Lexi Hanus
It was a beautiful day at Sugarloaf for the men’s National Championship GS. The Global Racing team took advantage of the quality conditions, just missing a podium sweep with athletes in first, second and fourth place.
George Steffey, a former USST athlete and Dartmouth student, found himself at the top of the podium with a time of 2:08.29. His Global Racing teammate, Brian Mclaughlin, who also attended Dartmouth, was 0.33 second behind him in second. Tobias Kogler, who is part of the World Racing Academy, snagged third place, separating UNH graduate Patrick Kenney from his Global Racing teammates.
Steffey was excited to share the podium with a Global Racing teammate. “What a day in Sugarloaf; the conditions, the crowd’s energy and the weather were great. I could not ask for more. It was fantastic to be a part of the podium that included another teammate from Global Racing,” said Steffey.
Brian Mclaughlin had a similar report, saying, “Great day for Global racing; we finished 1,2,4. Narrow Gauge is a hill I have raced on a lot over my career; I am comfortable on this slope. When I saw the conditions this morning, I knew I would be able to ski well. It is exciting to be racing in the U.S. after an entire winter of living and competing in Europe.”
The Dartmouth graduate also felt a bit sentimental. “It was special to make the podium on the last course my Dartmouth coach Peter Dodge will set before retiring. Dodge and I had a lot of success together,” he said.
Tobias Kogler, a senior at Denver University, left the day with a smile on his face. “It was exciting to be competitive at a National Championship. I skied well,” said Kogler. “I was also glad to represent World Race Academy and break up the Global Racing podium sweep. The weather cooperated today, and the slope was outstanding, an exceptional GS hill in these conditions.”
Patrick Kenney was just over half a second off of the podium. “It was a good day for my teammates and me. I wish I could have been on the podium with George and Brian and had a Global podium sweep, but Toby skied too well. That said, Sugarloaf was a good series for me. Thank you to everyone who worked to make these races possible.”
The women race GS on Thursday, which will be the final event of the 2022 National Championships.
