The MESS course is hosted in the winter for physicians and in spring for allied healthcare practitioners. For more information, please contact the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Sports Medicine Department.
Jessie Diggins pulled the Olympic medals out of her bag Thursday afternoon, between meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
Yes, she said with a smile, they're pretty useful conversation starters.
Two months after winning silver and bronze at the Beijing Games, Diggins was among a handful of current and former Winter Olympians who came to Washington to lobby members of Congress to act on climate change – an issue they believe is an existential threat to their sports.
In the same year that Ben Ogden raced the Olympics, someway and somehow, he won an NCAA Championship.
That confluence of talent and time has happened exactly twice before Ogden, and once after. The first before came a half-century ago, when fellow Vermonter Stan Dunklee represented the USA at the 1976 Innsbruck Olympics before winning NCAAs a couple weeks later. The second before came a mere two hours prior to Ogden, when Novie McCabe (University of Utah) won the this year’s women’s 5 k Classic NCAA Championship. Likewise, the one time after came when Sophia Laukli (University of Utah) won this year’s 15 k Freestyle NCAA Championship.
Two-time 2026 Olympic silver medalist and two-time Olympian Ben Ogden is among the most electric skiers on the cross country circuit. On Feb. 10, he took home Olympic silver in the classic sprint, the first Olympic medal won by an American man since Bill Koch in 1976 - 50 years ago. Then, just days later, won his second Olympic medal of the Games, securing his second silver in the team sprint alongside Gus Schumacher. Ogden is the most decorated American man in cross country skiing history.
Keep it close, then tag off to Jessie Diggins. That was the plan, and Team USA executed it perfectly to take the victory Sunday in the first-ever FIS Cross Country World Cup mixed team relay in Falun, Sweden.
“It was fast and furious out there today, so our goal was to stay out of trouble and stay in the pack, then let Diggy do her thing, which she does best, and that worked out really well,” said Rosie Brennan, who skied the first of four 5k freestyle legs, tagging off to Zak Ketterson, then Scott Patterson and finally to Diggins, who skied away from Finland Krista Parmakoski and Norway’s Therese Johaug for the victory.
Sunday’s relay win was the first time the United States has stood atop a World Cup relay podium. The previous best was second, accomplished by Rosie Brennan, Jessie Diggins, Sophie Caldwell Hamilton, and Sadie Maubet Bjornson in 2019 in Lillehammer, Norway, and second in 2016 in Nova Mesto, Czech Republic, with Diggins, Caldwell Hamilton, Maubet Bjornson, and Liz Stephens in 2016.
“That was so, so fun,” Diggins said. “We had all the techs out there cheering, we put a lot of glitter on, and when you race for the team, and not just for yourself, it sometimes helps you pull out those very special performances. And for me, it has always been really special because you know that your team is always waiting for you at the finish line.”
Heading into Sunday’s race, the U.S. knew that it had a chance following Saturday’s outstanding performances in the freestyle individual start, including a podium from Diggins and career-best results from Patterson and Ketterson. So with a strategy of staying in the pack near the front of the race, they knew they had a podium shot.
“After Scott and Zak had great days yesterday, I felt that we definitely had a chance, but I was not expecting a victory like that,” Brennan said. “It was fast and tactical racing out there, and in the scramble leg, I wanted to stay near the front of the pack and stay out of trouble.
“I found myself further back in the pack than I wanted on the second (2.5k) lap, but also knew a fall or broken pole would cost us, so I tried to be patient, calm, and tag off in the pack,” Brennan added. “Zak, Scott, and I had the same strategy, and Scott made a great move to get ahead of a split in the pack to tag Jessie in a great place.”
Diggins moved into the lead at the 17.5k mark and used her exceptional downhill skills and fast skis to put some distance on Parmakoski and Johaug.
“I knew that those downhill working corners were one of my strengths, so I thought that I could make sure that I got to the top of that first big sprint climb first, then I could ski all the other downhills how I wanted and have a good shot at setting up a finishing sprint,” Diggins said.
