Cross Country Ski World Championship Team announced
Tue, Jan 22, 2019 - By Reese Brown
U.S. Ski & Snowboard has named 18 athletes to the U.S. Cross Country Team that will compete in the 2019 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships next month in Seefeld, Austria. The biennial World Championships brings together the best athletes in the sport for the Feb. 20 - March 3 event which will be live streamed in its entirely on NBCsports.com.
“This team has the experience and the tenacity to bring medals home from Seefeld,” said U.S. Cross Country Team Head Coach Chris Grover. “Both Sophie and Jessie know how to win on these courses, and they’ll be supported by a veteran group. Our staff has been making some great skis this season and brings many years of Championship know-how to Seefeld. We are excited to see what everyone can do.”
The team includes two medalists from past championships including Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) and Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.). At the 2017 World Championships in Lahti, Finland, Diggins won the silver in the freestyle sprint and teamed up with Bjornsen in the classic team sprint to take the bronze. Only five Americans have won a cross country medal at World Championships.
“It’s always an honor to be named to a Championship team, and I’m excited to join such a strong team as we head into Seefeld 2019,” said Diggins. “Although there’s always pressure coming into big events like this, I’m going to be focused on executing my race plan and peaking for the events I’ve targeted at the World Championships in the next few weeks. I’ve enjoyed racing and training on the trails in Seefeld and they have a great atmosphere there, so it should be a really fun and exciting set of races.”
Competition opens on Thursday, February 21, with the freestyle sprint, followed by the skiathlon before heading into the distance races. The Championships conclude on March 2-3 with a 30k women’s and 50k men’s freestyle mass start.
Sadie Bjornsen and Jessie Diggins are both medalists from the 2017 World Championships. (Getty Images - Richard Heathcote)
2019 U.S. Cross Country World Championship Team
(name, hometown, ski club, birthdate)
Men
Simi Hamilton, Aspen, Co., (SMST2) 5/14/1987
Erik Bjornsen, Winthrop, Wash., (Alaska Pacific University) 7/15/1991
Andy Newell, Shaftsbury, Vt., (SMST2) 11/30/1983
Kevin Bolger, Sun Valley, Idaho, (SVSEF) 04/11/1993
Logan Hanneman, Fairbanks, Alaska, (Alaska Pacific University) 6/2/1993
Kyle Bratrud, Eden Prairie, Minn., (SMST2) 2/9/1993
David Norris, Fairbanks, Alaska, (Alaska Pacific University) 12/12/1990
Ben Lustgarten, Burlington, Vt., (Craftsbury Green Racing) 4/17/1992
Adam Martin, Wausau, Wis., (Craftsbury Green Racing) 10/26/1994
Scott Patterson, Anchorage, Alaska, (Alaska Pacific University) 01/28/1998
Women
Sadie Bjornsen, Winthrop, Wash., (Alaska Pacific University) 11/21/1989
Sophie Caldwell, Stratton Mountain, Vt., (SMST2) 3/22/1990
Jessie Diggins, Afton, Minn., (SMST2) 8/26/1991
Rosie Brennan, Park City, Utah, (Alaska Pacific University) 12/2/1988
Ida Sargent, Craftsbury, Vt., (Craftsbury Green Racing) 1/25/1988
Julia Kern, Waltham, Mass., ( SMST2) 09/12/1997
Caitlin Patterson, Craftsbury, Vt., (Craftsbury Green Racing) 1/30/1990
Rosie Frankowski, Minneapolis, Minn., (Alaska Pacific University) 7/30/1991
How to Watch
All times EST
Preliminary schedule, subject to change
*Same-day delayed broadcast
Wednesday, Feb. 20
6:30 a.m. - Women's 5k qualifying - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
8:00 am. - Men's 10k qualifying - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
3:00 p.m. - Men's 10k and women's 5k - NBCSN*
Thursday, Feb. 21
6:00 a.m. - Men and women's sprint qualification - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
8:30 a.m. - Men and women's sprint finals - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
11:30 a.m. - Men and women's sprint finals - NBCSN*
Saturday, Feb. 23
7:30 a.m. - Women's 15k skiathlon - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
8:30 a.m. - Men's 30k skiathlon - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
Sunday, Feb. 24
8:30 a.m. - Men and women's team sprint qualification - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
10:30 a.m. - Men and women's team sprint finals - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
11:30 a.m. - Men and women's team sprint finals - NBCSN*
Tuesday, Feb. 26
7:30 a.m. - Women's 10k - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
1:00 p.m. - Women's 10k - NBCSN*
Wednesday, Feb. 27
8:00 a.m. - Men's 15k - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
Thursday, Feb. 28
7:00 a.m. - Women's 4x5k relay - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
Friday, March 1
7:00 a.m. - Men's 4x10k relay - - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
Saturday, March 2
7:00 a.m. - Women's 30k - - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
Sunday, March 3
7:00 a.m. - Men's 50k - - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com