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2026-27 U.S. Para Nordic Ski Team

By Leann Bentley - Stifel U.S. Ski Team
May, 6 2026
para nordic
Members of Team USA's para nordic team celebrate their medal at the Paralympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina. (Getty Images)

Park City, UT (May 6, 2026) - U.S. Ski & Snowboard officially announces the 13 athletes who have been nominated to the 2026-27 Stifel U.S. Para Nordic Ski Team across all classifications and disciplines in both cross country skiing and biathlon.

The U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team announces its teams in two phases: nomination and acceptance. The athletes are formally nominated to the Stifel U.S. Para Nordic Ski Team in May. Pending their acceptance of the nomination and adherence to the team expectations outlined in team criteria, athletes will be officially announced to the team in October 2026. 

The 2026-27 U.S. Para Nordic Ski Team is led by some of the sport’s most accomplished athletes, including the most decorated winter Paralympian of all time, Oksana Masters, nine-time Paralympic medalist Kendall Gretsch, eight-time medalist Jake Adicoff and seven-time Paralympic medalist Sydney Peterson. At the Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games, the team delivered, winning 15 of Team USA’s 24 total medals – 11 in cross-country and four in biathlon.

This season also marks the first year of Para Nordic being fully re-integrated into U.S. Ski & Snowboard.

2026-27 U.S. Para Nordic Ski Team

(Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate)

A TEAM
Women - Sitting

  • Kendall Gretsch (Downers Grove, IL; Washington University in St. Louis; 4/2/1992)
  • Oksana Masters (Louisville, KY; Devry University; 6/19/1989)

Women - Standing 

  • Sydney Peterson (Lake Elmo, MN; Team Solider Hollow; St. Lawrence University, University of Utah; 2/17/2002)

Men - Sitting

  • Aaron Pike (Park Rapids, MN; University of Illinois; 4/5/1986)
  • Josh Sweeney (Glendale, AZ; U.S. Marine Corps; 6/6/1987)

Men - Visually Impaired

  • Jake Adicoff (Sun Valley, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; Bowdoin College; 5/16/1995)

B TEAM

Women - Standing

  • Dani Aravich (Bosie, ID; Crosscut Winter Sports Center; Butler University; 5/8/1996)

C TEAM

Men - Standing

  • Jack Berry (Missoula, MT; Icebreakers; Boston College; 8/20/1997)

DEVELOPMENT TEAM

Women - Sitting

  • Nicole Zaino (Brookfield, CT; Crosscut Winter Sports Center; Clarkson University, University of Washington; 2/25/1996)

Men - Sitting

  • Michael Kneeland (Bozeman, MT; Crosscut Winter Sports Center; Montana State; 10/25/2005)
  • Ty Wiberg (Chippewa Falls, WI; Crosscut Winter Sports Center; Montana State; 11/27/2001)

Men - Standing

  • Zhenghong Schlechte (Mahtomedi, MN; Crosscut Winter Sports Center; Montana State; 6/25/2007)

Men - Visually Impaired 

  • Max Nelson (Grant, MN; Endurance United; College of St. Scholastica; 3/5/2004)

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Check out the broadcast / streaming schedule, latest news & events from the U.S. Ski & Snowboard teams.
Max Nelson headshot image
Max Nelson
Max Nelson was diagnosed with a rare genetic eye disease at age two, a condition that had never been documented before. He underwent more than 10 eye surgeries before his third birthday in an attempt to save vision in one eye.
Zhenghong Schlechte headshot image
Zhenghong Schlechte
Zhenghong Schlechte is from Mahtomedi, Minnesota and a member of the Crosscut Winter Sports Center Team. He currently attends Montana State.
Ty Wiberg headshot image
Ty Wiberg
Ty Wiberg is from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and is a member of the  Crosscut Winter Sports Center team. 
Michael Kneeland headshot image
Michael Kneeland
Michael Kneeland is known in American Para Nordic skiing for the speed with which he has ascended to the international level. Kneeland came to competitive skiing relatively late by elite standards, picking up the sport at age 17.
Nicole Zaino headshot image
Nicole Zaino
Nicole Zaino suffered a stroke at age 8 that resulted in paralysis on the left side of her body. Despite this challenge, she remained active throughout her childhood, playing piano and clarinet and taking up dancing like her sisters. 
Jack Berry headshot image
Jack Berry
Berry's Paralympic journey began following a life-altering diagnosis at age 10. In July 2018, what appeared to be a simple broken leg was revealed to be osteosarcoma, a rare and aggressive bone cancer.
Dani Aravich headshot image
Dani Aravich
Danielle "Dani" Aravich was born and raised in Boise, Idaho, without her left hand and forearm.
Jake Adicoff headshot image
Jake Adicoff
Jake Adicoff grew up in Sun Valley, Idaho, having been visually impaired since birth, having contracted chicken pox in utero.
Josh Sweeney headshot image
Josh Sweeney
Josh Sweeney joined the U.S. Marine Corps immediately after graduating from Ironwood High School in Phoenix. He earned the esteemed title of Marine Corps Scout Sniper and deployed with the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines to Nowzad, Afghanistan. On Oct.
Aaron Pike headshot image
Aaron Pike
When he was 13, Aaron Pike suffered a spinal cord injury in a hunting accident. After meeting former U.S. Navy SEAL Carlos Moleda, who had experienced a similar injury himself and went on to win multiple Handcycle Division Ironman triathlons, Pike decided to try adaptive sports.
Sydney Peterson headshot image
Sydney Peterson
Sydney Peterson grew up in Lake Elmo, Minnesota, and attended the same high school as American cross-country skiing legend Jessie Diggins.
Kendall Grestch headshot image
Kendall Grestch
Kendall Gretsch was born in Downers Grove, Illinois, with spina bifida.
Oksana Masters headshot image
Oksana Masters
Oksana Masters is an American multi-sport athlete and the most decorated Paralympic athlete in history, specializing in Para Nordic skiing, Para-cy