Stifel U.S. Ski Team Athletes Show Up at 2024 U.S. National Championships, SuperTour Finals
Duluth, Minnesota welcomed the top cross country athletes to a five-day, four-race series for the 2023-24 SuperTour finals and U.S. National Championships. Today, March 26th, the athletes skied the season's final race, with a challenging 40k skate, which saw Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete John Steel Hagenbuch take home another National Championship title for the men and Novie McCabe for the women.
After a season that started nearly six months ago in November of 2023, U.S. athletes traveled around the world, taking part in World Cups, Junior World Championships, U23 World Championships, Youth Olympic Games, National Championships, SuperTours. With a historic season in the World Cup, top results at U23s and Junior World Champs, first-ever medals at Youth Olympic Games, and more, the U.S. cross country ski community put on quite a show.
For the races in Duluth, the spring series wrapped up with four races, including a 10k classic, classic sprint, team sprint and 40k mass start skate race. The 10k classic was a SuperTour race, with the last three races categorized under the National Championship banner.
McCabe Wins 10k Classic SuperTour Final, Hagenbuch Second
For the first race of the series, a 10k individual classic race was on the agenda. Duluth's Grand Avenue Nordic Center pulled it off despite warm weather and limited snow. With women racing first, McCabe, who just returned from the World Cup Finals in Falun, Sweden just a day earlier, won the race, with freshly-minted NCAA Champion Sydney Palmer-Leger in second. Erin Bianco of Bridger Ski Foundation was third.
For the men, Canada's Antoine Cyr took home the victory but it was NCAA Champion and Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Steel Hagenbuch of Dartmouth University who took the first American spot, placing second. Zanden McMullen was ultimately third.
McCabe, Schoonmaker National Champions in Classic Sprint
On Saturday, March 23, the classic sprint showcased a 1.4k course, wrapping around two technical climbs into a steep descent into the stadium testing even the best skiers with the amount of doublepoling. From qualifiers to heats to finals, McCabe was the ultimate winner, taking home her second victory of the week, now with a sprint title, followed by Bridger Ski Foundation's Bianco in second and Alaska Pacific University's (APU) Renae Anderson in third.
For the men, JC Schoonmaker, one of the World Cup's best sprinters, was victorious, with teammate and Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete McMullen in second. Cyr of the Canadian National Team was third.
National Champ Team Sprint Debuts in Duluth
A race format not typically seen on the domestic race circuit made a surprise appearance in Duluth, with a team sprint for both men and women. In the men's field, 15 teams of two athletes each took to the start line. On a long-working, technical course, athletes had to come together and compete not individually, but as a team. In the end, U.S. national team athletes Schoonmaker and McMullen teamed up to bring home a victory for APU with the other Alaskan duo, Michael Earnhart and Luke Jager coming across the line just two seconds behind for second place. Thunder Bay's team, including Cyr and Julian Smith, rounded out the podium in third.
For the women, strategy was key. From the gun, it was all between staying relaxed but attacking the hills and saving enough for the finish. It was a clear contest between APU and Stratton Mountain School (SMS) club teams. The SMS duo of Alayna Sonnesyn and Lauren Jortberg were the ultimate winners, crossing the line ten seconds ahead of Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete and APU athletes McCabe and Anderson in second. Craftbury's ski club with Alex Lawson and Margie Freed were third.
National Champs Wraps With 40k Skate; Steel-Hagenbuch, McCabe Claim Another National Title
Conditions were not ideal for the final race of the season. With heavy snow, cold temperatures, strong wind, and 10 laps of a course in front of them, it was anyone's game for the 40k skate mass start.
Winning by over two minutes McCabe just wrapped up one of her most successful seasons. With top results on the World Cup circuit, including her best result outside of the Tour de Ski with an 11th place in Falun, Sweden just a week ago, the Alaskan racer claimed her fourth National Championship title and second of the week. This is McCabe's third victory and second National Championship title of the week. In the women's field, Palmer-Leger rounded out the Stifel U.S. Ski Team with second place. Mariah Bredal of Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation took the final podium position in third.
For Steel Hagenbuch, the sentiment is similar. With a season that included five wins, through SuperTours, National Championships, and a marquee win at the 2024 NCAA Championships, the Dartmouth skier is capping off an impressive season, including winning the final race of the season, the 40k skate. Jake Brown of Craftsbury and Ariens Nordic Center was second and Cyr rounded out a successful series in Duluth in third.
With the culmination of the 40k, the cross country season has officially wrapped and the athletes deserve some well-deserved rest.
RESULTS
Men's Races
Women's Races
