National Team Archives - Orienteering USA

Announcing the 2025 US National Orienteering Team

The Selection Committee (Peggy Dickison, Matt Smith, and Will Enger) is pleased to announce the 2025 US National Orienteering Team.

The committee received 55 applications and 45 athletes were selected to the National Team, earning a place on one of three squads: Elite, Performance, and Junior. Those athletes on the Elite Squad are those who we would expect to make up the WOC Team if the trials were held now. Performance athletes are those who in any given race can perform at the Elite level and may develop into an athlete capable of competing for the WOC Team. Junior athletes, those under 21, are only eligible for the Junior Squad. They are eligible to compete for the WOC and the JWOC teams.

We welcome six new members to the Team, one returning member, and one promotion from Performance to Elite.

Look for these Team members in the US Team Blog, helping at NREs and local events, and coaching. All are fine representatives of orienteering, and we look forward to seeing what they are capable of this year.

Congratulations to all the members of the 2025 National US Orienteering Team!

2025 US National Orienteering Team

Elite Squad
- Lily Addicott – Promotion – GAOC
- Greg Ahlswede – DVOA, Escondite (Spain)
- Joseph Barrett – NMO
- Evalin Brautigam – WCOC
- Alison Campbell – DVOA, STAG (Scotland)
- Alison Crocker – CROC
- Thomas Curiger – OLC Kapreolo (Switzerland), OK Orion (Sweden)
- Sydney Fisher – EMPO
- Bridget Hall – NEOC, MNOC
- Keegan Harkavy – NEOC
- Thomas Laraia – MNOC
- Anthony Riley – DVOA
- Danny Riley – ECO
- Ricardo Schaniel – Bussola OK (Switzerland)
Performance Squad
- Diana Aleksieva – QOC
- Eric Bone – COC
- Jessica Colleran – COC
- Shawn Mather – USMAOC
- Kirsten Mayland – DVOA
- Alex Merka – QOC, OB Říčany
- Dylan Poe – ICO, OCIN
- Oriana Riley – DVOA
- Mathew Rogers – New to team! – COC
- Collin Thompson – New to team! – USMAOC
- Grace Zoppi – SMOC, COC
Junior Squad
- Ben Brady – GrizO
- Danny Buchholz – COC
- Anna Campbell – TSN, NEOC
- Ben Conley – GrizO, COC
- Ben Cooper – COC
- Kate deBlonk – New to team! – GrizO, NEOC
- Ian Dunlap – OLOU
- Mori Finlayson-Johnecheck – NEOC
- Anna Green – New to team! – SMOC
- Ludvig Hagwall – Järla Orientering (Sweden)
- Sophie Howes – COC
- Min-Jae Kuo – New to team! – NEOC
- Greta Leonard – COC
- Kendal O’Callaghan – New to team! – RMOC
- David Rogers – New to team! – COC
- Jackson Rupe – COC
- Adalia Schafrath-Craig – New to team! – BOK
- Paige Suhocki – DVOA
- Samantha Walker – QOC
- Zariah Zosel – COC, GrizO

The Lookback: 1979 World Orienteering Championships

US Team for the 1979 World Orienteering Championships in Tampere, Finland. From left to right: Pat Dunleavy, Peter Gagarin, Steve Tarry, Linda Taylor, Jim Pugh, Virginia Lehman, Mikell Platt, Sharon Crawford, Eric Weyman, Beth Skelton, Betty Anderson, Gail Gagarin.

Shortly after sending out the December, 2024 OUSA Newsletter I received an email from Jim Pugh with the 1979 WOC team photo you see above, and the suggestion to include it in an upcoming newsletter. This seemed like a great idea. With a few more photos from Jim, plus some stories and maps from Peter Gagarin, this little look back into the past was born. Enjoy this peak into the US team’s past!

–Cristina

*Map of the Individual courses for WOC 1979, annotated with routes for the top men and women*.

Some memories from Peter Gagarin from the World Orienteering Championships in Tampere, Finland, in 1979 –

The team was selected at Team Trials in May at Quabbin (days 1 and 3) and Mount Hermon School (day 2) in Massachusetts. Women: Sharon Crawford, Beth Skelton, Betty Andersen, Linda Taylor, Virginia Lehman. Men: Eric Weyman, Mikell Platt, Steve Tarry, Jim Pugh, Peter Gagarin. Many of us lived in the Northeast and we got together on several weekends for training before heading to Finland in late August.

It was really hard orienteering. The forests were hilly with lots of thick vegetation; the ground was very soft and hard to run on. There were just two events, individual and relay, with the maps for both drawn at 1:20,000. And yet we had some excellent results, especially from our women. Sharon Crawford was 32^nd out of 69 in the individual, certainly one of our best results ever, and the women finished 10^th out 17 in the relay, which I think is our best ever. Eric Weyman was our best in the men’s individual, 53^rd of 78, and the men finished 14^th out of 19 in the relay. [Link to results on the IOF webpage.]

