Logan Diekmann & Max LaChance win individual national titles; Sofia Shomento wins relay national title.
CABLE, WI – The Bridger Ski Foundation (BSF) Nordic Team returned from the USSA Junior National Championships with two individual national champions, a relay champion, and with BSF ranked as one of the top Nordic ski clubs in the country.
Logan Diekmann won a national title in the Sprint competition and placed second in the Classic Distance race for U20 men. Max LaChance won the national title in the Freestyle Distance race for U20 men. And Sofia Shomento was a member of the National Champion Relay Team for U18 women.
The weeklong championship in Cable, Wisconsin, was plagued with warm weather and snow issues. “It was a big shock to get there, with those conditions,” said BSF Nordic Program Director and Head Coach Dragan Danevski. With the finish stadium flooded with standing water, the teams encountered delays and course changes. “Our skiers did a good job refocusing. They showed maturity and were able to refocus and race. We’ve been working on that—that it won’t always be perfect race conditions,” said Danevski.
In the U20 races, LaChance, Diekmann and teammate Nick Matelich all consistently finished in the top 16. During the Freestyle Distance Race, Max LaChance emerged as the winner in an incredibly tight race, beating the second place finisher by less than two seconds to earn his first national championship. “He was skiing so well,” said Danevski.
During the Sprints, which include a qualifying race and then elimination heats, BSF had several strong performances. Diekmann stole the show, winning each round decisively, though not without a little drama, noted Danevski. On the first corner, during the semi-final race, Diekmann’s ski pole broke. “He didn’t panic or lose concentration.” Instead, he grabbed a ski pole from one of the coaches and calmly went on to move back to the front and win. “That was a shocker,” says Danevski. In the finals, Diekmann arrived at the finish line with a considerable gap on the rest of the field.
Max LaChance finished 8th and Nick Matelich 11th in the sprint finals.
Sofia Shomento had a strong day of sprinting, finishing 8th in her age group. Marin Coletta placed 26th. For U18, Robert Kwapisz pulled together a great day of sprinting to finish 25th.
Sofia Shomento earned a gold medal on the final day of competition when she teamed up with fellow Intermountain Division skiers Brooke Dunnagan and Anna Gibson to win the Hill Climb Relay for U18 women. An Intermountain team composed entirely of BSF skiers—Diekmann, LaChance and Matelich—finished fourth for U20 men.
When it came to the team point totals after a week of racing, BSF proved it’s one of the top Nordic ski clubs in the country. The BSF Nordic men finished third in the country for point totals and combined with the BSF Nordic women to rank as the fifth club overall out of the 79 clubs represented at the USSA Junior National Championships. “That says a lot about our program overall,” says Danevski.
BSF had 12 skiers compete at Junior Nationals; qualifying for the event is a huge accomplishment in of itself. "Overall, BSF performed very well," said Danevski. (See results below.)
BSF’s Nordic program offers learn-to-ski programs for young children, development and competition teams for older kids, recreational and training groups for adults, plus an Elite and Post-Grad program for those who want to continue their racing career at national and international levels.
U16 Men: 38. Hans Pessl (17:55)
U18 Men: 36. Andrew Meyer (31:45); 59. Robert Kwapisz (33.27)
U20 Men: 2. Logan Diekmann (29:01); 5. Max LaChance (29:38); 16. Nick Matelich (31:15); 34. Henry Trowbridge (33:44)
U18 Women: 32. Hanne Andersen (19:31); 33. Marin Coletta (19:42); 36. Ariana Woods (19:50); 37. Sofia Shomento (19:54)
U20 Women: 26. Sarah Lyle (22:01)
U18 Women: 23. Sofia Shomento (34:37); 31. Marin Coletta (35:14); 46. Hanne Andersen (36:29); 49. Ariana Woods (36:36)
U20 Women: 29. Sarah Lyle (37:32)
U16 Men: 39. Hans Pessl (21:02)
U18 Men: 31. Andrew Meyer (28:36); 42. Robert Kwapisz (29:07)
U20 Men: 1. Max LaChance (35:28); 8. Logan Diekmann (36:59); 15. Nick Matelich (37:28); 27. Henry Trowbridge (38:55)
U18 Men: 25. Roert Kwapisz
U20 Men: 1. Logan Diekmann; 8. Max LaChance; 11. Nick Matelich; 39. Henry Trowbridge
U18 Women: 8. Sofia Shomento; 26. Marin Coletta; 42. Hanne Andersen; 48. Ariana Woods
U20 Women: 30. Sarah Lyle
