Category: National Team

SUMMER 2026 ROUND UP

Summer might have drawn to a close, but we’re still thinking about what an incredible season of racing it was for American athletes. From first-time WOC attendees to historic World Cup Results, take a trip down memory lane with us.. 

(This summer round-up covers World Cups 1-4, JWOC, WOC, and WMOC. American athletes from around the nation also competed at O-Ringen, Swedish League, Swiss O’Week, EYOC, OOCup, and the Canadian Orienteering Festival.)(This summer round-up covers World Cups 1-4, JWOC, WOC, and WMOC. American athletes from around the nation also competed at O-Ringen, Swedish League, Swiss O’Week, EYOC, OOCup, and the Canadian Orienteering Festival.) 

US Team Summer Wrap-up

While we’re already well into autumn, we wanted to celebrate a summer of excellent racing and historic results for the US team abroad. Let’s take a look back at international events throughout the last few months.

World Cup 1 [Apr 24-26] – Locarno, Switzerland 

Four American athletes took on the first World Cup in Locarno, Switzerland. Oriana Riley, Keegan Harkavy, Ricardo Schaniel, and Thomas Curiger competed in this sprint World Cup. They unfortunately only had one opportunity to compete officially, but enjoyed themselves sprinting around in the beautiful mountains regardless. 

Read Oriana’s blog post here.

World Cup 2 [May 28-31] – Skara-Lidköping, Sweden 

Two then-Sweden-based USA orienteering athletes, Keegan Harkavy and Anthony Riley, competed at the second World Cup of the season, another sprint event in Skara and Lidköping. They competed in the KO quali and the individual sprint and pulled off some impressive results.

World Orienteering Cup 2026: Results & Event Info

Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC) [June 29 – July 4] – Karlskrona, Sweden

Twelve juniors got the opportunity to compete in the epicenter of orienteering in Karlskrona, Sweden. They took on challenging, swampy terrain and some interesting peninsula sprinting. And they got to take improved knowledge and strengthened friendships home from Scandinavia.

Read their blog post here.

World Orienteering Championships (WOC) [July 6-11] – Genoa, Italy

The World Orienteering Championships were held in Genoa, Italy this year, and the U.S. sent eight athletes, including four first-timers (Annika Mihata, Ava Suhocki, Greta Leonard and Sergei Ryzhkov) and four returners (Evalin Brautigum, Joseph Brautigum, Ricardo Schaniel, and Keegan Harkavy). They enjoyed some extremely interesting and complex sprint racing, and, of course, some delicious gelato.
Read Annika’s blog post here

World Orienteering University Championship (WUOC) [July 28 – Aug 1] – Vila Real, Portugal

Twelve college-aged athletes took on the World Orienteering University Championships (WUOC) in Vila Real, Portugal. Despite fears about the heat of the summer in Portugal, the weather held out for a beautiful week of racing around interesting streets as well as an extremely pleasant forest. 

Keegan Harkavy came fourth in the KO-sprint qualifiers, which wouldn’t be his last legendary result for the summer. The team played a lot of Ninja, ate a lot of chocolate mousse, and enjoyed socializing with the other college teams. 

Read FISU’s round-up here.

World Cup Round 3 [Aug 5-9] – Vyšší Brod, Czechia

Four athletes —  three of whom were on the heels of racing or coaching at WUOC —  took a quick flight over to Vyšší Brod, Czechia, for the third World Cup and first purely forest event of the season. 

In the men’s relay, Thomas Laraia, Anthony Riley, and Keegan Harkavy pulled off the highest result in American World Cup history —  17th!!! Evalin Brautigum didn’t have a relay team, but tackled the challenging woods in the individual middle and middle quali.

World Orienteering Cup 2026: Results & Event Info

World Masters Orienteering Championships [Aug 7-14] – Rzeszow, Poland

Around 20 American orienteers traveled to Rzeszów, Poland  to compete at the 2026 World Masters Orienteering Championships. U.S. legend Sharon Crawford led the way by winning Gold in the Long Distance final, while several other runners turned in strong individual performances on challenging courses and everyone enjoyed a great week of racing in Poland:

Official Website.

European Orienteering Championship (WC4) [Sep 24-27]  –  Drusinikai, Lithuania

Athletes Joseph Barrett and Thomas Laraia took on the thorny, green woods of Drusnikai, Lithuania. They wrapped up the summer with some challenging races, some stellar results, and a whole lot of fun.  

World Orienteering Cup 2026: Results & Event Info

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And with that, the summer season of racing came to a close. If you still want a chance to nap some world ranking points or to race alongside the U.S. team members, show up to NAOC in December.

2026 World Orienteering Championships Recap

July 7-11, 2026

This year’s the World Orienteering Championships took place in Genova, Italy. As a Sprint WOC, the schedule consisted entirely of urban sprint discipline races: Sprint, Knock-out Sprint, and Mixed Sprint Relay.

