Team Brings Home Two Overall Wins and Sweeps the U18 Podium Twice at 2025 WRJCs

The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation’s Alpine FIS Women’s Team traveled to the Western Region Junior Championships (WRJC) to compete March 12-16 at Mission Ridge Ski & Board Resort in Wenatchee, WA. The WRJC is an open event for athletes U18 and older, and inclusive of both collegiate and senior competitors U21 and older. 

The competition was stacked with nearly 100 women including many from top-performing teams and clubs across the Western Region such as Park City Ski & Snowboard, Rowmark Academy, Team Palisades Tahoe, Sugar Bowl Academy, and the Big Sky Ski Education Foundation. The University of Nevada at Reno (UNR) always shows at the WRJCs, and Jessica Blackburn, UNR athlete and SVSEF Alpine Alum, had strong results, also joining current SVSEF athlete Lowie Watkins on the Slalom Overall podium where Blackburn took the overall win with Watkins in second.

SVSEF’s Sophia Falter raced to the top step of both the Overall Giant Slalom (GS) and Overall Slalom (SL) podiums, subsequently giving her the win in the U18 category in both disciplines as a U18 athlete.

“In my memory, this is the first time we have had this many athletes on the podiums at the Western Region Junior Championships,” said Pat Savaria, SVSEF Alpine FIS Women’s Coach. “Each day a different athlete had their personal best race of the season. The coaching staff is so proud of the girls and all their hard work this year—it was such a special culmination of their perseverance and also their belief in and support of one another as teammates.”

Awards were given for the top five “overall” inclusive of all athletes (U18 and older) in each discipline, and also for the top five in the U18 age category.

Top SVSEF Athlete Results at 2025 WRJC

Giant Slalom (GS) Overall Results – March 12

1st – Sophia Falter

2nd – Jessica Blackburn (UNR, SVSEF Alum)

4th – Ruby Smith

5th – Elodie Olsen

Giant Slalom (GS) U18 Results – March 12

1st – Sophia Falter

2nd – Ruby Smith

3rd – Elodie Olsen 

Slalom (SL) Overall Results – March 13

1st – Sophia Falter

2nd – Elodie Olsen

5th – Lowie Watkins

Slalom (SL) U18 Results – March 13

1st – Sophia Falter

2nd – Elodie Olsen

3rd – Samantha Milne 

Slalom (SL) Overall Results – March 14

2nd – Lowie Watkins

3rd – Elodie Olsen

5th – Jessica Blackburn (UNR, SVSEF Alum)

6th – Samantha Milne

Slalom (SL) U18 Results – March 14

1st – Elodie Olsen

3rd – Samantha Milne

Giant Slalom (GS) Overall Results – March 16

1st – Jessica Blackburn (UNR, SVSEF Alum)

3rd – Ruby Smith

5th – Lowie Watkins

Giant Slalom (GS) U18 Results – March 16

1st – Ruby Smith

All Super G at the 2025 WRJC races were cancelled.

Up next for members of the SVSEF Alpine FIS Women’s Team, seven athletes have qualified to compete at the 2025 U.S. Nationals, which will take place in Vail, CO March 29-April 1. This is significant with the total quota for the Western Region being 14 athletes per gender, and SVSEF filling half the quota. The U.S. Nationals, hosted by Sun Valley in 2023 and 2024, welcomes the top-performing U18 and older athletes in the nation, including current U.S. Ski Team athletes from the Development (D) team through the World Cup (A) team.

SVSEF athletes who have thus far qualified for the 2025 U.S. Nationals include: Avryl Haas, Elodie Olsen, Madison Vieara-McCarthy, Natalie Gowe, Ruby Smith, Sophia Falter, and Sophia Hallstein.

For complete Western Region Junior Championships event results, please visit: https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/event-details.html?sectorcode=AL&eventid=56951&seasoncode=2025