U.S. Ski & Snowboard and Stifel announce the 2026 Stifel U.S. Ski Team Stifel Award winners for the 2025-26 season. Winners in each category were selected through a voting process by their teammates and staff. 

Now in its fourth year, the Stifel Awards celebrate athletes and staff members from across the Stifel U.S. Ski Team. Awards range from Athlete of the Year to Best Comeback, Most Improved and Rookie of the Year, as well as Coach of the Year in each sport. Each recipient is awarded a cash prize courtesy of Stifel, title partner across eight sports under the Stifel U.S. Ski Team flag.

“Stifel is proud to continue recognizing the outstanding athletes and staff of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team through the annual Stifel End of Year Awards,” said Ron Kruszewski, Chairman and CEO of Stifel. “Our ‘Where Success Meets Success’ motto continues to reflect the dedication and excellence of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team and we’re grateful for the opportunity to celebrate their achievements while continuing to grow the impact of these awards each year.”

“The winners of the Stifel Awards are incredibly deserving of this recognition for everything they accomplished throughout the 2025-26 season,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief of Sport Anouk Patty. “This season was marked by outstanding performances across all of our teams and that success would not be possible without the dedication of the athletes, coaches and staff working behind the scenes every day. We’re grateful to Stifel for continuing to celebrate and support the people who make these achievements possible.”

Demonstrating their dedication to the Stifel U.S. Ski Team, the Stifel Awards underscore their commitment to supporting athletes both on and off the slopes. 

Award Winners

Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team

• Athlete of the Year: Lindsey Vonn, Ryan Cochran-Siegle
• Rookie of the Year: Elisabeth Bocock, Jevin Palmquist
• Most Improved: Mary Bocock, Kyle Negomir
• Best Comeback: Lindsey Vonn, Erik Arvidsson
• Coach of the Year: Kip Spangler 

Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team

• Athlete of the Year: Jessie Diggins, Ben Ogden
• Rookie of the Year: Sammy Smith, Murphy Kimball
• Most Improved: Kendall Kramer, Zak Ketterson
• Best Comeback: Novie McCabe, Ben Ogden
• Coach of the Year: Matt Whitcomb

Stifel U.S. Freeski Team

• Athlete of the Year: Grace Henderson, Mac Forehand
• Best Comeback: Rell Harwood, Hunter Hess
• Most Improved: Avery Krumme, Konnor Ralph
• Rookie of the Year: Avery Krumme, Henry Townshend
• Coach of the Year: Ryan Wyble

Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team - aerials

• Athlete of the Year: Chris Lillis
• Rookie of the Year: Kyra Dossa
• Most Improved: Connor Curran
• Best Comeback: Winter Vinecki
• Coach of the Year: Walter Crijanovschi

Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team - moguls

• Athlete of the Year: Olivia Giaccio
• Rookie of the Year: Abby McLarnon
• Most Improved: Landon Wendler
• Best Comeback: Liz Lemley
• Coach of the Year: Bryon Wilson

Stifel U.S. Nordic Combined Team 

• Athlete of the Year: Alexa Brabec, Niklas Malacinski
• Best Comeback: Tara Geraghty-Moats, Erik Lynch
• Most Improved: Alexa Brabec, Niklas Malacinski
• Coach of the Year: Emil Vilhelmsen

Stifel U.S. Para Alpine Ski Team

• Athlete of the Year: Patrick Halgren
• Rookie of the Year: Meg Gustafson
• Most Improved: Anna Soens

Stifel U.S. Ski Jumping Team 

• Athlete of the Year: Annika Belshaw, Kevin Bickner
• Best Comeback: Josie Johnson, Kevin Bickner
• Most Improved: Sandra Sproch, Jason Colby
• Rookie of the Year: Josie Johnson, Jason Colby
• Coach of the Year: Karl Vegard Andersen

Park City, Utah (June 2, 2026) - U.S. Ski & Snowboard is proud to announce that Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team staff members Alex Hoedlmoser and Regan Dewhirst have been recognized by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) as part of its 2025 Coaches and Support Staff of the Year Awards.

