For the Bridger Ski Foundation Nordic Comp Team, years of emphasizing the importance of building a strong team atmosphere paid off this past week. At the 2025 U.S. Junior National Cross Country Championships, held at Soldier Hollow in Utah, BSF walked away as the top overall club champion in the U.S., thanks to a deep team and an impressive nine individual podium finishes. That included two Junior National Champions: Tula Higman and Callahan Waters.
BSF athletes raced in the uniform of the Intermountain Division Team (comprising of the top skiers from Montana, Idaho, Utah, and parts of Wyoming). The rivalry between various regions across the U.S. is fierce, with the top division bringing home the coveted “Alaska Cup” award. For the first time since 2007, the Intermountain Division won this distinction.
BSF Nordic Program Director Andrew Morehouse said, "Almost all of the athletes had personal best results throughout the week. These results are the culmination of months and years of hard work by these athletes. Most importantly, the BSF athletes showed up as fantastic teammates to the whole IMD region. They demonstrated why an inclusive, fun and relaxed team atmosphere helps position people to compete at their best. I cannot be more proud of how our athletes competed and carried themselves throughout a week of hard and challenging competition!"
On Monday, U16 skier Tula Higman set the tone when she won the U16 Women’s Classic Championship, covering the 5 km course 25 seconds faster than the runner up. Racers had individual starts for this format, setting off at timed intervals, each racing the clock. Callahan Waters claimed second in the U18 Men’s 7.5 km, a mere 0.5 seconds behind the winner. Landon Wyatt, a BSF alum skiing for the University of Denver, was third in the U20 men’s race.
During Wednesday's Freestyle sprints, BSF’s Callahan Waters claimed the U18 Men’s Junior National Title, while his sister, Isabella Waters took second in the U16 age group, and Woody West took 3rd among U20 men. Earning All-American status for the sprints were: Necia Nicholas (7th U18 women), Tula Higman (7th U16 women), and Jasper Jacobsen (8th U20 men). That made for six athletes in the top 10 during a rigorous sprint day that included a qualification sprint, then ensuing quarter, semi, and final sprints with minimal rest in between each race.
Individual competition wrapped up with a distance freestyle mass start. Tula Higman pulled off a silver medal performance in the U16 women’s 7.5 km race, while Necia Nicholas skied onto the podium in the U18 women’s 10 km, finishing third. In the U20 15km, Landon Wyatt secured a silver medal. Callahan Waters and Woody West also earned All-American honors in their races.
BSF athletes teamed up with other Intermountain Division skiers for the classic mixed relays, which, with tight point spreads for the Alaska Cup, would decide who would bring home the trophy. Skiing for the IMD Team in the U20 category, Landon Wyatt and Necia Nicholas were on the gold-medal winning team, beating out New England. In the U18 category, it was siblings Isabella Waters and Callahan Waters who helped IMD also take home the gold. Meanwhile Tula Higman was part of the bronze-medal team in the U16 relay.
* = All-American
Combined Overall Club Scoring (Top 5)
Alaska Cup (Division Results) Top 5
U16 5 km Women
*1st Tula Higman
19th Hazel Gault
26th Isabella Waters
U16 5 km Men
29th Johan Thieszen
60th Eli Bruce
U18 7.5 km Women
15th Necia Nicholas
54th Ayden Brutger
U18 7.5 km Men
*2nd Callahan Waters
14th Samuel Madssen
U20 7.5 km Men
*3rd Landon Wyatt (University of Denver/BSF alum)
14th Woody West
19th Jasper Jacobsen
23rd Zach Shockey
U16 Women
*2nd: Isabella Waters
*7th: Tula Higman
30th: Hazel Gault
U16 Men
13th: Eli Bruce
72nd: Johan Thieszen
U18 Women
*7th: Necia Nicholas
45th: Ayden Brutger
U18 Men
*1st: Callahan Waters
22nd: Samuel Madsen
U20 Men:
*3rd: Woody West
*8th: Jasper Jacobsen
26th Landon Wyatt (Univ. of Denver)
33rd: Zach Shockey
U16 Men 7.5 km
29th Johan Thieszen
42nd Eli Bruce
U16 Women 7.5 km
*2nd Tula Higman
13th Isabella Waters
51st Hazel Gault
U20 Men 15 km
*2nd Landon Wyatt (University of Denver)
*8th Woody West
17th Jasper Jacobsen
32nd Zach Shockey
U18 Men 10 km
*6th Callahan Waters
22nd Samuel Madsen
U18 Women 10 km
*3rd Necia Nicholas
49th Ayden Brutger
