Thurston, Hagenbuch Claim First-Team All-America Honors to Close 2026 National Championship

Saturday, March 14

Soldier Hollow Nordic Center / Midway, Utah

9:00 AM MDT / 11:00 AM EDT

Dartmouth College

NCAA Championship Day 4

Thurston, Hagenbuch Claim First-Team All-America Honors to Close 2026 National Championship

3/14/2026 5:58:00 PM | Skiing

Day 4 Results

By: Rebecca Osowski

MIDWAY, Utah – The 2026 Skiing National Championship concluded Saturday, as the Nordic teams raced the 20K freestyle at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center. Ava Thurston led the way for the women with a fourth-place finish, while John Steel Hagenbuch claimed second on the men's side.

The Big Green finish the 2026 National Championship in sixth place with 314 points.

Thurston capped an impressive senior season with another top-five finish, claiming fourth in the 20K freestyle mass start evet. The winner broke away, but the next three finishers were within five tenths of a second of each other.

Thurston finished the race in 52:22.9, just two tenths of a second off the podium. This is Thurston's second First-Team All-America honor and fifth overall All-American honor, earning second-team in Wednesday's 7.5K classic race.

Amelia Tucker was the next Big Green finisher, claiming 18^th overall with a time of 54:16.5.

Evie Walton rounded out the top-20 for the Big Green, finishing in 54:29.7 to claim 20^th overall, scoring double digit points for Dartmouth.

On the men's side, Hagenbuch once again led the way for the Big Green, finishing second overall with a time of 46:15, earning First-Team All-American honors. Hagenbuch is now a seven-time First-Team All-American.

Hagenbuch, and about a dozen other skiers, were in one leading pack heading into the final lap, before he and Utah's Mons Melbye broke away. It came down to the final sprint, as Hagenbuch crossed the finish line just four-tenths of a second after Melbye, earning second overall.

Jack Lange finished next for Dartmouth, posting a time of 51:08.5. Cooper Camp also competed for the Big Green, posting a time of 51:59.5.

Dartmouth officially wraps its 2026 season as back-to-back Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association Champions, having won four of the six carnivals, and PLACE nationally.