Hoedlmoser is the head Speed Coach of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team women's alpine team, while Dewhirst is the Sports Medicine Manager/Physiotherapist to the winningest alpine skier of all time, Mikaela Shiffrin. Hoedlmoser was named Olympic Coach of the Year while Dewhirst earned the Sports Medicine Support Staff honor. 

The annual USOPC recognition program honors outstanding coaches and support staff across the Olympic and Paralympic Movement who have made significant contributions to athlete performance, development and well-being. Winners are selected by an independent panel following nominations from National Governing Bodies. 

Previous U.S. Ski & Snowboard recipients of Olympic Coach of the Year include snowboard coaches Pete del’Giudice (2001), Bud Keene (2006) and Rick Bower (2010), as well as freeski coach Skogen Sprang (2014) and cross country coach Jason Cork (2018). Additionally, the current Senior Vice President of High Performance, Gillian Bower, was recognized as Service Provider of the Year in 2020. 

"These honors reflect the incredible work Alex and Regan do every day behind the scenes with our alpine programs," said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief of Sport, Anouk Patty. "Our athletes benefit tremendously from their expertise, leadership and dedication. We are proud to celebrate this well-deserved recognition."

Olympic Coach of the Year, Alex Hoedlmoser
Alex Hoedlmoser led the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team women's speed group through a historic 2025 season. Athlete Breezy Johnson captured two world championship titles at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Saalbach, Austria, including a downhill gold medal and a team combined gold alongside teammate Mikaela Shiffrin. Hoedlmoser also guided Lauren Macuga to a breakout season that included her first career World Cup victory and a bronze medal at the World Championships in super-G.

Apart from the standout season of 2025, Hoedlmoser has been a longtime staple of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team, spanning two decades worth of coaching women’s speed from Europa Cup to World Cup. As a former elite alpine racer with the Austrian Ski Team, he has brought technical expertise to the organization time and time again. He notably helped develop Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso into Olympic champions. Known for his athlete-centered approach and emphasis on team culture, Hoedlmoser's leadership fostered an environment that enabled athletes to perform at their highest level while building a strong and cohesive team. 

Sports Medicine Support Staff, Regan Dewhirst
Dewhirst was recognized for her exceptional impact on Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes through her expertise in injury rehabilitation, return-to-sport programming, load management and athlete wellness.

Throughout the season, Dewhirst played a critical role in supporting athletes returning from injury, most notably helping Mikaela Shiffrin successfully recover and return to competition during the same season, culminating in Shiffrin's historic 100th FIS Alpine Ski World Cup victory and ultimately her 101st World Cup victory on home soil in Stifel Sun Valley Finals in Sun Valley, Idaho. Her collaborative approach, innovative mindset and commitment to athlete well-being continue to elevate the standard of care across Team USA.

Prior to joining U.S. Ski & Snowboard, Regan built extensive experience in private practice expansion, clinic management and clinician education, serving as a clinical instructor for emerging physical therapy professionals. Regan earned both her Bachelor of Science and Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Vermont, where she was also a four-year member of the NCAA Division I women’s soccer team.

Other recognized coaches and service providers include those from USA Hockey, speed skating, wrestling, track & field and baseball. See the full list of winners in Team USA’s press release here. 

The Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team officially announces four new hires, including a World Cup Coach, two Service Team members and a Development Coach. 

“We are very excited to start working with all four of these new hires,” said Chris Grover, Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team program director. “Ville will already be working with the Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes in our upcoming training camp in Sjusjoen and Sognefjell, Norway, beginning June 6. Our service team will join the Sognefjell camp on snow for a testing project, during which both Esben and Simen will be introduced to the Team. Meanwhile, Lizzie will join development projects already starting in June. We are so thankful to have these four very talented and knowledgeable people joining our ranks as we embark on the journey towards the French Alps in 2030 and the Salt Lake City Games in 2034. Each of them brings new and varied experiences that we all can learn from.”