As it turned out, the U.S. techs did such an outstanding job, Diggins didn’t need to pull out a sprint finish as she glided across the line more than three seconds ahead of Parmakoski for the victory.
“I can’t think of a more perfect way to end a really awesome year,” Diggins added.
The USA 2 team of Julia Kern, Logan Hanneman, Adam Martin, and Caitlin Patterson finished 14th. For the season, the USA finished fifth in the Nations Cup standings.
RESULTS
Mixed Team Relay
National Cup Standings
Jessie Diggins smiles as she glides toward the finish line to win Sunday's FIS Cross Country World Cup mixed team relay in Falun, Sweden. (Modica/NordicFocus)
Jessie Diggins wrapped up the FIS Cross Country World Cup season on the podium in third and led an outstanding day for the Davis U.S. Cross Country Team with five athletes finishing in the top 20 Saturday in Falun, Sweden.
“All I really wanted was to end the season feeling like I was able to go out there and fight as hard as I could,” said Diggins, who sat out last weekend’s 30k Holmenkollen Skifestival in Norway after still feeling fatigued from her silver-medal finish in the 30k at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. “(Today) was less about the results and more about having that really great feeling. But of course, it was really special to end the season with a podium.”
In the women’s 10k individual start freestyle, Norway’s Therese Johaug grabbed one final career victory, winning by more than 35 seconds over Sweden’s Jonna Sundling in second. Diggins was just four hundredths of a second behind Sundling in third. Rosie Brennan was eighth, and Julia Kern posted a World Cup career-best distance result, finishing 20th. Caitlin Paterson was 31st, and Rosie Frankowski was 41st.
In the men’s 15k individual start freestyle, Scott Patterson posted a career-best World Cup result in seventh, and Zak Ketterson scored his first career World Cup points in 15th. Adam Martin was 44th, Logan Hanneman 52nd, and Peter Holmes 68th.
“It was a great race where the important factors came together,” Ketterson said. “My body felt solid, skis were really good, and I paced the race pretty well.”
“I am not super surprised, honestly," Ketterson added. "Distance racing was such a big focus during my five years in the NCAA, so I came into the season with a lot of confidence in both distance and sprint racing. It feels really good to score points, and I hope I can do it again soon!”
Norway’s Didrik Toenseth took the 15k victory in 31 minutes, 57 seconds. Sweden’s Calle Halfvarsson was second, and Norway’s Harald Oestberg Amundsen was third.
With the final individual races of the season in the books, Diggins finished second in the overall World Cup standings, Brennan was 14th, and Kern was 20th.
“It was really special to finish second in the overall World Cup,” Diggins said. “That is something that I am very proud of because it represents a lot of hard work and a lot of consistently giving it everything I have every time I raced. That was really special to share with the team, the coaches, and the wax techs. Overall, I’m very happy and satisfied, and proud of the season. I’m definitely still processing it…but for me, it was a season where I came in with very concrete goals about my preparation, both physically, and mentally, for the Olympics - and that was the big target. But to be able to have some World Cup wins, and some World Cup podiums was really just the icing on the cake.”
In the overall World Cup sprint standings, Diggins was fourth, Kern eighth, and Brennan was 12th.
“There were some really strong moments for me throughout the season and my consistency was better than ever,” Brennan said. “That is something I'm really happy about because being on the road for so long has been a challenge for me in the past. We have one last team event tomorrow that should be a great way to close out the World Cup season.”
The World Cup season concludes Sunday with the first-ever mixed team relay and mixed team sprint. The mixed team relay will consist of four 5k freestyle technique laps in the following order: woman/man/man/woman. Each nation will be allowed to enter two teams. Each country may enter two teams for the mixed team sprint, and athletes will each ski a one-lap qualifier (in interval start). The times of both skiers will be cumulated, and the 20 best teams are qualified for the finals.
Sunday’s mixed relay for the Davis U.S. Cross Country Team will consist of Brennan, Ketterson, Scott Patterson, and Diggins.
