The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) announced its cross-country team nominations for the 2015/2016 season on Thursday, naming 16 athletes to the team, four more than the previous year.
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Relive the action at the 2015 U.S. Distance Nationals with our photo gallery of the 30- and 50-kilomter freestyle mass starts that took place at Galena Lodge in Sun Valley, Idaho as part of the 2015 SuperTour Finals.
Babikov, Gregg Ski to 50/30 k Victories at U.S. Distance Nationals (Updated)
Lander KarathMarch 26, 2015
Thursday's SuperTour Finals action welcomed the 30 and 50 k U.S. Distance Nationals, where Canada's Ivan Babikov won over Colorado's Rune Malo Ødegård and USST/SSCV's Noah Hoffman, who claimed the title of national champion. Caitlin Gregg (Team Gregg/Madshus) won the 30 k by just under three minutes over USST/Burke's Liz Stephen.
Bjornsen Powers to Another SuperTour Finals Title; Phinney Earns First Major Podium
Lander KarathMarch 23, 2015
Sadie Bjornsen (APU/USST) claimed her second victory in two days in the 1.2 k freestyle sprint at the 2015 SuperTour Finals in Sun Valley, Idaho. She was followed by a strong performance from Middlebury College's Kelsey Phinney, who earned her first podium at the domestic elite level.
Bjornsen Siblings Dominate Classic Races at SuperTour Finals to Conquer Long-Time Goal
Lander KarathMarch 22, 2015
Sadie and Erik Bjornsen accomplished a mutual goal to both land on the top of the podium on the same day after winning their respective races at the first competition of the 2015 SuperTour Finals in Sun Valley, Idaho. They each won their respective 10/15 k races by roughly a minute.
A trio of Americans finished in the top 20 of the final women's World Cup race of the season, a 30-kilometer freestyle mass start in Holmenkollen, Norway. Liz Stephen led the U.S. team in ninth, Jessie Diggins took 14th, while Caitlin Gregg capped off an eventful World Cup season with a 19th-place finish.
Marit Bjørgen proved once again why she is the world's best, saving one last attack to skate past Norwegian teammate Therese Johaug to take victory in the Holmenkollen 30 k and make it a clean sweep of the sprint, distance, and overally World Cup titles. Astrid Jacobsen outsprinted Sweden's Charlotte Kalla for third place.
Three in Top 20, U.S. Women Prove Their Mettle With Gritty Results in Worlds 30 k
Lander KarathFebruary 28, 2015
Whether it was Sadie Bjornsen leading the race at 5 k, Liz Stephen scoring the best result ever for a U.S. woman in a World Champs 30 k by finishing 11th, or Rosie Brennan outsprinting Justyna Kowalczyk for 16th, the American women ended World Championships on a high note.
A Russian racer skied over Sadie Bjornsen's tips 2.5 kilometers into the 4 x 5 k relay, but the Americans fought back strong to finish fourth. "We all skied the best we possibly could today," said Liz Stephen. "I’m already dreaming for the next chance at a podium.”
Kalla Untouchable in Snowy World Champs 10 k; Diggins and Gregg Surprise with U.S. Double Podium
Alex KochonFebruary 24, 2015
Charlotte Kalla made for a happy local crowd on Tuesday with a 41-second win in the 10 k freestyle at 2015 World Championships in Falun, Sweden. Two Americans joined her on the podium for a historic first in a women's distance race at a World Championships: Jessie Diggins in second and Caitlin Gregg in third.
Stephen Leads North Americans in 11th in World Champs Skiathlon Despite Fatigue
Lander KarathFebruary 21, 2015
Liz Stephen was the top North American in Saturday's 15 k skiathlon after she raced to 11th behind winner Therese Johaug. She said the result was unexpected given remaining fatigue from the prior week's training.
American Jessie Diggins finished 17th after posting the fifth-fastest time at the 1.8-kilometer mark, while Liz Stephen -- who finished fifth overall in the 2015 Tour de Ski -- took 26th. Rosie Brennan came in 32nd and was just a few seconds from cracking the top 30, while Kikkan Randall finished 33rd.
This Monday the USST announced 16 cross country athletes will represent the U.S. at the 2015 FIS Nordic World Championships in Falun, Sweden. Headlined by defending World Champions Kikkan Randall and Jessie Diggins, a mix of veterans and newcomers will take on the world's best.
‘The old Jessie is back’ as Diggins Skis to Fifth in Rybinsk Skiathlon
Lander KarathJanuary 25, 2015
USST athlete Jessie Diggins earned her second fifth-place of the weekend in the 7.5 k + 7.5 k skiathlon in Rybinsk, Russia. Diggins led the USST women to place four skiers in the top-20 with Liz Stephen in seventh, Sadie Bjornsen in 13th, and Rosie Brennan in 20th.
Russian Yulia Tchekaleva won the women’s 15-kilometer skiathlon Sunday by 15.6 seconds, earning her first-ever World Cup victory and delivering her best result of the season on home turf in Rybinsk, Russia.
Stephen Earns Historic Podium in Rybinsk; Jacobsen Notches First Win in Seven Years
Lander KarathJanuary 23, 2015
Liz Stephen marked yet another historic race with a second place in the 10 k freestyle in Rybinsk, Russia. The 27-year-old not only earned her first-ever World Cup podium, she also notched the best finish by an American woman in a World Cup distance race.
The Tour de Ski was the one major international title that eluded Marit Bjørgen, but she finally claimed it after an uncontested victory in Sunday's final stage in Val di Femme, Italy, a 9 k freestyle pursuit. While Norway swept the podium, Liz Stephen took fifth to earn the best Tour finish of all time for the United States.
Stephen: ‘I Don’t Think I’ve Ever Imagined a Classic Race Shaping Up into Fifth’
Chelsea LittleJanuary 10, 2015
Liz Stephen found herself in fifth place in Saturday's 10 k classic mass start at the Tour de Ski, and she thought, why not? Why don't I belong here? She hung on to record her best-ever finish in the classic technique, and hopes to move from sixth up to fourth in the Tour's final stage on Sunday.
Therese Johaug surprised nobody as much as herself when she passed Marit Bjørgen in the final meters of Saturday's 10 k classic mass start. Norway swept the podium again, but Aino Kaisa Saarinen of Finland turned in her best performance all season in fourth place, and American Liz Stephen finished an assertive fifth.
Stephen Remains 14th in Tour de Ski after 15 k Pursuit; Randall Ends Tour in 25th
Colin GaiserJanuary 8, 2015
Kikkan Randall is leaving the 2015 Tour de Ski in 25th, while Liz Stephen put together a good performance on Thursday to stay in 14th overall. Stephen will be the only American women racing in the final two stages.