DiGregorio, Hollander take silver in Park City luge race
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by Gordy Sheer
PARK CITY, Utah— For the first time since 2023, the EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup circuit was back on U.S. soil today at the 2002 and 2034 Olympic track.
The American duo of Zack DiGregorio and Sean Hollander were the leaders going into the second heat and ultimately took the silver medal with a time of one minute, 26.273 seconds.
Saturday also served as the first race for the men’s and women’s singles competitions, with the race winners to be crowned tomorrow. American Summer Britcher is currently in the lead going into the final women’s singles run.
Men’s doubles
It was a fight to the finish for DiGregorio (Medway, Mass.) and Hollander (Lake Placid, N.Y.). The pair held the lead until the final stretch of the course, when a small mistake cost them their second career World Cup win. However, the 2022 Olympians did secure a silver medal.
Teammates Marcus Mueller (Brookfield, Wisc.) and Ansel Haugsjaa (Framingham, Mass.) finished tenth in 1:26.717, followed by Dana Kellogg (Chesterfield, Mass.) and Frank Ike (Lititz, Pa.) in 12th with a time of 1:26.772.
The gold medal went to Germany’s Toni Eggert and Florian Mueller in 1:26.222. Italy’s Ivan Nagler and Fabian Malleier placed third in 1:26.356.
In overall World Cup standings, Austria’s Juri Gatt and Riccardo Schoepf are in the lead with 160 points. Eggert and Mueller are second with 150, and Germany’s Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt are in third with 131.
The U.S. team did not compete in the first World Cup of the season as it was not an Olympic qualifying event and opted to travel to Lake Placid for additional training. After one race, DiGregorio and Hollander lead the Americans with 85 points. Mueller and Haugsjaa are 20th with 36, followed by Kellogg and Ike in 22nd place with 32 points.
Women’s doubles
2024 World Cup gold medalists Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby made some mistakes in the upper portion of the track on both runs. Forgan (Chelmsford, Mass.) and Kirkby (Lake Placid, N.Y.) finished the day in fifth place with a time of 1:27.921. In addition to competing today, Kirkby also celebrated her graduation from North County Community College in Saranac Lake, N.Y., with an associate degree in business administration.
Teammates Maya Chan (Chicago, Ill.) and Sophia Gordon (Sussex, Wisc.) placed ninth with a time of 1:29.043.
Dajana Eitberger and Magdalena Matschina of Germany secured a new track record on their first run and took the gold with a time of 1:27.140. In second place was Austria’s Selina Egle and Lara Kipp in 1:27.416, and third was Germany’s Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal in 1:27.648.
In the overall World Cup standings, it is a three-way tie between Egle and Kipp, Degenhardt and Rosenthal, and Eitberger and Matschina for first place with 160 points. Forgan and Kirkby are 12th with 55 points, and Chan and Gordon are 14th with 39 points.
Women’s singles
Three-time Olympian Britcher was the first to hit the ice and remained in the top spot at the end of the heat. Britcher (Glen Rock, Pa.), who is a five-time World Cup race winner, clocked in at 43.921 seconds. Just .004 seconds separated Britcher and teammate Emily Fischnaller (Lake Placid, N.Y.) who sits in second in 43.295. Fischnaller also won the qualifying Nation’s Cup race earlier in the day. Austrian Dorothea Schwarz is third in 43.234.
Ashley Farquharson and Emma Erickson, who both hail from Park City, also took their first runs today. 2022 Olympian Farquharson sits in tenth place in 43.539, while Erickson was 22nd in 44.045. Erickson will not compete tomorrow as only the top 20 athletes are eligible to race.
Men’s singles
2022 Olympian Jonny Gustafson (Massena, N.Y.) leads the U.S. men in sixth place with a time of 45.042. Teammate Matt Greiner (Park City, Utah) is in 19th place in 45.856, and Hunter Harris (East Fairfield, Vt.) is currently 25th in 46.399. Gustafson and Greiner will compete in tomorrow’s final run.
Three-time Olympian Tucker West (Lake Placid, N.Y.) competed in the Nation’s Cup qualifying race earlier in the day but did not finish, eliminating him from this weekend’s competition.
Going into the tomorrow’s final run, Austria’s Jonas Mueller is first, Germany’s Max Langenhan is second and Italy’s Leon Felderer is third.
Olympic qualification and Team USA nomination process
The EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup in Park City is the second of five Olympic qualification races.
Nations earn Olympic spots by earning points through results of the Cortina test event and four pre-Olympic World Cup races. To learn more about the quota system for nations, visit https://www.fil-luge.org/cdn/uploads/milano-cortina-2026-qualification-system-for-luge-v3.pdf
Team USA athletes earn a nomination to the 2026 Olympic Team based on results in the five FIL Olympic qualifying events. An “A tier” result (a top five finish in a full field, as defined by
World Cup rules), or two “B tier” results (two results in the top 50% of a full field, as defined by World Cup rules) can earn an Olympic nomination. If an athlete does not earn an “A tier” or “B tier,” then points earned in the five races will be used. For the complete procedure, visit https://www.usaluge.org/selection-processes
DiGregorio and Hollander have now earned an “A tier” after today’s competition. At the Cortina qualifying event held two weeks ago, Mueller and Haugsjaa also earned an “A tier.” A series of tiebreakers, if needed, will be used to rank the athletes within the same tier.
Forgan and Kirkby have earned a “B tier” through their Cortina and Park City race results.
On or about January 12, 2026, USA Luge will formally announce its list of nominees to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, who will then announce those athletes as members of the 2026 Olympic squad.
USA Luge athlete quotes after first day of racing at the EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup
Park City, Utah—USA Luge athlete quotes after the first day of racing at the EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup:
Ansel Haugsjaa: It definitely wasn't what we wanted. It was a pretty rough first run and getting closer on the second one, but still sloppy. I think we learned a lot, though. A lot of what we were struggling with on the race day was some bad choices in how we approached the training week. So, a lot to learn, a lot to take away, and excited to keep pushing
Marcus Mueller: (We’re) definitely learning. This week was pretty challenging, with only five or six runs. So today wasn't great, but the second run was not so bad, and we learned a lot this week, so I'm pretty happy.
Zack DiGregorio: I feel great. There's definitely more on the table, but still super stoked on second place today.
Sean Hollander: We were happy with that first run. It was great start times on both runs and it's good to build from there.
Chevonne Forgan: It's always such a treat to be able to race at home. So many of our friends and family [are] here supporting us. It was a lot of fun. Our runs in the race weren't exactly what we wanted, but that's why we keep working and keep pushing.
Sophia Kirkby: It's a really exciting day. I think we had a lot of fun. We had some troubles here and there, but that's what can happen on race day.
World Cup racing continues tomorrow, December 13, from Park City with the second runs of the men’s and women’s singles disciple and the team relay. The circuit will then move to Lake Placid, N.Y. December 19-20, before the holiday break. Media credentials are currently available for next weekend’s races in Lake Placid. To apply for a credential, please see the links below:
Lake Placid World Cup
December 19-20, 2025; Mt. Van Hoevenberg
