Ford Sayre skiers representing Team New England at the ‘25 Junior National Championship (photo by Izzy Seay)
The National Championships for junior skiers in the United States took place in Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, at the 2002 (and now 2034) Olympic venue, between MARCH 8-15, 2025.
Six Ford Sayre skiers (and one alum) represent Team New England:
James Underwood (U20 Men), Woodstock
Joey Sluka (U18 Men), Woodstock
Annie Hanna (U18 Women), Lebanon
Lea Perreard (U18 Women), Hanover
Lucille Dent (U16 Girls), Hanover
Ollie Hanna (U16 Girls), Lebanon
Sarah Glueck (U20 Women, now skiing for Colby College), Hanover
The U18 New England coach was none other than our own JNT Assistant Coach: Izzy Seay!
The NE team, photo by George Forbes, @the_xcskiman
Monday: Individual Classic Distance Race
The competition kicked off on Monday with the individual start classic races: a 5km race for U16s in the morning, followed by a 7.5km event for the U18/U20 women and men. Under blazing sunshine and an unseasonably warm 60°F—unfamiliar conditions for the Northeast crew accustomed to racing in frigid temperatures—athletes took on the challenge of racing at altitude.
Ollie delivered a solid performance, crossing the line in 18th place, while Lucille finished 41st, both showing strong form on day one. In the women’s U18/U20 race, Annie dug deep on the big hills and secured a spot on the podium with an impressive 2nd-place overall finish—just shy of a National Championship title. Lea battled back from a fall on the hilly course to claim 15th place overall (12th in U18), just outside the top 10, while Sarah finished 35th (7th in U20), rounding out a strong team showing.
By the time the men took to the course, the snow had transformed into thick slush, making the downhills just as grueling as the climbs. James powered through to finish 26th overall (9th in U20), while Joey crossed the line in 47th (29th in U18), wrapping up a demanding opening day of racing.
Classic race top 10 podium. Annie in 2nd place.
Wednesday: Sprints
All boys and girls competed in the morning’s skate sprint qualifier, where the top 30 from each age group advanced to the heats. James and Joey narrowly missed the cut, both finishing 32nd in their respective categories.
The girls delivered an impressive showing in the qualifier. Ollie posted the 3rd fastest time among U16s, while Lucille secured 14th, well within the top 30. In the U18 division, Annie dominated with the fastest time of the morning, followed closely by Lea in 8th. Sarah also earned a spot in the heats, qualifying 15th for U20s.
The afternoon brought grueling conditions—hot weather, soft snow, multiple crashes, and race delays. In the quarterfinals, Lea placed 3rd in her heat despite a fall, while Lucille finished 5th. Annie and Ollie both advanced to the semifinals but suffered crashes in their respective heats, ultimately moving on to the B finals. Meanwhile, Sarah snagged a semi-final lucky loser spot, earning a place in the U20 A final, where she finished 5th overall. Annie closed out the day in 9th place, and Ollie finished 12th overall.
Heats: Top L to R: Annie, Lea Bottom L to R: Lucille, Ollie
James in sprint qualifier
Annie, Lucille and Lea in the sprint qualifier
Ollie and Lucille
Joey, Lucille and Sarah photos: @the_xcskiman
Boys, James, Joey
U18 start skate @the_xcskiman
Friday: mass start skate race
The mass start skate races took place on Friday under increasingly challenging snow conditions, as the course became more chopped up throughout the day.
In the morning races, Ollie finished 36th, followed by Lucille in 42nd. James delivered an impressive performance, securing 5th place overall and finishing as the top New England skier. In the U20 15k race, Sarah put in a strong effort to place 14th. Joey also had a standout race, cracking the top 20 with a 19th-place finish in the U18 10k event, where the deteriorating snow conditions made for an exceptionally tough race.
By the afternoon, race delays and shifting weather—from hot and sunny to cold and windy—added to the challenges. After multiple off-course crashes in the U18 men’s race, officials delayed the women’s race to salt the course in an attempt to firm up the snow. Despite the tough conditions, Lea powered through to finish 15th, while Annie wrapped up the day in 27th.
James 5th place overall!
Saturday: Mixed Classic Relay Race
A perennial favorite, the mixed gender relay took place on Saturday morning: classic style (4×3.33km, boy/girl/boy/girl). The Ford Sayre athletes put on a show!
