February 08, 2019 (Canmore, Alberta) – The U.S. women’s team took home their best relay result since the Sochi 2014 Games with an 8th-place finish in the 4×6 km event on Friday at the BMW IBU World Cup in Canmore, Alberta. The foursome of Susan Dunklee, Clare Egan, Joanne Reid and Emily Dreissigacker finished with two penalties and 12 spare rounds at 3:58.4 off the winning pace set by Germany.

“This is our best women’s relay result in five years and we are psyched,” said Dunklee. “I’m proud of how my teammates stayed focused and positive in spite of the polar temperatures. We put together a good biathlon performance. There’s always opportunity in challenge and today we were ready to take advantage of that.”

The U.S team really turned it on during the final three legs of the race, as Egan, Reid, and Dreissigacker moved the team up five positions from 13th to 8th. Dreissigacker brought it home by passing two teams herself, solidifying their top-10 finish on the day.

Canadians Sarah Beaudry, Emma Lunder, Megan Bankes, and Rosanna Crawford struggled throughout the event, getting lapped after the second leg of the race. The team finished 18th overall with six penalties and 11 spare rounds.

The German team of Vanessa Hinz, Franziska Hildebrand, Denise Herrmann and Laura Dahlmeier captured the gold with one penalty and 12 spare rounds, crossing the line in 1:10:16.3. Norway placed second, 30.2 seconds back with two penalties and seven spares, while France came in third with 12 spare rounds, 41.6 seconds behind Norway.

Results here.