Park City, UT (May 6, 2026) - U.S. Ski & Snowboard officially announces the 21 athletes who have been nominated to the 2026-27 Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard announces its teams in two phases: nomination and acceptance. The athletes are formally nominated to the Stifel U.S. Cross Country 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 roster is led by two-time Olympic silver medalist Ben Ogden, Olympic silver medalist Gus Schumacher, World Cup podium finisher JC Schoonmaker and two-time World Championships medalist Julia Kern. At the Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games, Ogden snapped a 50-year medal drought with silver in the classic sprint, becoming the first American man to medal since Bill Koch in 1976. Days later, Schumacher joined Ogden to capture another silver medal in the team sprint – marking the team’s third medal of the Games, alongside Jessie Diggins’ bronze. Diggins retired at the end of the 2025-26 season.

The Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team features several new names, including three athletes breaking through to the national team: Jack Leveque, Neve Gerard and Corbin Carpenter. 

2026-27 Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team

(Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate)

A TEAM

Men

• Ben Ogden (Burlington, VT; Stratton Mountain School; University of Vermont; 2/13/2000)
• James "JC" Schoonmaker (Lake Tahoe, CA; Alaska Pacific University; University of Alaska Anchorage; 8/12/2000)
• Gus Schumacher (Anchorage, AK; Alaska Pacific University; University of Alaska Anchorage; 7/25/2000)

B TEAM
Women

• Julia Kern (Waltham, MA; Stratton Mountain School; Dartmouth College; 9/12/1997)
• Kendall Kramer (Fairbanks, AK; Alaska Pacific University; University of Alaska Fairbanks; 6/26/2002)
• Sophia Laukli (Yarmouth, ME; Aker-Dæhlie; University of Utah; 6/08/2000)
• Novie McCabe (Winthrop, WA; Alaska Pacific University; University of Utah; 12/15/2001)
• Samantha “Sammy” Smith (Boise, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; Stanford University; 9/22/2005)
• Ava Thurston (Waterbury, VT; Dartmouth College; 10/6/2004)

Men

• John Steel Hagenbuch (Ketchum, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; Dartmouth College; 10/1/2001)
• Zak Ketterson (Bloomington, MN; Team Birkie; Northern Michigan University; 4/2/1997)
• Zanden McMullen (Anchorage, AK; Alaska Pacific University; 5/31/2001)
• Jack Young (Jay, VT; Craftsbury Green Racing Project; Colby College; 12/17/2002)

DEVELOPMENT TEAM
Women

• Haley Brewster (Avon, CO; Stratton Mountain School; University of Vermont; 6/6/2003)
• Neve Gerard (Bend, OR; University of Utah; 3/20/2006)*
• Sydney Palmer-Leger (Park City, UT; Mansfield Nordic Pro Team; University of Utah; 2/4/2002)

Men

• Corbin Carpenter (Aspen, CO; University of Alaska Anchorage; 12/2/2004)*
• Tabor Greenberg (Moretown, VT; University of Vermont; 5/4/2006)
• Zach Jayne (Bend, OR; Stratton Mountain School; University of Utah; (3/30/2004)
• Murphy Kimball (Anchorage, AK; Alaska Winter Stars; University of Alaska Anchorage; 7/16/2006)
• Jack Leveque (Anchorage, AK; Alaska Winter Stars; 5/3/2009)*

*Newly named to the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team

Article written & provided by Rosie Brennan - 

I struggle with the word retirement because I hope to ski and race as long as I possibly can, but my time as a World Cup athlete has come to an end. I continue to battle my health with few answers, and that has taken a toll both physically and mentally. I dreamed of finishing on a high and on my own terms, and I feel some amount of disappointment that this isn’t that. But something that skiing has given me is a deep appreciation for challenging myself and finding joy in the process of learning, and this year provided plenty of that. 

As I reflect on my World Cup career, I am most proud of showing up every day, having developed perseverance through overcoming many obstacles and difficult periods, and using my desire to learn and grow to become competitive in every event. I am immensely thankful for my teammates, past and present, who aided me along on this journey, gave me so much joy in the process, and have continued to be loving friends. My deepest gratitude is to Erik Flora and APU Nordic Ski Center. There is little doubt in my mind that any of this would have been possible without APU having welcomed me, without Erik’s unwavering commitment to helping me grow not just as a skier, but as a full human, and without the productive training environment he has created. I couldn’t imagine a better life than making my passion a career. It makes for low lows and high highs, and that makes life feel so real and so full. 

