Peter Wolter and Jake Adicoff find their way to the podium and head to the World Cup stage

For the SVSEF XC teams that competed Jan. 1-7 at Soldier Hollow, UT in the 2024 U.S. Cross Country Ski National Championships, it was a week of blue skies, warm temperatures, great skis, and faster skiers. The race series consisted of four events—a 10km classic individual start distance race, a 10km and 20km skate mass start race, and two sprints—one classic and one skate.

Peter Wolter, SVSEF XC Gold Team, went into the Championships knowing that to get an invitation to ski on the World Cup, he would have to be on the podium. The odds were in his favor as Wolter skied to a second place U.S. podium finish in the 10km classic race on Tuesday.  He followed that up with another second place in the 20km freestyle mass start race on Friday, where he finished in epic fashion moving into second place on the last uphill climb and ultimately taking the position across the finish. 

After the race on Friday, Wolter said, “I was pretty nervous going into this race (20km Freestyle)  as I knew the competition would be really strong with Johnny Hagenbuch (US Cross Country Ski Team, SVSEF Alumni, Dartmouth College), Joe Davies, and some other big dogs. Although mass starts are always chaotic, I felt like I stayed pretty calm and skied the race well. Ending fourth overall and second American was great. A bit bummed to have missed the overall podium, but there will always be more.” 

Wolter, who is known for his strong distance racing, had solid sprint finishes as well, claiming ninth in the skate sprint on Thursday and 23rd in the classic sprint on Sunday.

“The SVSEF XC Gold Team came out with a stellar week of performances at US Nationals in Soldier Hollow,” said Head Coach Chris Mallory. “One of my most memorable days coaching came on the men’s 20km skate championship where current and former SVSEF athletes, (Hagenbuch, Wolter, and Weenig), filled the podium. It was a special day for the program. Other highlights from the week were Mariah Bredal skiing to fourth place in each of the US national distance races, Jake Adicoff taking home three Para national titles, and current SVSEF Post-Grad athlete Galen Grohusky skiing to a personal best 20th place in the junior 10km classic.”

BREAKING TODAY: Wolter’s results at US Nationals were enough to send him across the pond to compete in Period 3 World Cups in Oberhof, Germany Jan. 19-21 and Goms, Switzerland Jan. 26-28. He will join fellow SVSEF XC Gold Teammate Sammy Smith, who just finished 26th in the Tour de Ski and will stay in Europe to compete.

Teammate Mariah Bredal, SVSEF XC Gold Team was as close to the podium as you could get, taking the fourth US spot in both distance races. For Bredal, the highlight was the 20km freestyle. “I was mostly looking forward to this race for the week,” said Bredal. “I may have been a little too amped as I feel like I went a bit too fast too soon, but overall happy with ending up fifth (4th American) in the end. The first lap was pretty crazy with poles flying and people falling and I was lucky to not get too caught up in it—a fun day of racing!” Bredal also had some great results in the sprint events, with a ninth in the skate and 18th in the classic sprint.

Bentley Walker Broose, SVSEF XC Gold Team and Australian Continental Cup Team used the championship as a tune up for his next big event. He will be competing for his home country at the U23 Championships in Planica, Slovenia. Broose finished 77th in the 10km classic, 42nd in the skate sprint, 37th in the 20km skate, and 41st in the classic sprint.

Jake Adicoff, US Para Nordic Team and SVSEF XC Gold Team dominated the US Para cross country championships winning every event he competed in. Adicoff, who is a three-time Olympian and has numerous medals to his name, continues to improve and hone his technique. He won the 10km classic race by over seven minutes. Jake is off to Toblach, Italy for the Para World Cups Jan. 24-28.

SVSEF XC Gold Team Head Coach Chris Mallory reflected on the week. “The team had a great week of racing at Nationals. The crew at Soldier Hollow was able to put together a really challenging 3.3k man-made snow loop in this tough start to winter. Peter had two impressive silver medals in the distance events, and Mariah has been ‘oh so close’ taking fourth each day.  Both athletes have put themselves into a great position for upcoming World Cup starts for the United States. Jake Adicoff has also added three Para National Championship wins to his impressive resume. 

Other highlights of the week: Galen Grohusky, SVSEF XC Post-Grad Team, found his groove in the first classic race of the championships, finishing 20th overall for juniors. Otus Beason, SVSEF XC Post-Grad Team, skied through the heats to finish 12th in the junior skate sprint.  David Shycon, SVSEF XC Post-Grad Team, raced his way through the first two events with his best  finish in 53rd in the junior 10km skate race.

Molly Maybach, SVSEF XC Comp Team, who recently qualified to compete in the Biathlon Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangeon, South Korea raced in the skate sprint at US Nationals to keep her fitness sharp. Also competing, SVSEF XC Comp teammate Cora Faye Scott who raced in all four events, with a top result in the 10km skate distance finishing 46th for the U18/20’s, along with Eden Keeney who finished 178th in the 10km classic and 195th in the skate sprint, finishing consistently in both events.  

Up Next: Wolter will represent Team USA in Period 3 of the FIS Cross Country World Cup in Oberhof, Germany Jan. 19-21 and Goms, Switzerland Jan. 26-28. Bredal will head to the next Super Tour in Lake Placid, NY Jan. 20-21, and Adicoff will have a few weeks of training before traveling to Italy to compete in the Para Nordic World Cups Jan. 24-28 at Toblach. The SVSEF XC Comp Team heads to Jackson Hole, WY this weekend to compete in the first of three Junior National Qualifying race weekends.

For full results from 2024 US CROSS COUNTRY SKI NATIONALS: https://my.raceresult.com/groups/5747/

PC: Tobias Albrigtsen