Women’s Coaching Initiative Sees Both New and Returning Female Coaching Participants in 2025-26

Following a successful inaugural year of the Women’s Coaching Initiative program, U.S. Biathlon is pleased to announce the expansion of this year’s program to include three returning and five new female coaches. 

The program is rooted in a commitment to both expanding opportunities for women in coaching and the growth and development of female coaches in the sport of biathlon. U.S. Biathlon's women's coaching development program, which built on the shadow coaching opportunities available over the past several years, provides formal mentorship and professional development opportunities for female coaches from all Nordic backgrounds to gain biathlon coaching experience across all levels. This initiative was designed to increase the number, experience and visibility of female biathlon coaches in the U.S. and internationally, in order to support our athletes and inspire future generations of female coaches and athletes. 

“We were thrilled to have coaches from the Women’s Coaching Initiative on the ground supporting our junior athletes last season," said Director of Athlete Development and Junior Team Leader Tim Burke. "Their presence made a real impact, and it’s inspiring to see the next generation of female coaches gaining experience and stepping into key coaching roles. We’re excited to build on this momentum as we head into year two of the program.”

In addition to work this past summer at both youth/junior and senior training camps, this upcoming 2025-26 season will see female coaches integrated at both domestic and international events, including Junior IBU Cup 3 in Madona, Latvia, Youth and Junior World Championships in Arber, Germany, Junior Open European Championships in Imatra, Finland, and IBU Cups 1-3 in Obertilliach, Austria, Ridnaun, Italy, and Lenzerheide, Switzerland. 

“Every time I work at a race event, I am amazed by all the behind-the-scenes efforts put in by coaches and officials to make things run smoothly,” said U.S. Biathlon Women’s Coaching Initiative participant Susan Dunklee. “There’s much that goes into this sport that most athletes don’t see. One thing hasn’t changed since my life as an athlete; focusing on teamwork pays off. Being part of the Women’s Coaching Initiative showed me that teamwork amongst coaches leads to higher quality support for athletes. We had a great group of collaborative staff at World Juniors last year in Sweden and I learned a lot from each of them.”

In addition to Dunklee’s regular role as a junior biathlon coach at Craftsbury and the work she’s done at U.S. Biathlon summer development camps, this year she’s been helping occasionally with the US Para Nordic team as a biathlon coach and will be traveling to Italy in March 2026 as a coach for the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games! 

“Para has an amazing team of coaches including Nick Michaud, Mike Lessard and BethAnn Chamberlain who I love working alongside,” Dunklee added. “I’ve helped them support athletes at training camps in Bend, Oregon, Oberhof, Germany, and Canmore, Canada. I’m looking forward to working on some international race events this winter, including the Paralympics in Italy!” 

2025-26 Women’s Coaching Initiative Participants

Caroline Dodd

Caroline currently serves as Assistant Nordic Ski Coach at Bates College, where she designs individualized training plans, guides competition strategy, and supports recruitment and community engagement. Caroline’s coaching experience spans NCAA, USCSA, and youth levels, including positions with Craftsbury Outdoor Center, Paul Smith’s College, Non-Stop Nordic, and Clarkson University, where she helped lead the men’s Nordic team to a 2024 USCSA National Championship title. Beyond sport, Caroline holds an M.S. in Environmental Policy from Clarkson University and a B.S. from Cornell University, with research focused on rural climate action and community resilience. An active leader in environmental advocacy, she serves as Vice Chair of the Adirondack Council’s Next Generation Council and has represented youth voices at multiple United Nations climate conferences.

Susan Dunklee

Susan raced for U.S. Biathlon on the National Team from 2008-2022, ending her career as the most decorated U.S. biathlete in history. She is a 3x Olympian and 8x World Championship team member with 2 World Championship silver medals and 5 World Cup medals. During her time as an athlete, Susan organized Women’s “Mini Camps” to bring National Team and top senior and junior women together for training, learning & team building. She also created Girls with Guns beginner clinics together with National Team teammates and put on events in 3 different states. Following her retirement as an athlete, Susan was hired as Craftsbury Outdoor Center’s Running Camp Director and Director of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project (GRP) Run Team. She has since taken on a different set of jobs as Craftsbrury’s Biathlon Director, Craftsbury Ski Club coach, Race Organizer, Biathlon Camp Organizer, Girls on the Run coach and mountain bike coach.

