In what many would say is Jessie Diggins' best event, the reigning 10k skate world champion took home her 16th career victory in today's 10k in Östersund, Sweden - her second victory of the 2023-24 season and 50th career World Cup podium. Rosie Brennan and Sophia Laukli finished within the top 10 in fifth and eighth, respectively. 

It was another landmark weekend for the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team, with two individual podiums, over a dozen athletes in the top 30 and career bests across the board. Going into weekend four of racing, Diggins continues to lead the World Cup overall with Brennan close behind in second. Diggins also leads the distance overall; Brennan is third and Laukli is 16th. 

Sunday's 10k skate featured a technical three-lap course in snowy and cold conditions. The men started the day with the individual start format, sending an athlete off the line every 15 seconds. Coming off the energy and momentum of yesterday's historic day, the U.S. sent three into the top 30: Johnny Hagenbuch in 13th, Gus Schumacher in 21st and Zanden McMullen in 28th. Hagenbuch, who had a standout race, secured his career-best result, breaking through to the top 20; McMullen also had a career-best day, besting his 28th place from earlier this season in the Ruka World Cup 20k skate. 

"Today’s race felt great - a continuation of the form that started to come around in the relay in Gällivare," said Hagenbuch. "I executed my pacing really well, and it’s very gratifying to have a such a good result also! Hopefully I’ll be able to carry this momentum into Trondheim, U.S. Nationals and the rest of the season through NCAAs."

For the women, it was nearly a repeat of last weekend, where Diggins won the 10k skate by 23.1 seconds. This time, she won by 23 seconds -  an incredible margin for the shorter of the distance races on the circuit. Across every time check on course, Diggins was in the lead, with Brennan close behind. It was a course that played to the strength of the Americans - gradual gliding sections, technical corners and working descents. Alongside Diggins, Brennan and Laukli in the top 30 was Julia Kern, who ended the day in 29th.  

At the end of the day, Diggins credited her win "to the boys," mentioning in the post-race live interview that "she wanted to ski as fast as JC (Schoonmaker)," and that her race today was for the men's team, as well as shouting out to the wax technicians for providing the entire team with outstanding skis for the third weekend in a row. 

Next up, the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team will travel to Trondheim, Norway for the final race weekend of period one before taking a break for the holidays. 

RESULTS
Women's 10k skate
Men's 10k skate

History was made in U.S. men’s cross country skiing, with JC Schoonmaker taking his first career World Cup podium in the Östersund, Sweden sprint and Stifel U.S. Ski Team teammate Ben Ogden just behind him in fourth place. On the women’s side, Rosie Brennan and Jessie Diggins also finished at the top in fourth and fifth place, respectively. Diggins is now first in the overall and Brennan is third.

History in the Sprints

The Östersund sprint course was longer than a typical sprint, taking athletes over three minutes to complete the track. The snow was tricky, with new snow falling, glazed-over tracks and cold temperatures. Yet, despite the tough conditions to wax for, the wax technicians team nailed the American skis and the athletes capitalized. After the qualification round, where the top 30 times advanced, three American women and two men advanced to the heats: Diggins, Brennan, Julia Kern, Schoonmaker and Ogden. 

In the men’s heats, where the top two finishers advance, Ogden handily won his quarterfinal while Schoonmaker was second. The semis was a similar story with Ogden winning and Schoonmaker scoring second. It was the first time that Ogden and Schoonmaker had advanced to the sprint final in their careers, showing that the next generation of U.S. men’s skiing is here. 

In the final, Ogden and Schoonmaker were surrounded by four Norwegians, including the ultimate winner of the race, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo. It was a tight race from start to finish, with various leaders going stride for stride on the long Östersund track. In the final stretch, around the 180-degree final turn, Schoonmaker was hanging onto the lead pack and crossed the finish line in third, landing himself on a World Cup podium for the first time in his career. Ogden was only seconds behind, crossing the finish in fourth. With this result, Ogden is now third in the overall World Cup sprint standings; Schoonmaker is seventh. 

“This is the best team in the world and my heart is full knowing I get to be a part of it!” said Schoonmaker, post-race. Teammate Luke Jager added, “I tell myself nothing else in the world matters when your team is doing what they’re doing right now! I felt like I was watching the Moon Landing live today during the men’s final. And Jessie and Rosie just causally both being top three in the overall?! These people show us over and over again that if you do your best every day and you are nice to everyone, good things will happen.”
 

Simi Hamilton was the last U.S. man to stand on a World Cup podium in 2017. 

