Press Release
USA NORDIC ANNOUNCES TEAM NOMINATIONS
Group of 45 nordic combined and ski jumping athletes earn spots
USA Nordic has nominated 45 American athletes to its 2021-22 national and junior nordic combined and ski jumping teams. Athletes achieved the nominations based on selection criteria. They will have the option of being a part of the 2021-22 U.S. Nordic Combined or U.S. Ski Jumping Team.
The nominations were made after the conclusion of the 2021 competition season. Athletes are now in training for the upcoming summer and winter seasons.
“Our team nominations include a wide range of veterans across our national teams, but some great up-and-coming athletes on the junior teams,” said USA Nordic Sport Director Jed Hinkley. “It was especially challenging this year with ever-changing schedule changes and cancelations.”
Athletes will have the option of accepting nominations prior to the 2021-22 season. The final teams for the season will be named this fall. With the Olympics coming up next winter in Beijing, athletes will be striving to earn positions on Team USA. Those nominations and team naming will be announced just prior to the Olympics.
2021-22 U.S. NORDIC COMBINED SKI TEAM
Men’s National Team
Grant Andrews, 23, Steamboat Springs, Colo., Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
Taylor Fletcher, 30, Steamboat Springs, Colo., Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
Jasper Good, 24, Steamboat Springs, Colo., Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
Ben Loomis, 22, Eau Claire, Wis., Flying Eagles Ski Club
Niklas Malacinski, 17, Steamboat Springs, Colo., Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
Evan Nichols, 17, Lyme, N.H., Ford K. Sayre Memorial Ski Council
Jared Shumate, 22, Park City, Utah, Park City Ski & Snowboard
Stephen Schumann, 21, Park City, Utah, Park City Ski & Snowboard
Women’s National Team
Tess Arnone, 18, Steamboat Springs, Colo., Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
Alexa Brabec, 16, Steamboat Springs, Colo., Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
Annika Malacinski, 19, Steamboat Springs, Colo., Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
Tara Geraghty-Moats, 28, W. Fairlee, Vt., Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club
2021-22 U.S. SKI JUMPING TEAM
Men’s National Team
Erik Belshaw, 16, Steamboat Springs, Colo., Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
Kevin Bickner, 24 Wauconda, Ill., Norge Ski Club
Decker Dean, 20, Steamboat Springs, Colo., Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
Patrick Gasienica, 22, Spring Grove, Ill., Norge Ski Club
Casey Larson, 22, Barrington, Ill., Norge Ski Club
Andrew Urlaub, 20, Eau Claire, Wis., Flying Eagles Ski Club
Canadian Athletes Training with USA Nordic
Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes
Matthew Soukup
Women’s National Team
Annika Belshaw, 18, Steamboat Springs, Colo., Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
Jillian Highfill, 17, Park City, Utah, Park City Ski & Snowboard
Anna Hoffmann, 20, Madison, Wis., Blackhawk Ski Club
Paige Jones, 18, Park City, Utah, Park City Ski & Snowboard
Cara Larson, 20, Barrington, Ill., Norge Ski Club
Nina Lussi, 27, Lake Placid, N.Y., New York Ski Education Foundation
Samantha Macuga, 20, Park City, Utah, Park City Ski & Snowboard
Logan Sankey, 22, Steamboat Springs, Colo., Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
2021-22 U.S. NORDIC COMBINED SKI TEAM – JUNIOR TEAM
Men’s Junior Team
Carter Brubaker, 17, Anchorage, Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage
Tate Frantz, 16, Lake Placid, New York Ski Education Foundation
Gunnar Gilbertson, 18, Steamboat Springs, Colo., Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
Henry Johnstone, 20, Concord, Mass. Andover Outing Club
Aidan Ripp, 20, Cloquet, Minn., Cloquet Ski Club
Zach Selzman, 16, Park City, Utah, Park City Ski & Snowboard
Caleb Zuckerman, 15, Norwich, Vt., Ford K. Sayre Memorial Ski Council
Women’s Junior Team
Aspen Bennett-Manke, 15, Steamboat Springs, Colo., Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
Charlotte Ripp, 16, Cloquet, Minn., Cloquet Ski Club
2021-22 U.S. SKI JUMPING TEAM – JUNIOR TEAM
Men’s Junior Team
Jason Colby, 15, Steamboat Springs, Colo., Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
Hunter Gibson, 20, Woodstock, Ill., Norge Ski Club
Stewart Gundry, 15, Eau Claire, Wis., Flying Eagles Ski Club
Shane Kocher, 17, Algonquin, Ill., Norge Ski Club
Landon Lee, 18, Eau Claire, Wis., Flying Eagles Ski Club
Women’s Junior Team
Rachael Haerter, 16, Park City, Utah, Park City Ski & Snowboard
Josie Johnson, 14, Park City, Utah, Park City Ski & Snowboard
Elise Loescher, 18, Burlington, Vt., New York Ski Education Foundation
Macey Olden, 16, Park City, Utah, Park City Ski & Snowboard
Adeline Swanson, 15, Woodbury, Minn., St. Paul Ski Club
About USA Nordic
USA Nordic is the national leadership organization for nordic combined and ski jumping in the United States, providing support and guidance to the nations’ clubs and coaches while overseeing the national elite teams. To stay connected, visit www.usanordic.org.
Jason Albert
Jason lives in Bend, Ore., and can often be seen chasing his two boys around town. He’s a self-proclaimed audio geek. That all started back in the early 1990s when he convinced a naive public radio editor he should report a story from Alaska’s, Ruth Gorge. Now, Jason’s common companion is his field-recording gear.
