By Shannon Lukens. Courtesy photo.
Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club athletes had top finishes at the first Junior National Qualifier in Winter Park recently. Thirty local cross country athletes competed.
Some of the top finishes were in the Classic Interval Start Race. Georgia Bishop and Lylah Keller took first and second for U16 women. The U16 men swept the podium with Sawyer Landers, Bode Rhodes, Conor Devin, and LP Brinkman in the top four spots.
Similar results were Sunday in the individual freestyle skate race with Georgia Bishop winning again, and Bode Rhodes taking first this time.
More information and all results are below in a press release from Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.
Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club Cross Country Skiers Excel at First Junior National Qualifier in Winter Park
Athletes earn multiple podium finishes across age groups
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. — The Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club cross-country ski team had more than 30 athletes compete in two Rocky Mountain Nordic Junior National Qualifying races Dec. 20–21 in Winter Park. Race distances were determined by age: older athletes raced longer distances, while younger athletes raced shorter distances. The first race on Saturday was an individual-start classic race, using a time trial format with skiers starting at 30-second intervals and Sunday the race was interval start freestyle skate. SSWSC athletes earned multiple podium finishes across all age groups.
Due to extreme December weather, the Winter Park Competition Center put in significant effort to host two successful cross-country races at the Snow Mountain Ranch Nordic Center in Granby, Colorado. Race courses were moved to a higher elevation on the Blue Ridge Trail, where snow is preserved by elevation, dense forest cover, and a northern aspect.
SSWSC athletes posted impressive results throughout the weekend. On Saturday, in the classic interval start race, Georgia Bishop won the U16 women’s race, while Lylah Keller placed second. Livia Spector also recorded a top-10 finish in sixth place. The U16 men dominated the field, sweeping the podium and adding a fourth-place finish, with Sawyer Landers placing first, Bode Rhodes second, Conor Devin third, and LP Brinkman fourth
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The U18 women also dominated, taking every spot from second through fifth. Maia McGinnis-Smith finished second, followed by Tig Loomis in third, Sophia McGinnis-Smith in fourth, and Anna Rhodes in fifth. In the senior division, SSWSC alumni who are now competing in college and were home for the break also competed: Grey Barbier, representing Montana State University, placed first, and Campbell McLaren, representing the University of Vermont, finished sixth.
On Sunday, similar results played out in the individual-start freestyle (skate) race. The U16 men continued their podium sweep, with Bode Rhodes placing first, Sawyer Landers second, and Conor Devin third. Langdon Devin finished sixth. In the U16 women’s race, Georgia Bishop earned her second win of the weekend, while Lylah Keller placed fourth and Livia Spector seventh.
The U18 women again posted strong results, with Anna Rhodes finishing fourth, Maia McGinnis-Smith fifth, Tig Loomis sixth, and Sophia McGinnis-Smith ninth. In the senior division, SSWSC alumnus Grey Barbier placed second, and Henry Magill of Dartmouth College finished fifth.
FULL CLASSIC RACE RESULTS – December 20, 2025
FULL SKATE RACE RESULTS – December 21, 2025
Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 | Classic Interval Start
U10 Male: Simi Smullin, sixth; Jurgen Jones, seventh
U12 Male: Forrest Bishop, fourth; Cedar Savage, fifth; Nico Schulz, ninth
U14 Female: Annika Wiedel, second
U16 Female: Georgia Bishop, first; Lylah Keller, second; Livia Spector, sixth
U16 Male: Sawyer Landers, first; Bode Rhodes, second; Conor Devin, third; LP Brinkman, fourth; Langdon Devin, eighth (SSWSC sweep)
U18 Female: Maia McGinnis-Smith, second; Tig Loomis, third; Sophia McGinnis-Smith, fourth; Anna Rhodes, fifth
Senior Division (SSWSC alumni): Grey Barbier (Montana State), first; Campbell McLaren (Vermont), sixth
Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 | Individual-Start Freestyle Skate
U10 Female: Kirra Lodico, second; Lena Miller, third
U10 Male: Simi Smullin, second; Jurgen Jones, fifth; Bergen Colvin, eighth
U12 Male: Forrest Bishop, first; Alistair Jones, sixth; Nico Schulz, ninth
U14 Female: Annika Wiedel, second; Nova Lake Van Wyk, 10th
U16 Male: Bode Rhodes, first; Sawyer Landers, second; Conor Devin, third; Langdon Devin, sixth
U16 Female: Georgia Bishop, first; Lylah Keller, fourth; Livia Spector, seventh
U18 Female: Anna Rhodes, fourth; Maia McGinnis-Smith, fifth; Tig Loomis, sixth; Sophia McGinnis-Smith, ninth
Senior Division (SSWSC alumni): Grey Barbier (Montana State), second; Henry Magill (Dartmouth), fifth
ABOUT SSWSC
Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (SSWSC) provides sports and youth development programming for over 1,200 athletes in Steamboat Springs. SSWSC believes in the fundamental value of sport for the individual. Our mission is to create champions on and off the mountain by developing life skills and personal growth through sports. Our vision is to be the nation’s model community youth sports organization, inspiring every individual to achieve their highest level of personal and athletic potential. SSWSC alumni have become Olympians, NCAA champions, collegiate scholars, CEOs, and leaders. Our programs include alpine, cross country, freestyle, freeskiing, Nordic combined, jumping, snowboarding, backcountry education, strength and conditioning, cycling, and skateboarding. Founded in 1914, SSWSC is one of North America’s oldest and most successful winter sports clubs, serving tens of thousands of athletes for over a century, including 100 Olympians with 19 Olympic medals. U.S. Ski & Snowboard named SSWSC Club of the Year five times, more than any other club in the country. For more information, visit www.sswsc.org.
Office: 970-439-0847