Top photo by Alexis Leonard. Remaining photos by Evalin Brautigam and Alexis Leonard.

Meet the team on the US Team blog!

Photos from all events from Alexis Leonard

Support the US National Team!

You’ve shared the woods with these athletes.

You’ve stood at the start line together, cheered near the finishes, and reviewed maps after the finish.

Now they’re representing the U.S. overseas, and you can still be part of the journey from home.

This fundraiser t-shirt gives back with a large portion of the proceeds supporting USA Orienteering National Team athletes: JWOC, WUOC, WOC, and EYOC.

Wear it while they race, and let’s show them their community is with them every step of the way!

The order window is short – through Friday, May 15 – so people traveling over to Europe will be able to pack them on their trip!

Order your OUSA fundraiser shirts here

EYOC competition is first on June 25-27 in Slovenia. JWOC athletes compete June 29-July 4 in Sweden. WOC competition is July 7-11 in Italy followed by WUOC on July 28-August 1 in Portugal.

A special shoutout to Enjoy Winter for assisting in getting this fundraiser going. They are the new Noname rep and sponsor of the National Teams and YDP uniforms!

OUSA Welcomes New National Team Members

The US National Orientering Team welcomes new members following their selection to either the World University Orienteering Championships (WUOC) or Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC) Teams. We are pleased to welcome back returning member Annika Mihata (COC) and to introduce new member Grace Suhocki (DVOA), both joining the Performance Squad. We also extend a warm welcome to Nate Dunlap (OLOU), who has been added to the Junior Squad.

2026 US National Team Announced

The Selection Committee (Peggy Dickison, Matt Smith, and Will Enger) reviewed all applications to determine which athletes earned a place on one of the three squads: Elite, Performance, and Junior.

This year marks a significant transition, as four long-time competitors—Greg Ahlswede, Eric Bone, Alison Campbell, and Ali Crocker—have retired from international racing after distinguished careers that included multiple WOCs, World Cups, and the World Games. They will certainly remain active in the sport, and we look forward to following their future results. We thank them for their many contributions and wish them the very best.

We received 48 applications this year and selected 36 athletes to the National Team.

  • Elite Squad athletes are those we would expect to form the core of the WOC Team if trials were held today.
  • Performance Squad athletes are capable of racing at the Elite level on any given day and may develop into future WOC contenders.
  • Junior Squad athletes (under age 21) are eligible only for the Junior Squad, though they may compete for both the WOC and JWOC teams.

We are pleased to welcome three new members to the National Team, all Junior men: Andy Driscoll, Jayden Suarez , and Misha Biryukov.

You will see National Team athletes throughout the year on the U.S. Team Blog, volunteering at NREs and local events, and contributing as coaches and mentors. They are outstanding representatives of our sport, and we look forward to seeing what they accomplish in 2026.

Peggy Dickison
On behalf of the National Team Selection Committee

2026 US National Orienteering Team

NameSquadClub(s)
Anthony RileyEliteDVOA, IFK Göteborg (Sweden)
Bridget HallEliteNEOC, MNOC
Danny RileyEliteNEOC
Evalin BrautigamEliteWCOC, Southern Arrows (Australia)
Joseph BarrettEliteNMO
Keegan HarkavyEliteNEOC, Göteborg-Majorna OK (Sweden)
Lily Addicott EliteGAOC
Ricardo SchanielEliteBussola OK (Switzerland)
Sydney FisherEliteEMPO
Thomas LaraiaEliteMNOC
Thomas CurigerEliteOLC Kapreolo (Switzerland)
Alex MerkaPerformanceQOC
Ben ConleyPerformanceGrizO, COC
Collin ThompsonPerformanceUSMAOC
Jessica ColleranPerformanceCOC
Mathew RogersPerformanceCOC
Oriana RileyPerformanceDVOA
Shawn MatherPerformanceGAOC
Adalia Schafrath-CraigJuniorBOK, SMOC
Alex ErikssonJuniorICO
Andy DriscollJuniorNEOC, Navigation Games
Anna GreenJuniorSMOC
Ben CooperJuniorCOC
Danny BuchholzJuniorCOC
Greta LeonardJuniorCOC
Ian DunlapJuniorOLOU
Jackson RupeJuniorCOC
Jayden SuarezJuniorUSMAOC
Kate deBlonkJuniorGrizO, NEOC
Kendal O’CallaghanJuniorRMOC, Cleveland OC (England), OLV Steinberg (Germany)
Ludvig HagwallJuniorJärfälla OK (Sweden)
Min-Jae KuoJuniorNEOC
Misha BiryukovJuniorLAOC
Mori Finlayson-JohnecheckJuniorNEOC
Paige SuhockiJuniorDVOA
Sophie HowesJuniorCOC

JWOC 2025 Recap

June 26-July 3, 2025

Last updated July 4

Team USA was represented by 12 athletes at this year’s Junior Orienteering World Championships, held in Trentino, Italy. Here are photos, maps, and results from this year’s event!