The women’s relay team was really something. Beth Skelton ran the opening leg, a good run for her, and then Sharon on the second leg had her usual good run. Third leg went to Betty Andersen, though that was in doubt until the last moment – she had taken a fall in the individual, landing on a stump someplace on her ribs, and was really hurting. But she wanted to run. I put her through some sort of test that morning to see if she really could run and she passed, and so when Sharon came in, off went Betty on the anchor leg.

There was no GPS in those days, no TV from the forest. I think there were a couple of radio controls, but at the finish you just wait, as the better teams keep coming in. And then there she was, 10^th, first of the English-speaking countries, ahead of Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Great Britain, plus France and Poland for good measure. It was really amazing.

I ran just the relay, first leg, not perfect but a good run. It was raining. My map case wasn’t sealed, and the map got wet, and the ink for the courses wasn’t waterproof and it started to run, but it held up just well enough to tell where my controls were. The ink kept running for quite a while after I had stopped running, so it looks almost impossible to read now. It wasn’t that bad.

*Map from the men’s relay at the 1979 World Orienteering Championships.*

The map for the individual shows the routes of the medalists and my map for the relay is shown. Also, just for comparison, the next map I went orienteering on back home, Estabrook Woods in Concord, Mass. Quite the difference.

*Map from a local event at Estabrook Woods in Concord, MA later the same month as WOC.*

National Team applications now open!

Each year, the National Team represents the United States at international orienteering events around the world. From World Cup races to the World Orienteering Championships and Junior World Orienteering Championships, our athletes compete at the highest level and showcase the best of Team USA.

Athletes selected for the National Team are grouped into three squads: Elite, Performance, and Junior. Additional athletes may also qualify mid-season through team trials or a petition process to compete in specific international championships.

Apply Now: National Team application / Selection Criteria

The National Team application deadline is January 12, 2025—don’t miss this chance to compete on the world stage and represent TeamUSA!

As previously announced, the JWOC and WOC Team Trials will take place at the BAOC event Feb 28-Mar 2. For WOC and JWOC selection criteria and more information about the National Team, please visit the National Team page.

2025 WOC & JWOC Team Trials Announced

The National Team Executive Steering Committee is pleased to announce that the WOC and JWOC Team Trials will be held together at BAOC’s event next March 1-2. The weekend events will take place in Calero County Park, with a middle race on Saturday and a classic on Sunday. There will also be a sprint on Friday afternoon, with the location pending permit approval. The sprint will likely be an NRE; the weekend events definitely will be (and will also serve as the Western State Championships). There will not be a European trials event for WOC this year.

Petitions will be accepted for both WOC and JWOC teams, but Trials attendance is preferred.
For WOC, the Saturday and Sunday events will count for the WOC Team selection. For JWOC, all three events will count for JWOC selection.

While the event is earlier than usual, we hope that knowing well in advance will allow athletes to train adequately. For the northern tier athletes this can be difficult if it’s a snowy winter; we understand but believe that our top athletes are up to the challenge.

More details will follow. The website doesn’t have a lot of information yet, but BAOC is looking forward to hosting the Team athletes and others who want to try out for one of the teams or be there to support them. The concurrent Western States Champs will include all courses and classes for the non-Trialers.

Please see the JWOC 2025 Selection Criteria for details on how the JWOC team will be selected. The 2025 WOC Selection Criteria will be published in early December.

November OUSA Forum: Sprints!

Please join us this Tuesday, November 26th, for a presentation and discussion about sprints orienteering. Senior team member Alison Campbell shares her views on how sprints differ in the USA to Europe, how to train for sprint races, and more! After the presentation there will be time for questions and discussion.

This presentation will be great for competitive athletes, course designers, and anyone interested in learning more about this fast and furious orienteering format!

This session is now available on YouTube.

Announcing the 2024 US National Orienteering Team

The Selection Committee (Peggy Dickison, Eric Weyman, and Matt Smith) is pleased to announce the 2024 US National Orienteering Team.

The committee carefully examined each of the many applications (57) to determine Team readiness and squad placement. Several 2023 Team members chose not to apply this year, a few narrowly missed making the Team, and some new faces have emerged.

Placements were based primarily on the Selection Criteria, weighing OUSA and IOF rankings highest, along with head-to-head competition and other known factors. In general, we were most flexible/inclusive with the Juniors, who we understand are still improving and have less-consistent results; less flexible/inclusive with the Performance Squad; and least flexible/inclusive with the Elite Squad.

