HANOVER, N.H. – John Steel Hagenbuch won his second straight 7.5K national championship Thursday, highlighting a successful day at Oak Hill for the Big Green. With the individual win and all six Nordic skiers finishing in the top 10, Dartmouth climbs four spots in the standings, now sitting in first place with 267.5 total points.
Hagenbuch posted the third fastest time among the competition through the first lap, a 6:46.3. He then followed with both the fastest second lap (7:03.4) and third lap (7:03.0) for a combined 20:52.8 and the first back-to-back individual national championship for the Big Green since 2019.
His 20:52.8 on his home course beat second place Finn Sweet from Vermont by 16 seconds. With the win, Hagenbuch also earns First-Team All-America status for the fourth time.
“I’m feeling really good. That was a super fun race with a lot of family, friends, teammates and coaches our here cheering and getting loud,” Hagenbuch said after his win. “A beautiful day of racing. I tried really hard and I knew that if I gave it my all and raced a smart race and kind of tapered my effort to be strong the last lap that I would have a fighting chance.”
Luke Allan also impressed for the Big Green, finishing fourth overall with a 21:48.1. He led the way through the first lap, finishing the first 2.5K in 6:42.7, the second fastest time of the male field. Allan remained in fourth through the second lap with a 14:07.9 5K time before posting a 7:40.2 final lap.
Allan’s fourth place finish also earned him First-Team All-America recognition.
Cooper Camp finished ninth in his first National Championship race. He completed his first lap in 6:57.4, his second lap in 7:36.3, and his third lap in 7:41.5 for a combined time of 22:15.3. With the top ten finish, Camp earned Second-Team All-America status.
The women were led by Jasmine Drolet, whose 24:14.3 time placed her on the podium, earning third place. Drolet posted the third fastest time in the first lap (7:33.9) and the fourth fastest time in the second lap (8:16.3) to sit in third through 5K. An 8:24 in the final lap sealed the third-place finish for Drolet.
With her podium finish, Drolet earns First-Team All-America status, her second first-team recognition and third All-America overall.
Ava Thurston finished just behind her teammate, posting a 24:21.6 to earn fourth place. Thurston came out of the gate with a 7:36.5 first lap followed by a third best 8:15.3 second lap. She finished her final lap in 8:29.8 to secure 31 total points for the Big Green.
Thurston’s fourth place finish earns the junior her first First-Team All-America recognition. She collected Second-Team All-America honors in both races at the 2023 National Championship.
In her second National Championship appearance, Nina Seemann finished eighth overall in the 7.5K. She posted the fifth fastest time through the first lap, finishing in 7:39.5, before going on to post a 8:27.5 and a 8:42.6 in the final two laps to finish in the top 10.
The National Champion Hagenbuch shouted out all his teammates for their performances at Oak Hill today, crediting Allan and Camp for their best races of the season and all five of his Nordic teammates for earning All-America status.
With the Big Green currently sitting in first place in the overall standings, the National Championship will continue Friday with the Giant Slalom at The Skiway.
“We just got to keep it rolling,” Hagenbuch said. “Alpine Day Two tomorrow, and I’m super confident that my teammates on the alpine side are going to keep it rolling.”
The Giant Slalom will kick off with the women’s first run at 9:00 a.m. followed by the men’s first run at 9:55 a.m. You can find everything you need to know here.