For the women, Diggins and Brennan did it again, both landing in the top five and furthering themselves from the field in the overall standings. Similar to the men’s race, Brennan and Diggins both led their quarterfinals, easily making their way into the semis. In the semifinal, Brennan finished fourth, which typically results in an end to the race day, yet, based on Brennan’s time, she advanced to the final. Diggins won her semifinal, punching herself a ticket to the final alongside Brennan. In the last race of the day, Emma Ribom of Sweden ultimately won, but Brennan and Diggins crossed the line in fourth and fifth, showcasing their ability to be podium contenders in every single race they enter. Brennan’s fourth place also marks her best-ever classic sprint result. 

When asked about post-race feelings, the focus of Diggins was solely on the men. “When a person succeeds on our team, it feels like everyone’s success,” said Diggins. “We really do celebrate that. When JC crushed the sprint today, it felt like the whole team was part of that moment.”

The momentum of the U.S. team continues to tomorrow in the 10k skate. 

RESULTS

Women’s sprint
Men’s sprint

The most recent World Cup held in Gällivare, Sweden, was 12 years ago. It marked a significant milestone for the U.S. women's team, as they secured their first-ever team relay podium, led by a 21-year-old Jessie Diggins. Fast forward to December 3, 2023, and the U.S. women once again stood on the podium in third place. This time, the team was led by the now-veteran Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan, alongside Sophia Laukli and Julia Kern.

On a cold and blustery day during the second day of racing in northern Sweden, the stands and course were packed with enthusiastic fans. It was relay day, where each nation assembled one to two teams of four athletes each, with two athletes skiing a classic leg and two skating. The atmosphere was festive, with USA athletes, techs and coaches donning blue and red relay socks, face paint and glitter. 

Breaking down the women's 4x7.5k team relay, Jessie Diggins, coming off a victory in the previous day's 10k skate, led the U.S. women's team. Each athlete completed two laps of the challenging 3.5k course, featuring technical turns, fast downhills and little room for rest. Diggins set a blistering pace from the start, handing over to teammate Brennan, who extended the lead further. Laukli and Kern continued the strong performance, maintaining a top-three position. Crossing the finish line, the U.S. women secured third place behind Germany and Sweden. 

Post-race, Jessie Diggins expressed her pride in being part of the team relays and witnessing the evolution of the team over the years. 

"One of the things I am most proud of in my career is being part of the team relays, and seeing how the team has changed year after year," said Diggins, post race. "But then some things haven't changed! We still have the relay socks, the face paint, the glitter... and then all of these amazing women that are coming up and putting their heart and soul into this team and racing so hard - it's so cool to see. Seeing the fire in their eyes and seeing them give everything they had makes me so proud, knowing we're doing it all together." 

In the men's 4x7.5k team relay, it was a historic and thrilling day for the U.S. men's team, with both USA teams (USA #1 and USA #2) achieving top results. USA #1, comprised of Ben Ogden, Gus Schumacher, Scott Patterson and Zanden McMullen, finished fifth, breaking a 20-year top-five drought. USA #2 included Luke Jager, Zak Ketterson, Johnny Hagenbuch and JC Schoonmaker. 

The race featured both USA teams setting the pace. On the first leg, Ogden of USA #1 and Jager of USA #2 set a strong pace, then Schumacher (USA #1) and Ketterson (USA #2) then worked together in leg two, and strong performances from Patterson (USA #1) and Hagenbuch (USA #2) rounded out leg three; Hagenbuch skied on the fastest legs of the day when comparing final times. McMullen (USA #1), secured a fifth-place finish, while Schoonmaker (USA #2) crossed the line in eighth.

Reflecting on the day, McMullen emphasized the comfort of camaraderie within the team. "I think being such good friends and being so close to your teammates," he said. "It relieves a lot of pressure and feels very familiar."

Looking ahead, Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team program director Chris Grover highlighted the potential of this strong men's team. 

"Today we got yet another glimpse of the true potential of this men’s team in relays," he said. "We’ve known the talent is there given their World Junior Championship relay medal pedigree, and we know we need patience as these men make the step to World Cup and build critical experience. In the next seasons, these men will clearly challenge for the podium. We’re likely on the cusp of a period of truly inspiring USA men’s success. It’s also very exciting to see the team in third place overall in the Nation’s Cup after two hard weekends of racing in Scandinavia."

Next up, the team travels to Östersund, Sweden for the third week of World Cup racing. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

The FIS Cross Country World Cup made its way to northern Sweden for the first time in over a decade and Jessie Diggins of the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team took home her 15th career World Cup victory and her second podium of the season. 

It was a strong day for the U.S. women's team, with five in the top 30. Diggins finished first, Rosie Brennan tied for sixth, Sophia Laukli 13th, Julia Kern 18th and Novie McCabe 29th. Alayna Sonnesyn crossed the finish line in 40th. 

