Bridger Ski Foundation has over 20 skiers in Anchorage, Alaska, for the U.S. Nationals Cross Country Skiing Championship. In addition to BSF Pro Team athletes vying for top national placings and seeking qualifications for spots on the World Cup and U23 World Championships, several members of the high-school BSF Nordic Comp team are also competing, with an eye on being named to U.S. junior teams traveling internationally.
BSF’s Tula Higman, who is only a U16 athlete, proved she was ready for the big leagues, earning a spot on the U.S. U18 Scando Trip, as well as being named an alternate for the 2025 Junior World Championships. Callahan Waters was named an alternate for the U18 Scando Trip. Selections for the U23 World Championships will be made after Tuesday’s SuperTour races. (Learn more about the qualifiers here.)
Here are a few highlights from the first several days of racing:
Full results are available HERE.
Montana State’s Kate Oldham won her first ever national title, winning the women’s 10K. BSF Pro Team athlete Erin Bianco was 11th overall (6th American), with Emma Albrecht 14th (8th American). In the open men’s 10K, Reid Goble led the BSF Pro Team men with a 9th place finish.
In age group results, BSF skier Tula Higman was 2nd among U16 women with Isabella Waters 14th and Necia Nicholas 15th among U18 women. BSF alum Natalie Nicholas, currently skiing for the University of New Hampshire was 8th among U20 women.
Callahan Waters took 16th among U18 men. Woody West was 19th among U20 men. BSF alums Landon Wyatt (University of Denver and Cole Bothner (Williams) were 15th and 21st, respectively, for U20 men. And in the U23 category, BSF alum Phineas Fischer (Montana State University) was 38th.
The BSF Pro Team put two women on the domestic podium in the sprint. Erin Bianco took 2nd among the U.S. women and 5th overall in the final. BSF Teammate Nina Seeman (also skiing for Dartmouth right now) was 3rd among U.S. women and 6th overall. Pro Teamer Emma Albrecht was 8th. An important note: while the sprint heats and finals determine the overall podium, the sprint qualification times hold a lot of meaning here, and it was Bianco who had the fastest time in the sprint qualification. The U.S. Ski Team will look at qualification results to help determine who gets spots on upcoming World Cups and the World Championships later this season.
In the U20 women heats, Isabella Waters was 15th, Tula Higman 17th, and Necia Nicholas 27th. In the men’s U20 sprint, it was Landon Wyatt in 10th (BSF alum skiing for University of Denver), Woody West 12th, Callahan Waters 13th, Jasper Jacobsen in 21st, and Nate Veltman in 29th.
In the open women’s 20K Classic, BSF Pro Team athlete Erin Bianco was 5th overall (4th American) after a tight finish with Lauren Jortberg and Kate Oldham (MSU). Pro Teamer Emma Albrecth was 13th and Nina Seeman 22nd.
In the open men’s race, Reid Goble was the top finisher for BSF in 27th.
The U20 10K Classic combined the U16, U18, and U20 age groups. BSF’s Tula Higman had a standout performance, finishing third overall and the first U16 athlete across the line in the women’s race. Necia Nicholas was 13th overall, with Isabella Waters 24th and BSF alum Natalie Nicholas (UNH) 29th. In the men’s race, BSF alum Landon Wyatt (University of Denver) was 11th. Top finishers for BSF were Callahan Waters in 24th, Jasper Jacobsen in 25th and Woody West in 31st.
