Brown Hits Second Top 10 in Lake Placid, Eighth in Pursuit

Jake Brown (St. Paul/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) carried his strong form into the final men’s race of the weekend, charging to eighth place in the men’s 12.5km pursuit. Brown led the U.S. squad, hitting 17 of 20 targets to finish +3:06.6 behind the winner and just 10 seconds shy of the flower ceremony. 

The men’s pursuit podium saw a reshuffle from the sprint, as Danilo Riethmueller dominated to take the win, joined by Norwegian teammates Ole Suhrke and Sverre Dahlen Aspenes in second and third.

Bjorn Westervelt (Stowe, VT/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) delivered one of the day’s biggest moves, climbing 16 positions from bib 41 to finish 25th after missing just one of 20 targets. Thor Sheppard (West Yellowstone, MT/Team Altius) and Logan Moore (Durango, CO/Mansfield Nordic Pro) were lapped, while Vincent Bonacci (Salt Lake City, UT) did not start.

The final race of week one in Lake Placid saw Chloe Levins (Rutland, VT/Mansfield Nordic Pro) lead the U.S. women in 25th, marking her seventh top-25 finish of the season. Joanne Reid (Grand Junction, CO/Colorado Biathlon Club) placed 28th with the third-fastest shooting time of the day, while Kelsey Dickinson (Winthrop, WA/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) claimed 30th, her first top-30 of the season, and the fifth-best shooting time overall. Grace Castonguay (Jackson, NH/Soldier Hollow Elite), Jackie Garso (Lake Clear, NY/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), and Lina Farra (Heber City, UT) were lapped. 

The women’s pursuit podium saw Norway’s Gro Ransby deliver another commanding victory, with Sweden’s Sara Andersson and Johanna Skottheim completing the podium.

Racing resumes in Lake Placid on Wednesday, March 4, with the mixed and single mixed relays, followed by sprints on March 6 and mass start 60 competitions on March 7 to conclude the 2025-26 IBU Cup season.