The Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club cross country ski team traveled to Soldier Hollow, Utah, Jan. 22–25, to compete in the Super Junior National Qualifier and RMISA collegiate races. The event, the largest junior cross country ski race in the country, featured more than 700 competitors and served as a Junior National Qualifier for athletes from the Rocky Mountain, Far West, Intermountain, High Plains, and Pacific Northwest divisions.
SSWSC athletes opened the weekend with strong performances in Friday’s classic sprint races, earning two victories and multiple top finishes. Antigone Loomis won the combined U18/U20 women’s race, while teammate Sophia McGinnis-Smith placed third. In the U16 men’s race, Sawyer Landers captured the win, with Conor Devin finishing 10th and Bode Rhodes close behind in 11th. Forrest Bishop won the U12 division.
Saturday’s individual-start freestyle races continued the team’s success. Bode Rhodes led the way with a win in the U16 men’s race, while Conor Devin narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth, just 0.4 seconds back. Sawyer Landers placed sixth. In the U16 women’s race, first-year U16 athletes Lylah Keller and Livia Spector delivered standout performances, placing third and sixth, respectively. Additional notable results included Annika Weidel finishing eighth in the U14 women’s field, Grey Barbier, skiing collegiately for Montana State University, placing ninth in the freestyle race and 10th in the classic race, and Forrest Bishop winning the U12 division for the second straight day.
On the international stage, SSWSC athlete Georgia Bishop departed for Norway on Sunday and is preparing to compete in upcoming races in Norway and Sweden.
Up next for the SSWSC cross country team is the next Junior National Qualifier in Frisco, Colorado.
Podium Photos:
- U16 Men’s Podium Sprint Race – Sawyer Landers WIN
- U18/U20 Women’s Podium Sprint Race – Antigone Loomis WIN and Sophia McGinnis-Smith 3rd
- U16 Men’s Podium Freestyle Distance – Bode Rhodes WIN
- U16 Women’s Podium Freestyle Distance – Lylah Keller 3rd