Sprint Relay

The Mixed Sprint Relay is a race between teams of four athletes–two women and two men—in a fast, head-to-head competition with a total winning time of under one hour. In the heat of the afternoon, Team USA athletes pulled off impressive performances, utilizing their speed and wit to race around the streets of Levico Terme. Although blazing temperatures made the race more challenging, the competitors raced hard and smart, enough to earn a promotion in their starting rank for next year’s JWOC, a win against their neighbors (and friendly rivals) to the North – Canada, and gelato for the team. 

Only the top team from each country counts for the official results, and in the case of the US that was USA 2: Paige Suhocki, Ben Cooper, Alex Eriksson, and Danny Buchholz, coming in 32nd.

Official Results
Map/Live tracking: Leg 1 Leg 2 Leg 3 Leg 4

Sprint

With starts throughout the morning, Team USA battled less heat, but more hills and a more technical city sprint on their second day of competition. Still, the juniors kept their brains sharp, navigating well through the cobblestone streets and tunnels of Cembra, and delivered strong performances (and photo finishes) throughout. 

Ben Conley (92nd) and Greta Leonard (125th) posted the top results for Team USA this day.

Official Results
Maps and routes on Livelox

Long

Team USA stared down daunting course statistics (8.0km with 410m climb for F20/10.0km with 500m climb for M20) to carry out super solid races in the woods of Fornace. After finding their way around fields of pits deeper than two Coach Dylans, taking strategic route choices across several impressively long legs, and using their strength to take on hill after hill, the team had a renewed excitement for forest racing … and for their rest day. 

Mori Finlayson-Johnecheck (104th) and Paige Suhocki (111th) clocked in with the fastest time for US athletes today.

Official results
Maps and routes on Livelox

Middle

Team USA took on a new forest for the middle distance race. While the course statistics looked less terrifying, these woods were significantly less forgiving, with blackberry bushes that tore into our athletes and bumpy hillsides that rolled Ian’s ankle (He wisely chose to DNF, but is recovering well!)

The athletes who made it out alive performed solidly, tackling hills, marshes, and an uphill finish chute to all land themselves well under an hour in the woods.

Official results
Maps and routes on Livelox

Forest Relay

With three full teams, and one mixed team with a South African friend/lead leg, Team USA took on the relay, on a similar map to their middle. Now knowing what to avoid (green vertical slash and marshes), our athletes bested even more slopes, the distraction of running with others in the woods, and any navigational challenges thrown their way. 

The team ended the competition cheering on their coaches in the coaches race, reflecting on their accomplishments, and preparing to enjoy themselves a well-deserved banquet!

Official results
Tracks and maps for Men LEG 1 – LEG 2 – LEG 3
Tracks and maps for Women LEG 1 – LEG 2 – LEG 3

Support Team USA this summer!

This summer Orienteering USA is providing support to 30 National Team and Youth Development Program athletes participating in events in Europe. Some, like Ali Crocker (CROC), are veterans competing for the last time at the World Orienteering Championships. Others, like youngsters Kendal O’Callaghan (RMOC) and Alex Eriksson (ICO), are part of OUSA’s first officially supported team to the European Youth Orienteering Championships. All of our athletes are training hard now and preparing for their summer competitions and training camps, and we’ll keep you updated on all the action.

Here’s a schedule of events featuring Team USA orienteers this summer:

In addition to cheering these athletes on from home, you can also lend a hand financially. Help these athletes reach their summer fundraising goal of $6,000 ($200 per athlete)!

Make a donation by using via OUSA’s donation page (select “4 National Team”) and then share the image above on social media to get others to pitch in!

April OUSA Member Spotlight: Keegan Harkavy

The OUSA April Spotlight is on National Team member (Elite Squa) Keegan Harkavy, from Cambridge, Massachusetts. This is a transcript of an interview with Keegan in April, 2025. It has been edited for clarity and length.

Cristina Luis: Welcome Keegan! I would like to hear how you got your start orienteering.

Keegan Harkavy: I had always known what orienteering was because I grew up next to Barb [Bryant] and growing up next to Barb, it’s kind of a foregone conclusion that you’ll know what orienteering is. I think somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I remember Barb always trying to get me and my two sisters to do it.

But it really started in sixth grade when she came into my school to teach us orienteering. And I can’t really remember what we did. I think we did some maze-Os, maybe some grids, but I remember really enjoying it. I was quite good at it and as a hyper-competitive sixth grader that was something that was exciting. I remember just having a good time and, Barb being Barb, she got really excited about this and pushed to get a team from Cambridge Street Upper School to go to Junior Nationals. 

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