Meet the 33 New Englanders competing for Team USA in the 2022 Winter Olympics
January 21, 2022
The Providence Journal | By Hadley Barndollar
When the 2022 Olympic Winter Games begin on Feb. 4, New England will be very well-represented.
Competing this year in Beijing, China are more than 30 athletes collectively hailing from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. It does not appear any athletes are from Rhode Island.
Viewers at home can watch these New Englanders go for gold in the following sports: men’s and women’s ice hockey, bobsled, doubles figure skating, single and doubles luge, biathlon, snowboarding, freestyle skiing, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and short track speed skating.
Approximately 200 athletes will represent Team USA at the Winter Games, and the majority have already qualified or been named to the team. Additional athletes continued to trickle in last week. This story will be updated.
Matty Beniers, of Hingham, MA: U.S. Men’s Ice Hockey
Nineteen-year-old Matty Beniers hails from Hingham, Massachusetts, and is currently a member of the University of Michigan men’s hockey team. He’s also a prospect of the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League. Beniers is one of five from Massachusetts on the U.S. men’s hockey roster this Olympic games.
Sean Farrell, of Hopkinton, MA: U.S. Men’s Ice Hockey
Sean Farrell, 20, is in his first year at Harvard University. In 2021, he was named Player of the Year in the U.S. Hockey League, the country’s top junior league. Farrell is a Hopkinton, Massachusetts native.
Marc McLaughlin, of North Billerica, MA: U.S. Men’s Ice Hockey
A senior at Boston College, Marc McLaughlin, 22, is from North Billerica, Massachusetts. Before BC, he played at Cushing Academy and for the NV River Rats, Cape Cod Whalers and Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.
Strauss Mann, of Greenwich, CT: U.S. Men’s Ice Hockey
Calling Greenwich, Connecticut home is 23-year-old Strauss Mann, a current goalie for the Skellefteå AIK of the Swedish Hockey League. He played college hockey at the University of Michigan.
David Warsofsky, of Marshfield, MA: U.S. Men’s Ice Hockey
Playing at Cushing Academy and then Boston University, Marshfield, Massachusetts native David Warsofsky began his NHL career with the Boston Bruins and later played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche. The 31-year-old is currently playing for ERC Ingolstadt of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.
Drew Commesso, of Norwell, MA: U.S. Men’s Ice Hockey
Drew Commesso, of Norwell, Massachusetts, is a member of the Boston University men’s hockey team, and in 2020 was drafted by the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. The 19-year-old plays goalie.
Alex Carpenter, of North Reading, MA: U.S. Women’s Ice Hockey
The 2022 Winter Olympics will be Alex Carpenter’s second Olympic appearance, after competing in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games where she won a silver medal. The North Reading, Massachusetts native, who is 27, played for Boston College, and has competed on seven International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championship teams.
Caroline Harvey, of Salem, NH: U.S. Women’s Hockey
Caroline Harvey, 19, a Salem, New Hampshire native, won a silver medal as a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team in 2021, playing in the International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championship. As a youth, Harvey played for the Worcester Jr. Sharks organization.
Leif Nordgren, of Hinesburg, VT: U.S. Biathlon
Leif Nordgren, a biathlete whose hometown is Hinesburg, Vermont, was previously an Olympian in both 2014 and 2018. The 31-year-old has said he will be retiring from biathlon at the end of this year.
Susan Dunklee, of Craftsbury, VT: U.S. Biathlon
Susan Dunklee competed in both the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics. In 2017, she was the first woman to win a world championship medal in an individual biathlon event, taking silver in the mass start. She splits her time between Vermont and Lake Placid, New York.
Jake Brown, of Craftsbury, VT: U.S. Biathlon
Jake Brown is a Minnesota native who now resides in Craftsbury, Vermont. In Beijing, he’ll make his Olympic debut for the U.S. men’s squad. At the 2019 U.S. Biathlon National Championships, Brown placed first in sprint, second in pursuit and sixth in super sprint.
Deedra Irwin, of Jericho, VT: U.S. Biathlon
A Wisconsin native who now calls Jericho, Vermont home, Deedra Irwin is the lone woman making her Olympic debut for the U.S. biathlon squad. Irwin competed in the 2021 World Championships, where she placed 13th in relay. She is also a member of the Vermont Army National Guard.
Sean Doherty, of Center Conway, NH: U.S. Biathlon
An Olympian in 2014 and 2018, 26-year-old Sean Doherty became the all-time leader in individual medals at the IBU Youth/Junior World Championships in 2016. In 2014, he was the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic Biathlon Team. Doherty hails from Center Conway, New Hampshire.
Zack DiGregorio, of Medway, MA: U.S. Luge Doubles
Medway’s Zack DiGregorio is the youngest member of USA Luge’s national team, and Beijing will be his first Olympic appearance. DiGregorio, 20, will compete in luge doubles with teammate Sean Hollander.
Tucker West, of Ridgefield, CT: U.S. Luge
The 2022 games will be Tucker West’s third Olympic appearance. At age 18, West was the youngest male ever to qualify to represent Team USA in the men’s luge at the Winter Olympics. West has won three World Cup gold medals in singles, and 10 total World Cup singles medals. His hometown is Ridgefield, Connecticut.