I love learning and am excited to pursue other passions and seek mastery in new arenas. I will be enrolling in a Master's of Sports Nutrition at Liverpool John Moores University this fall. I hope to give my body more time to heal and my mind new challenges to take on. I don’t know exactly how skiing will fit into my life moving forward, but I do know it will, and I do believe I will put on a race bib as soon as my body is ready.

Thank you to the Stifel U.S. Ski Team for the opportunity to represent the U.S. 310 times and to all the techs, PTs, MTs, coaches, sponsors, suppliers, and everyone who has cheered along the way.  To have had the opportunity to make skiing a career has been a dream come true – this is not the end, just a new chapter. 

Thank you, 
Rosie Brennan
Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team
Three-time Olympian

There was a moment of quiet at the beginning of the race. It was hard to tell if it was because the speaker cut out or if the crowd was holding its collective breath waiting for the start gun to go off, but suddenly a sound broke the silence. “Thank you!!!” a small, clear voice echoed throughout the stadium, coming from a sparkle-laden Jessie Diggins at the front of the pack of awaiting ski racers. She smiled through tears, waved and blew a kiss to the crowd of tens of thousands in Lake Placid. Moments later, she took off from the start line in the last ski race of her career. 

She finished 12th. It wasn’t the result she wanted, hindered by a fall on the final descent in the last kilometer of the race, but it didn’t matter. She ended her career in style, greeted by her teammates, competitors, coaches, family and friends in the finish with spraying champagne and sobs.

“That was so incredibly special,” said Diggins through tears. “All the people out there chanting, my family out there, the team… I'm just gonna miss everyone so much. Sorry. I just have so many big feelings because this sport has been a huge part of my life. And they've all become my family.”

The 20k skate mass start wrapped the Stifel Lake Placid Finals and the 2025-26 season. While she may not have podiumed in the final race, Diggins did get a chance to stand in front of the roaring home crowd to collect the overall FIS Crystal Globe, the most coveted award in ski racing for being the top athlete throughout the entire season, from her longtime coach, Jason Cork. She also secured the distance Globe, which her parents awarded her. 

As Diggins collected her myriad awards and took photos with her Stifel U.S. Ski Team family, a group quietly formed at the World Cup start. In two semi-straight lines were 600 kids, sporting flags, glitter, face paint, team gear and cross country skis for a final lap with Jessie Diggins. Diggins pulled a bright pink bib over her team jacket that said “Thank you!” and pied piped the hundreds of children through the stadium, young kids who will hopefully toe the start line in future nationals, World Cup races or even the 2034 Olympics in Utah. 

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Behind Diggins, Kendall Kramer skied to 28th. Hailey Swirbul was 31st, Ava. Thurston 32nd, Katey Houser 34th, Novie McCabe 35th, Julia Kern 43rd, Lucinda Anderson 44th, Alayna Sonnesyn 46th, Sammy Smith 50th, Rosie Brennan 57th and Emma Albrecht 59th.

Jonna Sundling of Sweden won the race with teammate Linn Svahn second. Heidi Weng of Norway finished third. 

On the men’s side, Gus Schumacher was the first American in 20th place. It was another Norwegian sweep with Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo winning his second race of the weekend; he won Friday’s 10k classic and skipped Saturday’s sprint. Harald Oestberg Amundsen was second and Einar Hedegart third. 

Hunter Wonders was 35th, JC Schoonmaker 38th, Zanden McMullen 39th, Benjamin Dohlby 44th, Brian Bushey 47th, Ben Ogden 52nd, Zak Ketterson 55th, Luke Jager 58th, Michael Earnhart 62nd, John Steel Hagenbuch 69th, Zachary Jayne 70th

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Even with wet snow, rain and East Coast chill, the hearty ski racing community showed up to watch the best ski racers in the world and send off a legend in their sport, with a crowd of more than 35,000 people showing up at Lake Placid over the three days. On nearly everybody's cheeks lay sparkles, showing that while Diggins’ professional career may be done, her legacy will live on for generations to come. 

RESULTS
Women’s 20k skate
Men’s 20k skate