Elysha Dyer 

Elysha currently serves as Nordic Director for Team Summit, where she leads program operations, manages budgets, oversees a coaching staff, recruits athletes, and designs training plans and camps. Previously, Elysha coached post-graduate athletes at the Fort Kent Outdoor Center, designing individualized training and strength programs, planning and leading domestic and international travel, and supporting athletes at major competitions. She has also coached at Freeport High School, guiding athletes through training, race preparation, and competition. Elysha’s experience also includes coaching at Junior Nationals, U16 Biathlon trips to Norway, and the Junior IBU Cup and Open European Championships. Holding an M.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics from Kansas State University, she is USSS Level 100, Biathlon Coach and Official, SafeSport, and Wilderness First Responder certified.

Grace Erholtz 

Grace is the Development Coach and Central Region Sport Development Manager for Team Birkie/CXC Skiing, where she oversees regional athlete development programs, manages junior training camps, and supports elite athlete testing and technique analysis. Previously, as a Graduate Assistant Coach at the University of Wyoming, Grace helped guide the men’s team to the 2025 USCSA National Championship and the women’s team to a runner-up finish while completing a Master’s in Kinesiology and Health with a 4.0 GPA. Her coaching resume includes leadership roles at the National U16 Camp, CXC Dream Camp, and Junior Nationals, where she mentored athletes through all aspects of training, racing, and development. Dedicated to both athletic and academic excellence, she holds multiple coaching certifications and has been widely recognized for achievement and leadership.

Annika Martell

Annika was a competitive cross-country skier from 2011-2020 before transitioning into coaching. Following her graduation from Colby College, she joined U.S. Biathlon as a coaching intern, where she assisted and facilitated biathlon National Team Camp practices at Craftsbury Outdoor Center, often as the primary coach and built out youth program development and coach education framework. Since then, Annika has been the Cross Country Ski Coach at Ford Sayre Memorial Ski Council, Head Coach Summer Training Group at Berkshire Nordic Ski Club, Stratton Mountain School T2 Team Assistant Coach and Assistant Coach of Men’s and Women’s Ski Team at Williams College. Annika also had the opportunity to be a Trail to Gold Fellow with US Ski and Snowboard and travel as a coach and wax technician. In 2022, she attended the Cross Country World Cups in Beitostolen, Norway and Davos, Switzerland, and in 2023, she attended the Cross Country World Cups in Gallivare and Ostersund, Sweden.

Ruth Oppliger

Ruth currently serves as Assistant Coach for the Northern Michigan University Ski Team. In this role, she supports daily team operations, training plan design, athlete recruitment, and competition logistics. Previously, as Head Coach of the Vasa Ski Club, Ruth founded and directed the first year-round junior training program in Michigan’s lower peninsula, coaching over 40 athletes and leading a dedicated staff of assistant coaches. Her national-level experience includes the Trail to Gold Coaching Fellowship and Her Ray Cross Country Women’s Coaching Fellowship with the U.S. Ski Team, where she worked alongside World Cup coaches and athletes. A USSS Level 200 Certified Coach with CPR, First Aid, and SafeSport training, Ruth brings technical expertise, strong communication, and a deep commitment to athlete growth. Ruth holds a B.S. in Geological Engineering from Michigan Technological University.

Maddie Phaneuf 

Maddie raced for U.S. Biathlon from 2017-2021, during which time she was a 2018 Olympian and competed at the 2017 World Championships. During her time as an athlete, Maddie was a part of launching Girls with Guns and was selected to represent Protect our Winters (POW) Rider’s Alliance. Following her retirement from racing, Maddie was named as the New York Ski Education Foundation (NYSEF) head biathlon coach and assistant Nordic coach. In 2022, Maddie received her U.S. Biathlon Official’s License and USSA L100 Coach Certificate. In 2023, she received her International Biathlon Union (IBU) International Referee License, and in 2024, she completed the IBU Academy First Level Course. In addition to coaching with NYSEF, Maddie was also selected for U.S. Biathlon’s Coaching Fellowship in 2023, spending two weeks in Europe on the IBU Cup, and had the opportunity to travel back to the 2018 biathlon Olympic venue in PyeongChang to coach Team USA at the 2024 Youth Olympic Games.

Isabel Seay 

Isabel, a 2024 Colby College graduate with a B.A. in Environmental Policy and Spanish (3.89 GPA), completed an honors thesis exploring climate anxiety in cross-country skiing and received multiple academic and athletic awards, including the Sonya Hall Award and F. Russell Cole Research Fellowship. As Assistant Coach for the Ford Sayre Junior Nordic Team and Co-Nordic Coordinator for the club’s youth and masters programs, Isabel supports athlete development, program coordination, and community engagement. She also coached the U18 Girls for Team New England at Junior Nationals and taught in the SAU 70 school district as a substitute teacher. A former two-time captain of Colby’s NCAA Division I Nordic Ski Team, Isabel brings experience in mentorship, communication, and youth empowerment both on and off the snow.