Soar on the Podium; Seven in the Top 10 in Bakuriani
The Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team moguls athletes took on the bumps in Bakuriani, Georgia this morning for the first time since the 2023 Freestyle World Championships, with Hannah Soar landing on the podium in third. Seven finished in the top 10.
It was overcast with light snowfall today, and the U.S. women started off the day strong, with all six competitors making it to finals. Alli Macuga had a slow start to the day qualifying last in 16th place, but turned things around in finals to qualify for her first career individual moguls super finals. Three made the finals for the men: Dylan Walczyk, Dylan Marcellini and Nick Page.
In super finals, the U.S. women once again showed their consistency and depth across the board, with Soar earning her first podium of the season, finishing third, followed by Macuga in fourth, a moguls personal best, and Jaelin Kauf in sixth. Just outside the super finals was Elizabeth Lemley in eighth, followed by Tess Johnson in 10th and Olivia Giaccio in 12th.
"Getting fourth today was another huge step for me in the right direction," said Macuga. "Qualifying 16th was hard for me to accept, but had to remember that the only way to go from there was up. I’ve been figuring out a lot about my skiing and was very proud of it, especially to get fourth place."
"It was great to get a podium at the end of these seven weeks on the road. It’s a Christmas miracle!" said Soar.
Page finished in fourth place in a tight competition on the men's side, bouncing back from his results last week in Alpe d'Huez, France. Dylan Walczyk was just outside super finals in seventh overall. Dylan Marcellini landed in 13th, Landon Wendler in 21st and Cole McDonald finished 26th.
“Today’s event was another step in the right direction that I was happy with. I liked how I was building through the training days and was able to stay on that trajectory for the contest," said Page. "With conditions getting more challenging this afternoon, it showed a few weaknesses that I am still working on in a way that’s kind of exciting. It’s giving me a framework and allowing me to have conversations on what I need to do to improve. There’s something really special about learning, growing and finding ways to get better every single day. I love that process and am excited to keep building to what’s next.”
Tomorrow, Dec. 23, the team takes on the dual moguls event in Bakuriani, Georgia before taking a break for the holiday. Watch live at 4:30 a.m. ET on skiandsnowboard.live
