, Estonia in February.

“I am so excited to have a race come together like this today.” Said Halvorson. “After a lot of hard work and an abundance of support from my family, friends, teammates and coaches, I am so happy to have a strong race. This is what I live for!”

“I was slightly disappointed about the first two races of JNs, but am psyched about today’s race as I haven’t sprinted at all this season due to biathlon racing.” Said Kautzer. “Our coaches gave us great skis today and all the coaches and especially my parents were great with cheering!”

“So far, this week has been really exciting! The conditions have been changing a lot and has required us to be very flexible.” Said Dunnagan. “Skate sprinting is one of my favorite events to compete in. I felt really good today and can’t wait for tomorrow’s relay!”

Karl Shulz dominated the U18 men’s freestyle sprints starting with the qualifiers, through to the finals. Shulz had the fastest U18 qualifying time and the second fastest qualifying time of the day, just five seconds behind U20 skier Diekmann. Shulz won his quarterfinal and semifinal heats, which advanced him to the finals. Shulz skied to a convincing victory, 4.53 seconds ahead of Daniel Streinz (New England) and Tracen Knopp (Alaska) who finished third.

“This was the best race of the season.” Said Shulz “While I was in the starting pen for my quarterfinal heat, my younger brother Scott came in and won the U16 men’s sprint title and that gave me the final motivation I needed to believe I could go all the way with him.”

“My race was good but not my best.” Said Streinz. ” My season has been going well, I got a top 10 on the U18 trip to Estonia. The New England team is strong so it’s a fun team to be on. I like spring skiing so JNs is always a fun time.”

“Today felt great.” Said Knoop. “I feld smooth and strong the whole day. The first day was bad but the next couple race I have felt good. The season has been good too. Solid training and racing”

Scott Schulz was the inspiration to his older brother Karl as Scott claimed the Junior National freestyle sprint title for the U16 men. Schulz qualified strong, finishing fourth which advanced him to the finals. Schulz grabbed first ahead of Samuel York (Alaska) and Thomas Gebhards (Intermountain) who finished third.

“Sweet! Said Schulz. “I had a great season and this was the perfect way to end it!”

“I had an awesome season and trained hard.” Said Gebhards. “I am glad to have been able to still compete in this race and that they could pull off the race. I’d like to thank all the race volunteers for their countless hours of service.”

It was a close race between the U16 women for the Junior National Freestyle Sprint Title. Sydney Palmer-Leger claimed her second National title as she stole first by 1.5 seconds over Abigail Jarzin (Midwest) and Margaret Gellert (Alaska) who finished third. Palmer-Leger, Jarzin and Gellert were in the top three of the qualifiers and continued to fight hard and stay strong until the finals.

“I had an awesome season, trained hard to make it to Junior Nationals.” Said Palmer-Leger “Happy to get another chance to race in such a big race. I want to thank my parents and coaches that have worked very hard to help me become a better skier.”

“This season has had many ups and downs but I’m super happy to have had a strong race today.” Said Jarzin. “Thankful for my coaches who have helped me become the skier I am today.”

Results
U20 Men
U20 Women
U18 Women
U18 Men
U16 Men
U16 Women

Day 4 – Relay Hill Climb
The final competition of the 2016 USSA Junior National Championships concluded with a grueling Relay Hill Climb race up Mt. Telemark. The pressure was high, as this race not only determined the Junior National Champion relay teams, but also the “king and queen of the hill” as well as the winner of the coveted Alaska Cup.

In the U20 men’s hill climb, Max Donaldson, Travis Cooper and Luke Cvoncara representing team Alaska edged New England: Lewis Nottonson, Kamran Husaid and Land Mckenny for the Junior National Relay Hill Climb title by 1.7 seconds, followed by Midwest: Nick Gardner, Tamer Mische-Richter and Will Bodewes who finished third. Team Alaska was led by Travis Cooper, who had the fastest time, skiing the hill climb in just 5:40.8. Cooper also had the fastest time and was crowned “King of the Hill” for the U20 men.

In the U20 women’s relay, the Midwest team: Margie Freed, Mikaela Keller-Miller and Caroline Brisbois, charged up the hill to claim a convincing first place finish as well as the Junior National Relay Hill Climb title. The team was led by Margie Freed who skied the hill climb in 6:39.2, which was the fastest in the U20 female class and made her “Queen of the Hill”. The strong Midwest team finished 16.3 seconds ahead of teammates and the second Midwest team: Sarah Bezdicek, Abigail Drach and Mattie Watts, followed by New England: Lauren Jertberg, Kaelyn Woods and Katie Feldman who finished third.

Intermountain: Brook Dunnagan, Anna Gibson and Sofia Shomento, claimed the U18 female Junior National Champion Relay Hill Climb title. The team was led by Brooke Dunnagan who skied the climb in a time of 6:52.5, which made him “King of the Hill for the U18 men. Intermountain dug deep to claim the victory 15.7 seconds ahead of New England: Leah Brams, Makenzie Rizo and Rena Schwartz and Alaska: Anna Darnell, Magalen York and Jenna Difdeo, who finished third.

In the U18 men’s relay, Alaska: Hunter Wonders, Canyon Tobin and Tracen Knopp hammered their way up Mt. Telemark, to secure the Junior National Relay Hill Climb. The team was led by Hunter Wonders, “King of the Hill,” who skied the fastest time for the U18 men in a time of 5:32.0. Wonders edged Mid-Atlantic Skier Karl Schulz by 0.2 seconds who was the seconds fastest hill climber of the day for U18s. Alaska skied to a first place finish just 11.1 seconds ahead of Mid-Atlantic team: Karl Shulz, Bryce Harman and Henry McGrew, followed by New England: Daniel Steinz, Adam Glueck and Will Rhatiann, who finished third.

Alaska: Luke Jager, Ti Donaldson and Gus Schumacher, battled to the top to claim the U16 men’s Junior National Relay Hill Climb title. The team was led by Jager, “King of the Hill,” who skied the climb in a time of 5:51.8, which was also the fastest time for the U16 men. Alaska commanded the race and finished 17.6 seconds ahead of Far West: Jc Schoonmaker, Hayden Halvorsen and Nate Cutler, followed by Rock Mountain: Cameron Wolfe, Jimmy Colfer and Collin Wilson who finished third.

In the U16 female relay, Midwest: Abigal Jarzin, Kelly Koch and Lucy Anderson dominated the hill climb to claim the Junior National Relay Hill Climb title. The team was led by Kelly Koch was crowned “Queen of the Hill” who skied the hill in a time of 6:49.7, which was also the fastest time for the U16 females overall. Midwest finished 19.2 seconds ahead of New England: Anna Lehmann, Callie Young and Laura Appleby, followed by New England: Phobe Sweet, Charlotte Ogden and Mae Chalmers who finished third.

Day 4 Results
Men’s and Women’s Hill Climb