Olympian Keely Cashman wins super-G on day 1 of U.S. Alpine National Championships in Vail
Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily
Keely Cashman wore bib 1 and finished number 1 on day 1 of the U.S. Alpine National Championships Saturday morning in Vail.
“I’m kind of just here having fun,” the 26-year-old said after winning the women’s super-G, one year after placing second. The Bear Valley Team alumna gained time in the middle two sectors, stopping the clock at the base of the Riva Bahn Express in 1 minute, 11.69 seconds. Fellow U.S. Ski Team athletes Tricia Mangan (1:11.84) and Logan Grosdidier (1:12.34) rounded out the podium in second and third. Even though her last race was a 10th-place result at the World Cup Finals in Lillehammer, Cashman said the Golden Peak course by comparison was no cake walk.
“The course set itself was actually kind of tricky and the snow was really fast today, so the speeds were high,” she stated. “So, it’s definitely still intense out there.”
Isaiah Nelson tied Ski and Snowboard Club Vail alumnus River Radamus for the win on the men’s side as Bradshaw Underhill took third and another SSCV Olympian, Kyle Negomir, picked up the wooden medal. While one World Cup men’s skier said the course was “the hardest super-G of the year,” the track was in pretty pristine condition — especially considering last week’s heat wave and historically low snow pack. SSCV program director Brad Wall said “a huge amount of man hours” were put in to make the event happen for the second-straight year in Vail.
“Five days ago we were in pretty rough shape, just in the sense of the snow quality,” Wall stated. “It was really hollow and sort of bottomless.”
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Prior to the event, snowcat crews ripped open the top half of the hill to increase surface area and catch extra moisture, Wall said.
“And then we put that all back together again,” he added. “Tremendous help from Beaver Creek race crew, the Vail race crew, Ski and Snowboard coaches. We’re thankful for Vail Resorts for helping us out with an extra cat so we could get on it at the right time of day, early in the afternoon, while there is still plenty of moisture before it freezes.”
The overnight freeze-thaw left a small layer of corn snow on top.
“So, it’s really firm,” Wall explained. “But it’s still a little slippery.”
The men, who started at 9 a.m., were flying 15-20 meters through the air coming by the t-bar. Speeds remained high through the Fall Line pitch into the Connector. Athletes struggled to make the sweeping right-hand arc coming off I-70 into Main Arena. Ten of the 43 female starters — including World Cup skiers Mary and Elisabeth Bocock and Allison Mollin — failed to finish. One athlete who made it to the finish safe and smiling was 16-year-old sensation Mari Renick.
“The speeds were so much fun,” the SSCV skier said after surging to fourth on her home hill. “I’ve trained here so many times and it’s awesome. This is probably the most fun course and track I’ve ever skied down this.”
Renick is fresh off claiming World Cup starts for the 2026-2027 season after placing second overall in the NorAm Cup downhill standings. She was joined in the top-10 Saturday morning by fellow first-year FIS athlete Maya Maxson. Both athletes competed at the FIS Junior World Championships this year; Maxson is flying out to Argentina on Sunday to contest the world junior water ski championships, too.
“Two world juniors in one year for me has been quite the experience,” said Maxson, who was ninth.
“They’ve both had an amazing year,” Wall said before adding that the men’s club contingent was hoping for more: Weston Roach finished in 28th and Aksel Kitt was 31st while Rick Shay, Carson Hume, Alex Krupka and William Erickson posted DNFs.
“When you’re skiing hard and pushing hard and really want to put on a good show at your home hill, these things happen,” Wall said. “Those guys are looking forward to the GS tomorrow.”
For Cashman, the win was her second-career U.S. title. After a breakout sixth-place performance in the super-G in Garmisch, Germany last winter, Keely took it up a notch this season. She posted five top-20s — including a fifth in Tarvisio, Italy — en route to finishing 14th in the discipline standings. At the 2026 Olympics, Cashman was 15th in the super-G and 15th in the team combined.
“This was my best season ever by a lot,” she said, adding that having her dad — who coached her at Palisades Tahoe until she made the national team at 17 — travel with her throughout the campaign was a big reason for the jump.
“It’s been incredible having him on the road and that’s kind of what’s helped me take that next step,” she said. “I’m hoping to build off that.”
Cashman plans to compete at the rest of the championships, too. The men’s GS is slated for Sunday, the women take to the course on Monday, and the final event of the four-day series is the men’s and women’s slalom on Tuesday.
