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2022-23 U.S. Cross Country Team Nominations

By Tom Horrocks
May, 10 2022
2022-23 Team Announcement
Scott Patterson (left, Rosi Brennan, Zak Ketterson, and Jessie Diggins are all nominated to the 2022-23 U.S. Cross Country Team. (Nordic Focus)

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has announced the 22 athletes nominated to the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team for the 2022-23 season. Nominations include those active athletes who qualified based on the published selection criteria in the prior season.

In addition to established veterans, including three-time Olympic medalist Jessie Diggins and two-time Olympians Rosie Brennan and Scott Patterson, the 2022-23 Team includes five new members. Moving up to the A Team and joining Diggins, Brennan and JC Schoonmaker for the coming season are 2022 Olympians Julia Kern, Novie McCabe, Ben Ogden and Patterson. 

B Team nominations include 2022 Olympians Hailey Swirbul, Sophia Laukli, Gus Schumacher, Kevin Bolger and Luke Jager. John Steel Hagenbuch and Hunter Wonders move from the D-Team to the B Team, and Zak Ketterson re-joins the national team program as a member of the B Team for the 2022-23 season. Finn O’Connell has been nominated to the B Team for the first time after finishing fourth in the overall SuperTour standings, which included nine individual top-10 results. 

Development Team nominations include returning team athletes Sydney Palmer-Leger – the 2020-21 NCAA Champion – and Zanden McMullen. New Development Team athletes include Sammy Smith, who finished fifth in the freestyle sprint at the 2022 Junior World Championships; and three members of the bronze-medal winning U.S. men’s relay team from the 2022 Junior World Championship – Will Koch, Michael Earnhart, and Walker Hall.

“This team is the largest in U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s XC history, and it could become our most successful one, too,” noted Head Coach Matt Whitcomb. “There is clear talent, as well as a history of impressive results, but most importantly, these are individuals from many different clubs in the U.S. that are interested in connecting and believing in one another, and pushing hard. Talent and past results don’t get me as excited as a bunch of athletes that are ready to lock in together.”

Notable retirements following the 2021-22 season include 2022 Olympian Hannah Halvorsen, and Junior World Championships bronze medalist Katharine Odgen.

The 2022-23 FIS Cross Country World Cup season is scheduled to kick off with races in Ruka, Finland Nov. 25-27. The 2023 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships are scheduled for Feb. 21 through March 5 in Planica, Slovenia.

A 2022-23 staff announcement will be forthcoming, while an official U.S. Cross Country Ski Team announcement will be made in the fall.

2022-23 Cross Country Nominations(Hometown; Club; Birthdate)

A TEAM
Women

  • Rosie Brennan (Anchorage, Alaska; Alaska Pacific University Ski Nordic Center; 12/21/88)
  • Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.; Stratton Mountain School Elite Team; 8/26/91)
  • Julia Kern (Waltham, Mass.; Stratton Mountain School Elite Team; 9/12/97)
  • Novie McCabe (Winthrop, Wash.; Methow Valley Nordic Team/University of Utah; 12/15/01)

Men

  • Ben Ogden (Landgrove, Vt.; Stratton Mountain School Elite Team/University of Vermont; 2/13/00)
  • Scott Patterson (Anchorage, Alaska; Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center; 1/28/92)
  • JC Schoonmaker (Tahoe City, Calif; University of Alaska Anchorage/Sugar Bowl Ski Team and Academy; 8/12/00)

B TEAM
Women

  • Sophia Laukli (Yarmouth, Maine; University of Utah; 6/8/00)
  • Hailey Swirbul (Aspen, Colo.; Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center; 7/10/98)

Men

  • Kevin Bolger (Minocqua, Wisc.; Sun Valley Gold Team; 4/11/93)
  • John Steel Hagenbuch (Ketchum, Idaho; Sun Valley Gold Team; 10/1/2001)
  • Luke Jager (Anchorage, Alaska; Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center/University of Utah; 1/17/00)
  • Zak Ketterson (Bloomington, Minn; Team Birkie/Northern Michigan University; 4/2/97)
  • Finn O’Connell (Bozeman, Mont.; Bridger Ski Foundation; 6/26/1998)
  • Gus Schumacher (Anchorage, Alaska; Alaska Winter Stars; 7/25/00)
  • Hunter Wonders (Anchorage, Alaska; Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center; 8/7/98)