Ville Oksanen joins the team as the new World Cup Coach. Oksanen has been instrumental in guiding Finnish skiers to top-tier international success, including preparing athletes during major events like the World Cup, World Championships and the Olympic Winter Games. Holding multiple roles within the association, Oksanen recently led the Finnish National Team and World Cup program. From 2019-22, he led the women's national team; from 2022-26, the men’s national team, specializing with the sprint athletes. Under Oksanen's leadership, many of his athletes medaled at major championships. Alongside coaching, Oksanen led the support team, including medical and physiotherapy professionals. His coaching is high standard, athlete-centered, with emphasis on teamwork, trust and the process. Oksanen is pursuing a degree at the premier Finnish institution for sports sciences, the University of Jyväskylä. He lives in Helsinki, Finland, with his family. 

Lizzie Larkins joins the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team as the Development Coach. A competitive skier herself, Larkins competed on the D1 collegiate circuit at the University of Vermont and graduated with a degree in Nutrition and Food Science. She began her coaching career at the Auburn Ski Club (ASC), then pursued a Master of Science in Sport and Coaching Sciences and an Assistant Coaching position at Montana State University. Recently, Larkins has been a part of several U.S. Ski & Snowboard projects, including leading Team USA’s trip to the 2024 Youth Olympic Games, directing western Regional Development Camps, serving as a key staff member on the World Junior Championships team and participating in the Trail to Gold fellowship program. Larkins was among the coaching staff at the Paralympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina, supporting the U.S. Paralympic Nordic Team. Larkins lives in Bozeman, MT. 

Esben Tøllefsen joins the service staff as a World Cup technician. Throughout his career, Tøllefsen worked for the Norwegian service team, spending nine years as a full-time staff member and the last three, part-time. In recent years, Tøllefsen split his time working for Norway and Iceland. Tøllefsen lives in Tromsø, Norway. 

Simen Finjord also joins the service staff as a World Cup technician. Finjord joins the team after critical years leading the Aker Dæhlie wax team in Ski Classics. This past winter, Finjord supported the Aker Dæhlie team at the Olympic Winter Games in Predazzo, Italy, where he spent critical time with the Stifel U.S. Ski Team staff observing their process. When not working on skis, Finjord is currently pursuing a law degree in Tromsø, Norway. 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has officially announced John Farra as the organization’s Para Sport Director. Starting June 1, Farra – who has more than 18 years of experience in the Olympic and Paralympic movement across multiple sports – will lead the Stifel U.S. Para Nordic Ski Team, Stifel U.S. Para Alpine Ski Team and Toyota U.S. Para Snowboard Team.

Farra is no stranger to U.S. Ski & Snowboard. A 1992 Olympian, Farra led the U.S. nordic program from 2008-11, where he was responsible for creating and executing high-performance plans for cross country skiing, nordic combined and ski jumping. During his tenure, the program won four Olympic medals and six World Championship medals.

Outside of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, Farra held prominent positions with the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) as high-performance director of Para nordic skiing and high-performance general manager for USA Triathlon – leading the programs to 24 Paralympic medals. Farra competed in cross country skiing at the 1992 Olympic Winter Games in Albertville, France, was a member of the U.S. World Championships team, a U.S. national champion and an NCAA All-American. Most recently, Farra was the Director of Sport Development for U.S. Biathlon, leading sport development initiatives, coaches education, talent identification and event development.

“We are excited to welcome John back to U.S. Ski & Snowboard,” said Anouk Patty, U.S. Ski & Snowboard chief of sport. “John has a wealth of experience in the Olympic and Paralympic space, as well as a background as an elite athlete himself, and is well-positioned to lead these three programs to new heights.”

“After speaking with U.S. Ski & Snowboard athlete representatives and leadership, I found myself highly motivated to contribute, with a tremendous opportunity to build a strong foundation across all four disciplines as we work toward 2030 and our home Games in 2034,” said Farra. “It makes it especially meaningful to return to U.S. Ski & Snowboard as an alumni athlete and to the organization where I started my high-performance career. I am fired up to work with, and for, the athletes starting June 1.”

Farra will be based at the USANA Center of Excellence powered by iFIT in Park City, Utah.