PARK CITY, Utah (April 15, 2019) – USA Nordic has announced its nominations for ski jumping and nordic combined national teams for the upcoming 2019-20 season. A total of 38 athletes have been nominated to national and junior national teams based on their ability to meet specific criteria over the last season. This is one of the largest teams to date.
Ski jumper Kevin Bickner (Wauconda, Ill.) is coming off a solid year where he garnered a season best 18th place on the World Cup. Casey Larson (Barrington, Ill) spent time last season on the FIS Cup, Continental Cup and World Cup. His efforts all came to fruition at the World Championships where the youngster finished a career best 28th. Andrew Urlaub (Eau Claire, Wis.) and Patrick Gasienica (Spring Grove, Ill.), just 18 and 20 years old, represented the USA at the World Championships this past season.
The women’s ski jumping team is led by Nita Englund (Florence, Wis.) who finished in the World Cup top 30 eight times last season. Nina Lussi (Lake Placid, N.Y.) had a solid return from a knee injury and looks to grow more with a full healthy year under her belt. Logan Sankey (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) was an up and comer this year, gaining plenty of World Cup starts and competing in her first ever World Championships.
Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) will return as a veteran of the nordic combined team after a season with 10 finishes in the World Cup top 30. Jasper Good (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) and Ben Loomis (Eau Claire, Wis.) are coming off a season where they scored their first World Cup points. Jared Shumate (Park City, Utah) was the best American finisher at the Junior World Championships last season placing ninth. Shumate had the fastest time in that race proving that he is one of the fastest up and coming nordic combined skiers in the world.
After a very successful season where she won 10 Continental Cups, Tara Geraghty-Moats (W. Fairlee, Vt.) hopes to lead the women’s nordic combined team for years to come. Joining her on the women’s nordic combined team are Tess Arnone and Annika Malacinski who both found success at the home Continental Cups in Steamboat Springs and Park City last winter; finishing in the top ten a handful of times.
This past season, women’s nordic combined held its first ever Junior World Championships as well as the longest Continental Cup season to date. In 2021 women’s nordic combined will make its World Championship debut in Oberstdorf, Germany- with high hopes of future Olympic Game inclusion.
After sitting the past season out due to injury, three athletes are making their much-awaited return. Highlighting this list is former ski jumping world champion Sarah Hendrickson (Park City, Utah). Also returning from injury are Cara Larson (Barrington, Ill.) and Stephen Schumann (Park City, Utah) both promising young athletes who have worked strenuously in order to return from last season’s knee injuries.
Six athletes have made the move from junior national team to national team- a move that the coaching staff loves to see and hopes to see more of in the years to follow. Decker Dean (Steamboat Springs, Colo.), Andrew Urlaub (Eau Claire, Wis.), Patrick Gasienica (Spring Grove, Ill.), Anna Hoffman (Madison, Wis.), Paige Jones (Park City, Utah), and Tess Arnone (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) are athletes who have moved up from the junior national team. USA Nordic executive director Bill Demong states, “This is a huge success and a true testament to our investment in our development pipeline.”
Although the season seems to have just ended, the training season is approaching. Right now many athletes are enjoying their time at home and getting some must needed rest. Summer jumping will begin towards the end of May for some athletes. In the meantime, the ski jumpers will be building strength in the gym, stretching, and performing plyometrics while the nordic combined skiers will be putting in long slow hours of running, skiing, and biking. These athletes, along with many others, will be gearing up for the annual Springer Tournee, which will take place in Park City, Utah July 21-27; with National Championships taking place over that weekend.
Men’s Ski Jumping
A Team
Kevin Bickner (Wauconda, Ill)
B Team
Casey Larson (Barrington, Ill.)
C Team
Decker Dean (Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
Andrew Urlaub (Eau Claire, Wis.)
Patrick Gasienica (Spring Grove, Ill.)
Junior National Team
Greyson Scharffs (Park City, Utah)
Canden Wilkinson (Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
Erik Belshaw (Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
Hunter Gibson (Fox River Grove, Ill.)
Landon Lee (Eau Claire, Wis.)
Women’s Ski Jumping
A Team
Nita Englund (Florence, Wis.)
B Team
Nina Lussi (Lake Placid, N.Y.)
Sarah Hendrickson (Park City, Utah)
C Team
Logan Sankey (Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
Anna Hoffmann (Madison, Wis.)
Paige Jones (Park City, Utah)
Samantha Macuga (Park City, Utah)
Annika Belshaw (Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
Junior National Team
Jillian Highfill (Park City, Utah)
Rachael Haerter (Park City, Utah)
Cara Larson (Barrington, Ill.)
Men’s Nordic Combined
A Team
Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
B Team
Jasper Good (Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
Ben Loomis (Eau Claire, Wis.)
Jared Shumate (Park City, Utah)
Stephen Shumann (Park City, Utah)
C Team
Grant Andrews (Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
Junior National Team
Beckett Ledger (Lake Placid, N.Y.)
Evan Nichols (Lyme, NH)
Niklas Malacinski (Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
Bennet Gamber (Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
Aidan Ripp (Cloquet, Minn.)
Gunnar Gilbertson (Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
Carter Brubaker (Anchorage, AK)
Women’s Nordic Combined
B Team
Tara Geraghty-Moats (West Fairlee, Vt.)
Tess Arnone (Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
Annika Malacinski (Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
Junior National Team
Alexa Brabec (Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