DEVELOPMENT TEAM
Women

  • Sydney Palmer-Leger (Park City, Utah; Sun Valley Gold Team/University of Utah; 2/4/2002)
  • Sammy Smith (Boise, Idaho; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; 9-22-2005)

Men

  • Michael Earnhart (Anchorage, Alaska; Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center; 8-11-2002)
  • Walker Hall  (Winthrop, Wash.; Methow Valley Nordic Team/University of Utah; 6-11-2002)
  • Will Koch (Peru, Vermont; Stratton Mountain School T2/University of Colorado; 2-21-2002)
  • Zanden McMullen (Anchorage, Alaska; Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center/Montana State University; 5/31/2001)

Follow the U.S. Cross Country Team:
Instagram: @usskiteam
Facebook: @usskiandsnowboard
TikTok: @usskiandsnowboard
Twitter: @usskiteam

 

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Walker Hall headshot image
Walker Hall
Walker joined the U.S. Cross Country Team for the 2022-23 season following a breakout year on the Super Tour and the 2022 Junior World Championships.
Will Koch headshot image
Will Koch
Will Koch, a member of the bronze-medal winning U.S. men's relay team at the 2022 FIS Junior World Championships, made his FIS World Cup debut in 2022 in Livigno, ITA, where he finished in the top 50. 
Michael Earnhart headshot image
Michael Earnhart
Michael was a member of the 2022 bronze-medal-winner U.S. men's relay team at the 2022 FIS Junior World Championships. He joined the Development Team for the 2022-23 season.
Samantha Smith headshot image
Samantha Smith
Sammy was named to the U.S. Cross Country Development Team for the 2022-23 season and is proving herself going into her third year on the National team.
Zanden McMullen headshot image
Zanden McMullen
Zanden McMullen from Anchorage, Alaska is a promising up-and-coming athlete on the World Cup circuit, who, just this season racked up career-best results weekend-after-weekend on the World Cup circuit.
Sydney Palmer-Leger headshot image
Sydney Palmer-Leger
Sydney Palmer-Leger of Park City, Utah is a dynamic, multi-sport athlete.
JC Schoonmaker headshot image
JC Schoonmaker
2022 Olympian JC Schoonmaker, of Lake Tahoe, CA, is entering his fourth year on the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team.
Sophia Laukli headshot image
Sophia Laukli
Sophia Laukli is a force in both skiing and running, and was on skis as early as two years old. A professional in both sports, Sophia is a University of Utah graduate, member of the 2020 silver-medal-winning Junior World Championships relay team, had her first FIS World Cup podium in the final st
Novie McCabe headshot image
Novie McCabe
Novie McCabe, a three-time NCAA Champion and 2022 Winter Olympian found her passion for skiing at a very young age. Since then, she has excelled in the sport and is racing at the highest level.
Zak Ketterson headshot image
Zak Ketterson
Zak Ketterson is a professional nordic skier from Bloomington, Minnesota and is currently on the Stifel U.S. Ski Team B Team roster.
Luke Jager headshot image
Luke Jager
Luke Jager has been very successful in his skiing career. Not only is he a three-time Junior World Championship medalist, he also progressed his way to representing the USA at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, where he impressively finished in the top 30.
John Steel Hagenbuch headshot image
John Steel Hagenbuch
John Steel Hagenbuch is an overall gifted athlete. Skiing for both the Stifel U.S. Ski Team and the Dartmouth Ski Team, Johnny is making a name for himself at all levels of the sport.
Benjamin Ogden headshot image
Ben Ogden
2022 Winter Olympian and 2023 U23 Green Bib Winner Ben Ogden is among the most electric skiers on the World Cup circuit.
Gus Schumacher headshot image
Gus Schumacher
Gus Schumacher, originally from Anchorage, Alaska has been on the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team since the 2018-19 season and is proving that he is one of the fastest in the world.
Julia Kern headshot image
Julia Kern
World Championship medalist and 2022 Olympian Julia Kern is making a name for herself as one of the fastest sprinters in cross country. 
Rosie Brennan headshot image
Rosie Brennan
Born and raised in Park City, Utah, Rosie is a four-time U.S. champion, 2018 and 2022 Olympian, and ranked in the top-10 in the world for cross country skiing.
Jessie Diggins headshot image
Jessie Diggins
Three-time Olympic medalist (bronze, silver and gold), 2023 World Champion, 21x World Cup winner (60 podiums), and 2021 and 2024 World Cup overall winner Jessie Diggins of Afton, Minnesota is one of the most dominant and successful cross country skiers in the world.