March 28, 2024
BIATHLON

4 Maine biathletes to compete for U.S. team

COLERAINE, Minn. – Four Maine biathletes have received nominations to compete for the U.S. Biathlon Team at the Youth and Junior Biathlon World Championships in Ruhpolding, Germany, from Jan. 26 to Feb. 2.

Hilary McNamee of Fort Fairfield, Meagan Toussaint of Madawaska, Grace Boutot of Fort Kent and Russell Currier of Stockholm were among 10 nominees announced Sunday at the conclusion of the Youth and Junior World Championships team trials held at Mount Itasca.

McNamee and Boutot are joined by Addie Byrne of Bovey, Minn., in the Youth Women’s division; while Toussaint and Brynden Manbeck of Grand Rapids, Mich., were nominated in the Junior Women’s category and Currier and Mark Johnson of Grand Rapids, Minn., will compete in the Junior Men’s division.

Currier earned his fifth consecutive world championship team berth, while McNamee will be on the U.S. junior team for the third straight year and Toussaint will be making her second straight trip to the worlds.

Also nominated for the U.S. junior team Sunday were Ethan Dreissigacker of Burlington, Vt., Raleigh Goessling of Duluth, Minn., and Preston Butler in the Youth Men’s category.

They join three other athletes, including Maine Winter Sports Center team member Laura Spector of Lenox, Mass., who had already earned spots on the U.S. team.

MWSC teammates McNamee and Toussaint of Madawaska combined to win three of four women’s events over the weekend U.S. team trials. McNamee won Sunday’s Youth Women’s division by 1 minute, 27 seconds over the second-place Byrne. McNamee won the sprint and pursuit format competitions and finished second to Byrne in the relay format mass start event.

Boutot finished third, 1:54 behind McNamee, while Kaitlyn Bernard of Fort Kent was fourth, 2:34 behind.

Toussaint won Sunday’s Junior Women’s division by just three seconds over Manbeck.

Currier finished third in Sunday’s Junior Men’s competition, while Newt Rogers of Fort Kent placed fourth.

On Saturday, McNamee and Toussaint each claimed victory in pursuit format competitions, and with those wins secured positions on the Junior World Championships squad.

Toussaint had the best performance of the day in the Junior Women’s 10-kilometer event with only two penalties, one in each of the two final standing stages, en route to a 4:21 victory over the second-place Mandbeck.

McNamee won the Youth Women’s 7.5K by 2:05 over second-place Byrne, with Boutot third (3:48 behind) and Jessica Caron of Fort Kent fourth, 10 seconds behind Boutot.

Rogers finished third in Saturday’s Junior Men’s competition.


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