The last time the World Cup was held in Gällivare was in 2012 when Diggins was only 21 years old and one of the youngest athletes on the team. On the same course, history was made, when Diggins anchored the historic women’s relay that included her then-teammates, Kikkan Randall, Holly Brooks and Liz Stephen. It was the first time in history that the U.S. landed on team podium. Over a decade later, Diggins now 32, is back on top of the Gällivare podium, leading a strong team of young Americans in the process. 

"It was so cool to see all my teammates having great races, too," said Diggins. "We once again had amazing skis thanks to our techs! They put their heart and soul into our skis and my teammates put their heart and soul into their race, and that is what matters."

The 10k course is no easy feat, with two challenging laps, 52 athletes out on course, over 1,140ft of climbing and extremely technical downhills. Throughout the time checks, Diggins never lost the lead. At 8.9k, Diggins had over 20 seconds on Sweden's Ebba Andersson, who ultimately finished the race in second.

Brennan was consistently in the top five throughout each time check and crossed the line tied for sixth with Lotta Udnes Weng of Norway. 

"It was a pretty good day," said Brennan. "I'm generally in a good place right now and am enjoying each day. I'm also really thankful that I get the opportunity to race every weekend!" 

For Laukli, another top 15 is a testament to a strong summer of training and trail running. Over the summer, Laukli won the Golden Trail Series overall, cementing herself as one of the strongest trail runners in the world. Pair a distance race with lots of climbing - Laukli will use that to her advantage. Today she ended the 10k in 13th.

For the men, Gus Schumacher led the team for the second weekend in a row and crossed the finish line in 16th, adding another top-30 result to his roster. Ben Ogden was close behind in 25th, Scott Patterson 35th, Zanden McMullen 36th, John Steel Hagenbuch 45th, Luke Jager 54th and Zak Ketterson 58th. 

At the end of the day, Diggins now has 15 individual World Cup victories to her name and 49 overall World Cup podiums. With a strong start to the 2023-24 season, Diggins is focused on taking it race by race. 

"I wasn't focused on results or time or beating anyone, I was just trying to ski this course as best as I could," said Diggins. 

Up next, the team will compete in the 4x7.5k team relay tomorrow, Dec. 3. Watch LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live. 

RESULTS
Women 10k
Men 10k

Another day, another podium for the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team. Teammates Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan put all the pieces together in a gutsy mass start 20k to leave Ruka with a double USA podium, with Diggins in second and Brennan in third. 

On the last day of racing in Finland, the U.S. team was coming off top results from Brennan's second-place result the day prior. Temperatures were frigid - at times, it was less than 1 degree Fahrenheit - yet the field of 49 racers lined the start lanes for the first mass start of the season, ready to ski eight laps around the grueling 2.5k course. 

Through the first couple laps, the pack stuck together with very little movement, but as time went on the lead pack gained momentum with powerhouse nations Sweden and Norway flooding the top 10. But then came Brennan, Diggins and Laukli. 

On the fourth lap, packs were forming and the lead pack featured three Americans pushing the pace. With just 2.5k to go, things became interesting. At the top of the "stair-stepper climb," Diggins lost a pole and immediately began searching for another. While doing so, she was hit in the face by the spare, resulting in not only a bloody lip and cheek, but a lost glove. With 1.5k to go, Diggins dug deep going into the long downhill, with only one glove, a spare pole and 1.5k of course left. 

"I had to dig really, really deep for that one," said Diggins. "I lost a pole and my glove with it with about 1.5k left to go. I quickly got a replacement pole - that ended up smashing me in the face, which resulted in me having a pretty bloody mouth, but I finished the race!"

On the final hill, Diggins and Brennan were charging, alongside Moa Ilar of Sweden and Lotta Udnes Weng of Norway. In the final stretch, with the crowd going wild, Diggins and Brennan pull off a feat every nation strives for - landing two teammates on the podium. Diggins was second and Brennan was third. Laukli finished in 14th, breaking into the top 20 in expert fashion and rounding out three American women in the top 20. 

For the men, Gus Schumacher led the day for the American men with a 14th place result, capping off a successful weekend for Schumacher in Ruka. Scott Patterson was not far behind in 22nd and teammate Zanden McMullen scored his career-best result in 28th. 

At the end of the day in the finish pen, it took Diggins some time to warm up with the help of her teammates, athletes from other nations, USA support staff and coaches shedding their own layers to keep her warm. At the podium ceremony, Diggins was all smiles alongside Brennan, who had just secured her second podium of the weekend. 