RESULTS
Women’s 10k freestyle
Men’s 15k freestyle
STANDINGS
Women’s World Cup overall
Women’s World Cup distance
Women’s World Cup sprint
Men’s World Cup overall
Men’s World Cup distance
Men’s World Cup sprint
START LIST
Mixed Team Realy
Scott Patterson posted a career-best World Cup result, finishing seventh, Saturday in Falun, Sweden. (Modica/NordicFocus)
Rosie Brennan finished eighth in Saturday's 10k in Falun, Sweden. (Modica/NordicFocus)
Zak Ketterson scored his first career World Cup points Saturday in Falun, Sweden. (Modica/NordicFocus)
Julia Kern posted a career-best World Cup distance result Saturday in Falun, Sweden. (Modica/NordicFocus)
Julia Kern doesn’t want the FIS Cross Country World Cup season to end. Especially after nearly missing her second career podium, finishing fourth, in Friday’s classic sprint in Falun, Sweden.
“I don’t want the season to end now!” Kern said. “We have been on the road for a long time, but I finally feel like I’m hitting my stride, and the pieces are coming together, so my overall feeling is a bit bittersweet right now. I am really happy with the way I skied today and all of the hard work from the whole staff!”
Racing on soft, spring snow, Kern qualified in 17th following a solid week of training and honing in on race tactics with her coaching staff. She won her opening quarterfinal heat, then took another victory in the semifinal heat to advance to the finals for the second time this season. In the semifinals, Kern edged World Cup leader Maja Dahlqvist at the line for the victory. However, in the finals, Dahlqvist got the better of Kern.
“I gave it all I had today in every round and charged hard to break away at the top of the downhill in the final,” Kern said. “It was bittersweet to have the podium slip through my fingers, but it keeps the hunger alive and gives me the confidence that I am right there. I don’t think I would have changed anything and am psyched to execute a day I am proud of on one of the trickiest courses on the World Cup. It was extra special to have my parents here in person to cheer me on; it seems they bring me good luck and energy!”
Olympic gold medalist Jonna Sundling of Sweden, who sat out the first part of the season due to injury, took her second-straight World Cup sprint win in commanding style, finishing more than eight seconds ahead of Slovenia’s Anamarija Lampic in second and nine seconds ahead of Dalhqvist in third. Kern’s fourth-place result matched her season-best, a fourth-place finish in the freestyle sprint from stage 1 of the FIS Tour de Ski in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.
Rosie Brennan, who qualified seventh, finished 16th. And Jessie Diggins, who qualified 18th, finished 19th.
“I had a good qualifier, and that gave me some confidence for the heats,” Brennan said, adding that the Falun course is quite challenging with some technical downhill sections. “I struggled to find space to move on the uphills, which is my strength, and that ultimately cost me moving on to the semifinals by less than a second.”
The women race a 10k freestyle Saturday, where Caitlin Patterson and Rosie Frankowski will join Kern, Brennan, and Diggins. The U.S. men who will compete in Saturday's 15k freestyle are Scott Patterson, Logan Hanneman, Zak Ketterson, Peter Holmes, and Adam Martin.
The World Cup season concludes Sunday with the first-ever mixed team relay and mixed team sprint. The mixed team relay will consist of four 5k freestyle technique laps in the following order: woman/man/man/woman. Each nation will be allowed to enter two teams, and participating athletes will each ski a one-lap qualifier (in interval start). The times of all skiers will be cumulated, and the 20 best teams are qualified for the finals.
Sunday’s mixed team sprint and relay lineups for the Davis U.S. Cross Country Team will be determined Saturday afternoon. All events will stream live on NBC’s Peacock platform.
RESULTS
Women’s classic sprint
Men’s classic sprint
HOW TO WATCH
Saturday, March 12, 2022
5:30 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men’s 15k Freestyle - LIVE, Falun, SWE, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
8:15 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Women’s 10k Freestyle - LIVE, Falun, SWE,
Sunday, March 13, 2022
5:30 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Mixed Team Relay - LIVE, Falun, SWE, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
7:30 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Mixed Team Sprint - LIVE, Falun, SWE, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
Rosie Brennan once again proved she is one of the best all-around cross country athletes in the world, leading the Davis U.S. Cross Country Team with a seventh-place finish in the 30k classic at the Holmenkollen Skifestival in Oslo, Norway, Saturday.
