2016 USSA Junior National Championships Day One: 10/5k Individual Classic Victories

CABLE, Wisconsin (March 7, 2016) – Warm weather and tough conditions greeted the skiers as the 2016 USSA Junior National Championships kicked off Monday, on the historic and grueling Telemark Trails.

Nick Gardner (Midwest) U20, Abigail Drach (Midwest) U20, Hunter Wonders (Alaska) U18, Leah Brams (New England) U18, Mae Chalmers (New England) U16, and Gus Schumacher (Alaska) U16, claimed the coveted 10/5k Junior National individual classic titles.

Bib 55, Nick Gardner (Midwest) skiing to a U20 Victory in the 10k Individual Classic.

The men’s U20 10k race had first tracks and the coolest temperatures of the day as Nick Gardner (Midwest) skied to a convincing first place finish 35.1 seconds ahead of Logan Diekmann (Intermountain) who was second and Max Donaldson (Alaska) who finished third. In the men’s U18 10k race, Hunter Wonders (Alaska) claimed the Junior National classic title 26 seconds ahead of Nolan Herzog (Rocky Mountain) and Xavier Mansfield (Midwest) who finished third. Wonders also had the fastest time of the day overall on the 10k course. Wonders has had an exceptional year competing in the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway and the U18 Scandinavian Championships in Otepaa, Estonia in February.

Bib 36, Hunter Wonders (Alaska) claimed the U18 and Overall Victory.

In the women’s U20 5k race, Abigail Drach (Midwest) dominated the race to claim the Junior National classic title 32.5 seconds ahead of Mattie Watts (Midwest) and Lauren Jortberg (New England) who finished third. In the women’s U18 race Leah Brams won the women’s race overall and claimed the Junior National classic title just 4.8 seconds ahead of Mackenzie Rizio (New England) and Hailey Swirbul (Rocky Mountain) who finished third. Brams also had the fastest time of the day for the U20/U18 women’s 5k race.

Bib 194, Abbie Drach (Midwest) claimed the U20 Female Victory in a 5k Individual Classic.

The U16 races became more challenging as the temperature increased, causing the course to become soft. In the men’s 5k race, Gus Schumacher (Alaska) claimed the victory by 6.8 seconds over Ben Ogden (New England) and Conor Munns (New England) who finished third.

PE5A9527 — Bib 343, Gus Schumacher claimed the U16 men’s 5k Classic Victory.

In the women’s U16 5k, Mae Chalmers (New England) claimed the Junior National individual classic title just 3.9 seconds over teammate Anna Lehmann and Abigail Jarzin (Midwest) who finished third.