4 Podiums for GRP at US Nationals; Sargent top 5 in Planica OPA Cups

Last Updated: 13.Jan.2017

The past week brought with it an ever variable mix of weather to Soldier Hollow, Utah, where six of the Green Racing Project skiers were competing in US National Championships. While the wax techs and skiers battled an onslaught of cold temperatures, rain, sleet, hail, and snow, they were able to come out on the other end with a handful of podiums and even a National Championship! While US Nationals traditionally have mostly American competitors, in this case the field included Canadian and collegiate athletes, which upped the level of competition from normal. Meanwhile, GRP and World Cup athlete Ida Sargent was in Planica, Slovenia, where she raced to an A Final appearance in an OPA Cup freestyle sprint.

US Nationals Day 1- 10/15k Freestyle
The championships kicked off on January 7th with interval start freestyle races, 10k for women and 15k for men. In frigid but clear conditions, Caitlin Patterson led the GRP women with a 3rd place in the 10k, just 14 seconds off the win. Kaitlynn Miller was next in 22nd, Liz Guiney took 24th, Mary O’Connell 97th, and Heather Mooney 112th. In the men’s 15k race, Ben Lustgarten tied for 17th place.
Day 2- Classic Sprint
Conditions could not have been more different for the following day’s classic sprints- rain, sleet, hail, and snow all came down from the sky at some point. Three GRP women were able to qualify for the heats, with Kaitlynn Miller winning the qualifier, Caitlin Patterson in 7th, and Liz Guiney 27th. Heather Mooney was 71st in the qualifier, while Mary O’Connell took 137th. Ben Lustgarten also qualified on the men’s side in 10th. Both Liz and Caitlin ended their day in the quarterfinal, and finished 15th and 17th, respectively, on the day. Kaitlynn won both her quarterfinal and semifinal and went on to take 3rd in the A Final! Ben advanced to the semifinals where he placed 5th, good for 10th place overall (5th American).
Day 3- 20/30k Classic Mass Start
Ben Lustgarten led off the classic mass start day in a big way, gapping his competitors to take the victory, and his first National Championship, on a tough 30k course (8 laps of 3.75k). The women were up next with a 20k, and the GRP women were able to place three in the top ten, with Caitlin Patterson taking another 3rd place, Kaitlynn Miller placing 8th, and Liz Guiney in 9th. Mary O’Connell placed 49th and Heather Mooney 66th on the day.
Day 4- Freestyle Sprint Qualifier
The final day of the championships brought the shortest race of the week- a freestyle sprint qualifier, with no heats to follow. Kaitlynn Miller had the top GRP result in 17th, followed closely by Caitlin Patterson in 20th, then Heather Mooney in 30th, and Mary O’Connell in 35th. Ben Lustgarten placed 27th in the men’s qualifier.
Full results from the US Nationals races are available on Summit Timing. Following these races, the GRP skiers will travel to Truckee, California for the next SuperTour stop. Liz Guiney, as the Period 1 SuperTour leader, will join Ida Sargent and the US Ski team in Europe for World Cups in Sweden and South Korea.

Planica OPA Cup
Over in Slovenia, Ida Sargent joined a few of her US Ski Team teammates for a weekend of OPA Cup racing. On January 7, she raced a freestyle sprint and placed 5th in the qualifier, then advanced all the way to the A Final where she again placed 5th. Fellow American and Vermonter Sophie Caldwell qualified in 6th, then went on to win the A Final. The following day both women raced a 10k, where Ida placed 17th and Sophie took 20th. Ida races again this coming weekend in Toblach, Italy, where the World Cup resumes with an individual freestyle sprint and a freestyle team sprint. Results from the Planica OPA Cup are available on FIS-ski.com, as are the upcoming World Cup results.
Thanks for following along!

Ben Lustgarten celebrating his victory in the 30k classic (Photo Fasterskier)

Kaitlynn Miller 3rd in the classic sprint (Photo Fasterskier)