New England teams:
U20 Team 1: James UNDERWOOD (8:04.9), Margo NIGHTINGALE, Micah BRUNER, Beth MCINTOSH 2nd place overall
U20 Team 2: Anders LINSEISEN, Caroline TARMY, Abrahm GEISSINGER, Sarah GLUECK (10:32.8) 6th place overall
U18 Team 1: Beckett COTE, Mary HARRINGTON, Joseph SLUKA (9:41.4), Annie HANNA (11:29.8) 3rd place overall
U18 Team 2: Fritz SANDERS, Ella RONCI, Matthew MCINTOSH, Lea PERREARD (11:22.2) 5th place overall
U16 Team 2: Eli MCENANEY, Astrid LONGSTRETH, Patrick HOLLAND, Ollie HANNA (12:00.1) 8th place overall
U16 Team 3: Matthew NORTHCOTT, Lucille DENT(13:17.4), James LANGAN, Leila GRIFFITH 16th place overall
U20 competition: James skied the scramble leg for NE Team 1 and passed off to his teammate in 3rd place–third fastest time of the U20 men! The team was able to maintain their position and with a strong anchor, finished on the podium in 2nd place on the day! Sarah skied anchor for NE Team 2 and helped them to a 6th place overall finish out of 28 teams.
U18 competition: NE Team 1 featured Joey as the men’s closer (third leg) and Annie as anchor, while NE Team 2 had Lea anchoring and also included NH skier Ella Ronci of Plymouth.
After a strong performance by Ella, NE Team 2 entered the third relay leg in 6th place. Meanwhile, NE Team 1 had Joey heading out in 11th place, facing a sizable 14-second gap to the skier in 10th. Joey wasted no time, surging onto the course and closing the gap by the 2km mark. He maintained a strong pace on the course’s long, steady climb and powered up the final hill, overtaking three skiers. Navigating the tricky S-turn into the stadium—where the snow was soft and chewed up—he handed off to Annie in 8th place, having impressively erased a 46-second deficit. His time was the 4th fastest of the day for U18 men!
Lea was next on course, starting the final leg in 9th place with a 30-second gap to the 5th-place skier. The Ford Sayre girls had their work cut out for them over the 3.3km course in their push for a top-5 finish and All-American status. Both Annie and Lea wasted no time closing gaps and passing skiers. By the top of the final hill, Annie had surged NE Team 1 into 2nd place, while Lea wasn’t far behind in 6th.
Unfortunately, the soft snow on the descent tripped Annie up, causing her to fall and lose a pole. Quick action from a New England coach got her a replacement, and she recovered in time to secure a podium spot, bringing NE Team 1 across the line in 3rd place. Meanwhile, Lea unleashed a gutsy sprint to the finish, moving into 5th place and missing 4th by just 0.8 seconds.
Lea clocked the 3rd fastest U18 girls’ time of the day, with Ella Ronci 4th and Annie 5th. Both teams earned All-American status, finishing among the top five out of a field of 39 teams!
U16 competition: Ollie anchored NE Team 2, while Lucille skied the second leg for NE Team 3. At the handoff, Ollie set out in 14th place. Over the 3.3km course, she powered up the hills, passing six skiers and closing a 27 second gap to secure an impressive 8th-place finish for her team—finishing ahead of NE Team 1 in a field of 34 teams! NE Team 3 wrapped up the day in 24th place.
Relays top 5
Photos in order: James, coaches and teams U18s, NE Team 1, NE both teams, NE Team 2 hug, Annie, Joey, Sarah, Lea
Relay U20 team, with James 2nd from left
Relay race pics:
Sarah Glueck Nominated for the Dave Quinn Award
Each year at the Junior National Championships, an athlete is presented with the Dave Quinn Award. The award is given by the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Cross Country Sport Committee based on results as well as sportsmanship in the memory of U.S. Ski Team racer Dave Quinn, who died in 1976 at the peak of his career. Each region nominates one of their athletes to be considered, and this year New England elected to nominate Sarah. Her nomination can be found here.
James Underwood and Lea Perreard Recognized as Mike Gallagher Award Winners
In addition to Sarah being nominated for the Dave Quinn Award, James and Lea were recognized within Team NE as this years’ Mike Gallagher Award winners. The award formally recognizes the season’s Eastern Cup Champion based on consistent excellence within New England’s premier race series. Coach Izzy’s presentation of them can be found here.
A Few Thoughts from Coach Izzy
In 2018, I competed at Soldier Hollow as a U18 in my second Junior National Championships, so to be there this year as the U18 girls coach for Team NE was a very full circle opportunity that I really enjoyed. While my priority was to support the U18 girls, I was able to see most of the other races and cheer on all our Ford Sayre skiers. It was rewarding for me as a coach to see them all put together races that they should be extremely proud of, as I know firsthand doing this at the end of the season and in a hyped up environment such as JNs can be difficult, and have the opportunity to form bonds with other skiers from NE and the rest of the country. All this to say, the way they carried themselves on and off the snow made me proud to be there representing Ford Sayre!
Site: Junior Nationals 2025
Event photos by Coach Coach George Forbes (@the_xcskiman):
PHOTOS: Junior Nationals 2025 – Team New England
PS: what happens if one forgets their keys—multiple times