"I'm super motivated by my results this weekend because its giving me confidence that my summer of training was really good," said Brennan. "Today was definitely motivating and i'm looking forward to what's next!"

Next on the World Cup program is the Gällivare World Cup in Sweden, with a 10k skate and 4x7.5k relay, Dec. 2-3, 2023.

RESULTS
Women
Men

On the second day of racing in Ruka, Finland, Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team athlete Rosie Brennan took home her first individual classic podium in the 10k classic. Teammate Jessie Diggins crossed the line in 11th, a career best classic result in Ruka. 

The first World Cup races of the season can set the tone for what's to come and Brennan is already coming out on top. Despite not having many days on snow prior to the first races, she showed promise in the grueling 10k classic, with two solid laps around one of the hilliest and most technical courses on the World Cup calendar.

Ruka is known for its long hills and challenging terrain. Out of the starting gate, racers descend a steep hill and immediately begin climbing another - a section referred to as the "halfpipe" - with very little room for recovery. At the 5k mark, Brennan moved into a podium spot and comfortably stayed until the finish line. When she crossed the line in front of the large Ruka crowd, Brennan was only 5.5 seconds back from first. At the end of the day, Ebba Andersson of Sweden took home the victory with teammate Frida Karlsson in third - Brennan broke up the Swedish podium sweep in second. 

"I had really nice skis out there today, that's for sure," said Brennan in a post-race interview. "I've been really happy with the improvements I've made in classic skiing and it all worked out today - I'm very happy with my result!" 

Today's second place result gave Brennan her first World Cup individual classic podium and her eighth overall World Cup podium. Right behind Brennan was teammate Diggins, who crossed the line in 11th. This result is Diggins' best classic result in Ruka, and when asked about her race, she focused on her teammate. "I was so proud of Rosie and just seeing her ski with confidence and authority like that was so beautiful," said Diggins. "It made me really happy!” 

Novie McCabe followed Diggins with an impressive 30th place and Gus Schumacher led the American men with a 22nd place. Now, the team will race one more time before the end of the first World Cup race weekend with the 20k mass start on Sunday, Nov. 26. Watch LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live with commentary by Kikkan Randall and Chad Salmela. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

HOW TO WATCH
4:00 a.m. ET // Women's 20k skate // live & on-demand: skiandsnowboard.live
6:35 a.m. ET // Men's 20k skate // live & on-demand: skiandsnowboard.live

The FIS Cross Country World Cup kicked off in Ruka, Finland with the classic sprint and four Americans found the top 11. Jessie Diggins led the women in seventh place and Ben Ogden the men in 11th.

It was a cold, blustery day for the first World Cup of the 2023-24 season and the excitement of a new season was palpable. Thousands of fans crowded the course, including the familiar faces of the Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team moguls athletes who lined the finishing stretch to cheer. 

The start of the season was no easy feat, as this season marks the start of the complete fluro-ban by FIS, in which all nations must ensure that all skis are fluro-free at top-tier events, including the FIS World Cup. The new fluro-free rules brought a few more steps that athletes and staff must abide by before lining up on the start line, but at the end of the day, the race went on. 

For the women, Rosie Brennan, Julia Kern and Diggins advanced to the heats by landing in the top 30 of the field. Ogden and JC Schoonmaker advanced to the heats for the men. The qualifications results painted the picture of just how fast the field was skiing, with only a few seconds separating 30th and first place.

In the heats, Diggins and Kern won their quarterfinal heats easily and Brennan crossed the line in second. Ogden won his quarterfinal heat, putting him in a solid position for the semis; Schoonmaker was fifth and did not advance. In the semis, no American athletes advanced but today still marks the best results from the American team in history, with four in the final top 11: the women going seventh, eighth and ninth, and Ogden just outside the top 10 in 11th. 

"I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season," said Brennan in a post-race interview. "Honestly, this was quite a good day for the whole team and very cool to see." 

"It's really nice to be back. This is the best Ruka result for the team," said Diggins. "But just being here is a victory and actually racing was a cherry on top. I'm really lucky to have such an amazing team and proud to be here, it took a lot of work. It took me 12 years to make the semi-finals in Ruka, and that's why we don't give up, we just keep trying!" 

Now, the team will make a quick turnaround to the next race - the 10k classic tomorrow, Nov. 24. 

RESULTS
Women's sprint
Men's sprint

HOW TO WATCH
Saturday, Nov. 24
- 6:15 a.m. ET / Men's 10k classic / live and on-demand: skiandsnowboard.live
- 4:00 a.m. ET / Women's 10k classic / live and on-demand: skiandsnowboard.live