Tucker West, Farquharson, Mueller/Haugsjaa and Forgan/Kirkby USA Luge Champions

Park City (FIL/06.11.2024) The Norton USA Luge Championships 2024 were held on November 3-5 in four runs. The race format combines the times from four runs spread over two days, based on the Olympic race format for single’s luge.

Two-time Olympian Ashley Farquharson of Park City, Utah, took her second consecutive national title with a time of two minutes, 57.652 seconds. Before the final runs on Tuesday, November 5, the 25-year-old was 0.037 seconds behind three-time Olympian Emily Sweeney of Lake Placid, N.Y. The duo swapped places on day two, with Sweeney finishing second with a total time of 2:57.769 seconds. The bronze medal went to Summer Britcher (Glen Rock, Pennsylvania), a five-time World Cup winner, in 2:58.947. Emma Erickson (Park City, Utah) finished fourth in 3:00.385, while Macey Schomaker (Park City, Utah) sledded to fifth place in 3:03.275.

In the men's race, three-time Olympian Tucker West (Lake Placid, N.Y.) won by a relatively comfortable margin over 2022 Olympian Jonny Gustafson (Massena, N.Y.). Their times were 3:04:310 and 3:04.575, respectively. Junior Aidan Mueller (West Islip, N.Y.) earned his first career podium finish in the Norton National Championship, taking bronze in 3:06.508. Hunter Harris (East Fairfield, Vt.) finished fourth with a time of 3:08.098, two-time junior world championship medalist Matt Greiner (Park City, Utah) was fifth with a time of 3:08.860. Logan Barnes (Clarkesville, Tennessee) did not finish the race.

In a somewhat surprising men's doubles race, the reigning junior world champions Marcus Mueller (Brookfield, Wisc.) / Ansel Haugsjaa (Framingham, Mass.) won gold. The high-flyers from the junior ranks posted a total time of 1:29.014 in two runs, relegating the silver medalists in the 2024 World Championship team relay, Dana Kellogg (Chesterfield, Mass.) / Frank Ike (Lititz, Pa), to second place. Kellogg/Ike finished in 1:29.139. The 2022 Olympians and winners of the 2023 World Cup in Lake Placid, Zack DiGregorio (Medway, Mass.)/ Sean Hollander (Lake Placid, N.Y.), won the bronze medal in 1:29.280. It is noteworthy that all three teams achieved times within 0.007 seconds in the second run.

Three-time World Championship medalists Chevonne Forgan (Chelmsford, Massachusetts) / Sophia Kirkby (Ray Brook, New York) won the title in 1:30.662 ahead of the newly formed women's double Maya Chan (Chicago, Illinois) / Sophia Gordon (Sussex, Wisconsin). They finished in 1:31.457.

The nine-race World Cup season will begin in Lillehammer, Norway, from November 29 to December 1, 2024. The 53rd FIL Luge World Championships are scheduled for February 6-9, 2025 in Whistler, Canada.

All results from the Norton National Championships and more information about the US Luge Association and its athletes can be found at www.usaluge.org.