With several athletes on the cusp of qualifying for the Team, we expect to add members after the spring season. We are excited to see our team continue to attract excellent athletes. Welcome to four new athletes to the Junior Squad! Be sure to check the full roster with athlete photos, bios and links on the Orienteering USA National Team web page

2024 US National Orienteering Team

Elite Squad
- Greg Ahlswede – DVOA
- Joseph Barrett – QOC
- Tori Borish – RMOC
- Evalin Brautigam – WCOC
- Alison Campbell – DVOA, STAG (Scotland)
- Alison Crocker – CROC
- Thomas Curiger – OK Orion (Jämsjö, Sweden)
- Sydney Fisher – EMPO
- Bridget Hall – NEOC
- Keegan Harkavy – NEOC
- Anthony Riley – DVOA
- Danny Riley – NEOC
- Ricardo Schaniel – Bussola OK (Switzerland)
Performance Squad
- Lily Addicott – GAOC
- Diana Aleksieva – QOC
- Eric Bone – COC
- Julia Doubson – BAOC
- Thomas Laraia – MNOC, Edinburgh University Orienteering Club
- Shawn Mather – USMAOC
- Kirsten Mayland – DVOA
- Annika Mihata – COC
- Oriana Riley – DVOA
Junior Squad
- Ben Brady – COC / GrizO
- Anna Campbell – NEOC
- Ben Conley – New Member! – Cascade Orienteering Club / Grizzly Orienteering
- Ben Cooper – COC
- Ian Dunlap – OLOU
- Mori Finlayson-Johnecheck – NEOC
- Ludvig Hagwall – New Member! – Järla Orientering (Stockholm, Sweden)
- Greta Leonard – COC
- Alex Merka – QOC
- Jackson Rupe – COC
- Emilia Schmidt – QOC
- Zoe Sibthorp – COC
- Ava Suhocki – DVOA
- Paige Suhocki – DVOA
- Samantha Walker – New Member! – Quantico Orienteering Club
- Astrid White – New Member! – Grizzly Orienteering / OK Linné (Uppsala, Sweden)
- Zariah Zosel – COC / GrizO

2023 US National Team Announced

The Selection Committee of Peggy Dickison, Eric Weyman, and Matt Smith are pleased to announce the 2023 US National Orienteering Team.

Placements were based primarily on the Selection Criteria, including OUSA ranking scores, IOF ranking scores, and head-to-head competition. In general, we were most flexible/inclusive with the Juniors, who we understand are still improving and have less consistent results; less flexible/inclusive with the Performance Squad; and least flexible/inclusive with the Elite Squad.

We are excited to see our team grow, with two athletes returning to the Team after breaks, and six Juniors new to the Team.

2023 TeamUSA Elite Squad

2023 TeamUSA Performance Squad

2023 TeamUSA Junior Squad

TeamUSA welcomes Thomas Curiger to the National Team

The Executive Steering Committee is excited to announce the addition of Thomas Curiger to the Elite Squad of the National Team. Thomas is a dual Swiss-US citizen, living in Switzerland. His clubs are OLC Kapreolo (Zurich) and OK Orion (Jämsjö, Sweden). He began orienteering at age 8 and ten years later was called up to the Swiss Junior Team winning gold in the sprint and relay, and silver in the middle and long at JWOC in 2016. He competed at the 2017 World Cup in Latvia and 2018 World Cup in Czechia as a member of the Swiss Elite Squad before dropping off of the National Team in 2019.

Thomas will make his TeamUSA debut at this weekend’s World Cup Round 3 races in Davos, Switzerland. Joining Thomas at the World Cup races will be Elite Squad members Greg Ahlswede and Ricardo Schaniel.

Welcome aboard Thomas and good luck to all our TeamUSA athletes in Davos!

Photo of Thomas enroute to Middle Distance Gold at JWOC 2016.

National Team adds two new members

The National Team Executive Steering Committee (ESC) is pleased to announce the addition of two new athletes to the Junior Squad roster.

Oriana Riley from the Delaware Valley Orienteering Association is currently attending Stanford University. She has been competing consistently this year at the Georgia O-Fest in January including the Sprint WRE in F-21+, the Big Woods Classic NRE in March and most recently the West Point NRE held this past weekend in New York where she took part in the WOC Team Trials in F-21+. She is currently nationally ranked 6th in F-20.

Zoe Sibthorp from the Cascade Orienteering Club joins Oriana on the Junior Squad and currently attends Woodinville Montessori High School in Washington. Zoe is currently ranked 5th in F-20 having recently competed at the Lighthouse Middle NRE in February and the OUSA Junior Nationals in early April.

Congratulations to both of you and we look forward to your continued success as members of TeamUSA!!

TeamUSA: WOC Team Trials update

The National Team ESC has announced that races at the 42nd West Point National Ranking Event weekend will serve as team trials to select a team to compete at the World Orienteering Championships to be held June 26-30 in Denmark.

This year’s WOC will be a ‘sprint-WOC’ featuring a Sprint Relay, Knockout Sprint and Individual Sprint events. As such, the Saturday afternoon sprint (4/23) at Trophy Point will be one of two trials races for team hopefuls. An additional Friday sprint (4/22) is scheduled (pending permitting) to be held at Fort Tryon Park in New York City to serve as the second trials race.

Additional information regarding the Friday sprint will be forthcoming as details are confirmed. At this time only Red & Blue courses will be offered and may be open to non-trialers pending decision of the organizers. Of course the full slate of sprint courses on offer as part of the S/M/L event at West Point are open to all.