Three Bobcats are Snowshoeing National Champions
McCall, ID ~ The Paul Smith's College Snowshoe Team had a very successful individual and team performance at the 2023 US Snowshoe Nationals held at Jug Mountain Resort in McCall, Idaho on February 4th. The team returned to the North Country with three individual Collegiate National Champions and a total of 12 Collegiate Running Snowshoe All Americans.
Wesley Burkitt, Ellen Haas, and Noah Kuc won their individual National Collegiate Snowshoe Racing Titles in their respective divisions. Burkitt (Bath, PA) won the Women's 5K (U-20) in 27:40 followed by fellow teammate Reese Covington (Bozeman, MT) in 30:29.
Burkit and Covington were the top two collegiate athletes to finish the 5K and earn positions on the US Junior National Team. Burkit's first place finish was only the third time Paul Smith's College has had a student win an event at US Snowshoe Nationals, with the most recent being Matt Leichty's win the Junior Men's 5K in Ogden, UT in 2016 and Chloe Matillio's women's win in the Marathon (yes, 26.2 miles on snowshoes) also in 2016.
Ellen Haas (Red Creek, NY) won the Women's 10K Collegiate Nationals in 1:06:15, while Noah Kuc (Sterling, NY) won the Men's 10K Collegiate Nationals in 54:13. Ellen was the top women's U-20 finisher in the 10K, while Noah was the top finisher in the 20 – 29 category for the men.
The PSC Men's and Women's top five finishers in the 10K all earned All American honors from the Collegiate Running Association. Madison Reardon (Saranac Lake, NY) placed second collegiately in 1:06:50, followed by Samantha Severing (Livingston Manor, NY) in 1:11:52; Ellie Judice (Biddeford, ME) in 1:25:11 and Haven Bradt (Berea, OH) in 1:28:21. For the men, Zack Sprott – Scribner (Watertown, NY) finished the 10K in 54:19, followed by Sam Finger (Canandaigua, NY) in 54:40, and Alex Cameron (Westport, MA) in 57:16 and Logan Krahn (Salem, NH) in 57:52. Both Sprott-Scribner and Finger earned Collegiate Running Association All American honors in 2020 when they competed in Leadville, CO.
Coach Jim Tucker has been leading the program since 1987, and this team performance was the most impressive by far of any team he has coached at Paul Smith's College. The Jug Mountain 10K course included over 850 feet of ascent, with a base elevation of 5,300 feet. The students were obligated to train over their extended break from the college on their own, and many of them were far removed from snowshoe running conditions due to where they reside. They had plenty of alternative training regimes provided to them, and one can see the fruits of their efforts. Many of these same students have never been at altitude, where the challenges of reduced oxygen can present challenges to athletes, but this crew overcame these challenges with flying colors.
National Champions Joseph Gray (Colorado Springs) and Jackie Hering are no strangers to the podium. Gray was the 2017 World champion in Saranac Lake and the following year in Spain. Gray has won the national title in 2018, 2020 and now in 2023. Gray's time of 40:59 was just over 30 seconds over Eric Hartmark (Duluth, MN) in 41:31. Hartmark won the title in 2022. Erik Barkhaus of Seattle, WA placed third in 42:43.
Hering (Cottage Grove, WI) won the 2022 Nationals in Cable, WI and has been on the podium many times. Hering won in 47:33, while Amber Tookey (Boise, ID) placed second in 48:30, and Samantha Roecker of Charleton, NY placed third in 49:22.
Locally, Matt Medeiros (Saranac, NY) earned All American honors with a fifth-place finish in 46:42.
Complete race results can be found at: 2023 2023 U.S. National Snowshoe Championships and 5K 10K - Results (ultrasignup.com)
The Paul Smith's College Snowshoe Team is preparing for the Adirondack Snowshoe Festival slated for Dewey Mountain in Saranac Lake on Saturday and then at their home course at the Paul Smith's College VIC on Sunday. Dewey will host both a 5 and 10K race at 10 AM, while the PSC VIC will be hosting a 5 and 15K event at 10:30 on Sunday. These two dates of racing will be a good tuneup for the Ontario Provincial Snowshoe Championships in Hammond, Ontario the following weekend.
|
Women's 5K Junior Nationals – Collegiate U-20 |
Overall Place |
Age Group |
Collegiate Place 5K |
Time |
|
Wes Burkit |
4 |
13 – 19 |
1 |
27:40 |
|
|
6 |
13 - 19 |
2 |
30:29 |
|
Women's 10K Collegiate Nationals |
Overall Place |
Age Group |
Collegiate Place – 10K |
Time |
|
|
34 |
U-20 |
1 |
1:06:15 |
|
|
35 |
20 - 29 |
2 |
1:06:50 |
|
|
38 |
U-20 |
3 |
1:11:52 |
|
|
48 |
20 - 29 |
4 |
1:25:11 |
|
|
49 |
20 - 29 |
5 |
1:28:21 |
|
Nat Ross |
50 |
U-20 |
6 |
1:28:33 |
|
Men's 10K Collegiate Nationals |
Overall Place |
Age Group |
Collegiate Place – 10K
|
Time |
|
|
13 |
20 – 29 |
1 |
54:13 |
|
Zack Sprott - Scribner |
15 |
20 – 29 |
2 |
54:19 |
|
Sam Finger |
16 |
20 – 29 |
3 |
54:40 |
|
|
23 |
20 – 29 |
4 |
57:16 |
|
|
24 |
20 – 29 |
5 |
57:52 |
|
|
29 |
U-20 |
6 |
1:02:32 |
|
|
31 |
U-20 |
7 |
1:03:05 |
|
|
36 |
20 – 29 |
8 |
1:09:20 |
|
Issoufou Garba-Hama |
37 |
20 – 29 |
9 |
1:11:38 |
Coach: Jim Tucker
