Casper 2026 Jan 9-10

Casper - Kelly Walsh Invite - High School & NRL Race

This weekend was extremely important for our top racers, as the event included a National Rankings List (NRL) race in addition to the high school race. This meant that any US Ski & Snowboard (USSS)–registered athlete could compete against our athletes in Casper, and the event also served as one of the qualification races for Junior Nationals in the High Plains Nordic region.

Sheridan had five boys and two girls competing in the NRL races. These athletes were dual-ranked, meaning their results counted toward both the NRL standings and the high school team scoring based on race times.

For the very first time, four athletes punched their tickets to Junior Nationals, which will take place in March in Cable, Wisconsin: Abe Hughes, Kade Shideman, Kayley Alicke, and Macey Alicke. In addition, two Sheridan athletes earned two qualification points toward Junior Nationals: Gabe Aasby and Sheridan College student Justin McDowell. Both are hoping to earn their third and final qualification point in Park City, Utah, in a couple of weeks. We are very proud of these six athletes and their accomplishments!

Noteworthy Mentions

Kayley and Macey Alicke led the Sheridan girls once again this week; both finishing on the podium in the Saturday skate race, 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Kayley won the U18 NRL races both days, while Macey placed 3rd on day one and 1st on day two.
Kade Shideman finished 4th in the combined high school rankings on Saturday. He was so fast that his race time was one of the three used to set the qualification standard for Junior Nationals. Kade also won the U16 NRL races both days.
Abe Hughes continues to establish himself as a classic ski specialist, placing 5th overall on Friday in the combined high school race results.
Brynn Kirol started her skate race with the best V2 technique we’ve ever seen from her. She has helped the team score in every race this season and is truly an invaluable athlete for Team Sheridan.
After a week of illness, Andre Wei returned to the race course on Saturday and scored for Team Sheridan—a strong comeback effort.
Luke Schreiber deserves recognition for his willingness to compete at the highest level. Although he narrowly missed earning Junior Nationals qualification points by a very small time margin, he put up a great fight. Luke is a highly valued skier, and we rely on his contributions to the team score, especially in skate races.
It has been fun watching Eric Venn’s development this season. His athletic ability has grown notably. Eric doesn’t like falling, so it was especially funny to hear him talk about his spectacular spills in both races this weekend. We are proud of how hard he is tackling the course—winners are made by those who get back up after every fall.