Norway’s Therese Johaug, who won the race 11 years ago and announced her retirement Friday, won the FIS World Cup Cross Country race with a time of 1:19.22. Finland’s Krista Parmakoski was second, 19 seconds back. Sweden’s Jonna Sundling was this at 32 seconds off Johaug’s time. Brennan was 1:12 back. In her first career 30k classic, Julia Kern was 23rd; Hailey Swirbul was 26th, and Caitlin Patterson was 30th.
For Brennan, who finished in the top six in all six events at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, Saturday’s race was significantly different from the 30k freestyle at the 2022 Games, with thousands of fans cheering fans lining the course.
“This race was nothing like Zhangjiakou,” Brennan said of the cold, wind-swept race on the final day of the Games. “It is tough to even compare the two. 30ks are always an adventure, and I am thrilled to have put together two strong ones in each technique.
“I had a great ride with Ebba (Andersson) and had an enjoyable time skiing out there today,” Brennan added, noting that the events of the week led to quite a bit of pre-race anxiety. “It's also been a stressful week for a variety of reasons…I am really proud of giving myself another chance to put together a good race here and to have managed the stress and anxiety well enough to do so.”
Jessie Diggins, who won the silver medal in the 30k freestyle at the 2022 Games and is currently second in the overall FIS Cross Country World Cup standings, was among the thousands of cheering spectators Saturday.
”My heart wanted to race Holmenkollen, but taking care of my body comes first…and my body is still tired from the last 30km!” Diggins posted on Instagram.
Up next, the men compete in the 50k classic Sunday at the Holmenkollen Skifestival. Staring for the U.S. are Scott Patterson, Adam Martin, Zak Ketterson, Hunter Wonders, and John Steel Hagenbuch.
Unfortunately, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the FIS Cross Country World Cup Finals scheduled for March 18-20 in Tyumen, Russia, have been canceled. Next weekend’s FIS Cross Country World Cup in Falun, Sweden, will be the season's final event and will include the first-ever mixed team sprint and mixed team relays.
“I am really bummed Finals was canceled,” Brennan said, “but it will be fun to end the season with the mixed relay event as that is a new one for us!”
RESULTS
Women’s 30k classic
Julia Kern, competing in her first 30k classic, finished 23rd at the Holmenkollen Skifestival Saturday in Oslo, Norway. (Thibaut/NordicFocus)
Rosie Brennan led four Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team athletes into the points, finishing eighth at the FIS Cross Country World Cup 10k classic in Lahti, Finland, Sunday.
Norway’s Therese Johaug took the victory with a time of 24 minutes, 28 seconds. Russia’s Natalia Nepryaeva was second, followed by Finland Krista Parmakowski in third. Brennan was 1:02 off the winning time. Jessie Diggins was 20th, followed by Julia Kern in 28th and Hailey Swirbul in 29th.
For Brennan, popping a top 10 result following the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, where she competed in all six cross country events, followed by another long couple of travel days from China to Finland, was a significant accomplishment.
“I am really happy with today,” Brennan said. “I have always struggled post championships, not so much in my body but in my mind. It's really difficult to live on the road and be sharp and push so hard all the time. It often feels like there is never a chance to let down the way someone who goes home every week might experience. I am always trying to figure this out and work towards finding ways to let down and then pull the fight back up for the weekend. It's all part of the game, and it's a good challenge to try to figure everything out.”
Sunday’s result was even more satisfying for Brennan after she just missed the opportunity to advance to the semifinals in Saturday’s freestyle sprint by four hundredths of a second.
“I was definitely frustrated after yesterday and am really happy I was able to let it go and find myself out there today,” she said. “We have great weather this weekend and a big crowd, so that was a huge bonus. It was a joy to not be skiing in an arctic tornado!”
In the men's 15k classic, Scott Patterson just missed the points, finishing 33rd.
Up next, the FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour heads to Drammen, Norway, for a freestyle sprint on Thursday, March 3.
RESULTS
Women’s 10k classic
Men’s 15k classic