Andrew Blaser and Quintin Wiley named to USA Skeleton and Bobsled Teams

Utah Olympic Park Bobsled Luge Skeleton Track Photo: Michele Roepke

Lake Placid, N.Y. – USA Bobsled Skeleton (USABS) has announced the ten athletes selected to compete on the Skeleton National Team and the 18 athletes on the Bobsled National Team that will represent the U.S. in World Cup competitions during the 2022-2023 season.

Two of those named call Park City’s Utah Olympic Park their home track; Beijing 2022 Olympian skeleton slider Andrew Blaser, from Southern Idaho, and Quintin Wiley, bobsled push pool athlete from Bountiful, Utah.

“Year one of the Olympic quadrennial is always exciting because you have a mix of athletes with a wealth of experience and success, and a crop of entirely new athletes just starting their careers,” said USABS Director of Sports Performance and Olympic gold medalist Curt Tomasevicz in a statement. “There’s a lot of opportunity for this team to grow and succeed this winter, and I’m personally looking forward to competitions returning to the U.S. this season.”

Five-time Olympian Katie Uhlaender (Colo.) headlines the women’s World Cup Skeleton team. She will be joined by 2022 Olympian Kelly Curtis (N.J.) and newcomer Hallie Clarke (Canada). 

Team veteran Austin Florian (Conn.) has been selected to race in the skeleton World Cup tour for the men’s team.

The athletes selected to compete in the skeleton Intercontinental Cup are Sara Roderick (Mass.), Kendall Wesenberg (Calif.), and Mystique Ro (Va.) for the women, and Dan Barefoot (Pa.) and Hunter Williams (Pa.) for the men. 

“We are very excited about this talented roster of skeleton athletes that will represent Team USA this season,” said Director of Skeleton Programs Eric Bernotas in a statement. “I’m looking forward to standing alongside these athletes as they pursue excellence for themselves and this team as they strive for the podium.”

The USA Skeleton National Team was named based on the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) rankings from the 2021-2022 season.

Four-time Olympic medalist and three-time Olympic champion Kaillie Humphries (Calif.) will take the helm of USA-1 on the women’s team. Nicole Vogt (Texas) will pilot USA-2, and Riley Compton (Ill.) makes her first national team appearance as the driver of USA-3.

Elana Meyers Taylor (Ga.) is taking the season off from competition since she and her husband, Nic Taylor, are expecting their second child together in November.

2022 Olympian Frankie Del Duca (Maine) has earned his spot as pilot of USA-1 this season, while Hunter Church (N.Y.) takes a season off. Geoff Gadbois (Vt.) has been assigned to USA-2.

The five women selected to the pool of push athletes are, in alphabetical order: 2014 Olympic medalist Aja Evans (Ill.), Jasmine Jones (Pa.), Jestena Mattson (Ore.), Emily Renna (N.Y.) and Macy Tarlton (Ariz.).

The seven additional men selected to the pool of push athletes are, in alphabetical order: two-time Olympian Hakeem Abdul Saboor (Va.), Adrian Adams (N.C.), Martin Christofferson (S.D.), Freddie Harris (Texas), Olympic track and field medalist Manteo Mitchell (N.C.), Carsten Vissering (Md.), and 2022 Olympian Josh Williamson (Fla.)

Pilots were selected based on the 2021-2022 International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) rankings. The push athletes were selected based on several factors, including individual and combination push championship results, former international and national race results, and combine test results.

The World Cup returns to the U.S. this season for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The team will travel to Whistler, Canada, to train before the first World Cup starts at the end of November on the 2010 Olympic track. The World Cup tour will then head to Park City, Utah, and Lake Placid, N.Y., for the season’s second and third stops.