Zachary Donohue, of Madison, CT: U.S. Figure Skating
An ice dancer from Madison, Connecticut, Zachary Donohue will return to the Winter Olympics this year with his skating partner, Madison Hubbell. Donohue is a three-time World medalist, and the 2018 Grand Prix Final champion.
Julie Letai, of Medfield, MA: U.S. Short Track Speed Skating
Medfield, Massachusetts native Julie Letai will join Team USA this year to compete for a medal in short track speed skating. The 21-year-old competed in the 2021 World Championships and 2019 Junior World Short Track Championships.
Kristen Santos, of Fairfield, CT: U.S. Short Track Speed Skating
First-time Olympian Kristen Santos, from Fairfield, Connecticut, will take her short track speed skating skills to Beijing this winter. The 27-year-old has already made appearances at the 2021 World Championships, 2020 Four Continents Championships, and the 2019 World Short Track Championships.
Frank Del Duca, of Bethel, ME: U.S. Bobsled
Frank Del Duca, 30, is one of two Mainers representing on Team USA. The first-time Olympian from Bethel, Maine will compete in the bobsled. Del Duca attended the University of Maine, where he was a track star before finding his way to bobsledding.
Kris Horn, of Pembroke, MA: U.S. Bobsled
Twenty-seven-year-old Kris Horn, of Pembroke, Massachusetts, will join Team USA for the first time, competing in the bobsled. He is an alumnus of the University of Massachusetts, and has competed at both the two-man and four-man bobsled world cups.
Paula Moltzan, of Charlemont, MA: U.S. Alpine Skiing
Alpine skier and Minnesota native Paula Moltzan attended the University of Vermont and now lives in Charlemont, Massachusetts. In 2017, Moltzan won the NCAA title in slalom, and then rejoined the World Cup circuit. She is 27.
Ryan Cochran-Siegle, of Starksboro, VT: U.S. Alpine Skiing
Returning Olympian Ryan Cochran-Siegle is a Vermont native with a rich family history of skiing, and he’s a bright prospect for a medal in Beijing. The 29-year-old’s mother, Barbara Ann Cochran, won the slalom at the 1972 Olympics. Last January, Cochran-Siegle was involved in a crash on a ski course in Austria, which stalled his training for the 2022 Olympics.
Hannah Soar, of Somers, CT: U.S. Freestyle Skiing
Hannah Soar, originally from Somers, Connecticut, grew up spending winters skiing in Killington, Vermont. Soar later moved to Vermont to attend Killington Mountain School. She first qualified for the U.S. Ski Team when she was a junior in high school.
Olivia Giaccio, of Redding, CT: U.S. Freestyle Skiing
Twenty-one-year-old Olivia Giaccio, a mogul skier, has been on the U.S. Ski Team since 2017. Giaccio was the first woman ever to attempt a cork 1080 in moguls World Cup Competition, and she skis the hardest degree of difficulty run of the women on the World Cup circuit, the U.S. Ski Team says. Her hometown is Redding, Connecticut.
Megan Nick, of Shelburne, VT: U.S. Freestyle Skiing
Megan Nick, who is making her Olympic debut at the 2022 games, is a Shelburne, Vermont native. Nick, 25, an aerial skier, earned her first two world cup podiums in the 2019-20 season and scored her first world cup win in early 2021.
Devin Logan, of West Dover, VT: U.S. Freestyle Skiing
Two-time Olympian Devin Logan is headed to Beijing this year for her third bid. In 2014, the West Dover, Vermont native won the inaugural slopestyle silver medal in Sochi. Logan will turn 29 during this year’s Winter Games.
Caroline Claire, of Manchester Center, VT; U.S. Freestyle Skiing
Beijing will be Caroline Claire’s second Olympics. The soon-to-be 22-year-old from Manchester Center, Vermont previously finished 23rd in slopestyle at PyeongChang. During the 2017-2018 season, Claire won her first World Cup victory in Seiseralm, Italy.
Lindsey Jacobellis, of Stratton Mountain, VT: U.S. Snowboarding
Seasoned veteran Lindsey Jacobellis, a four-time Olympian and 31-time World Cup gold medalist, made her Olympic debut at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Jacobellis, 36, is also a 10-time snowboard cross champion at the X Games. She is from Stratton Mountain, Vermont.
Julia Marino, of Westport, CT: U.S. Snowboarding
Twenty-four-year-old snowboarder Julia Marino, of Westport, Connecticut, will appear in her second Winter Games this year. At PyeongChang, she finished 10th in big air and 11th in slopestyle. Marino is also a seven-time X Games medalist.
Julia Kern, of Waltham, MA: U.S. Cross-Country Skiing
Julia Kern, 24, graduated from Waltham High School in Massachusetts in 2015, and has been on the U.S. Ski Team since 2017. Kern placed third in a freestyle sprint in the World Cup in Planica, Slovenia in 2019, making her the U.S. Sprint Champion for that year.
Jessie Diggins, of Stratton, VT: U.S. Cross-Country Skiing
Beijing will be Jessie Diggins’ third Olympic bid. In 2018, the Stratton, Vermont resident won the gold medal for Team USA in the team sprint freestyle. Diggins also won the 2021 Tour de Ski, making her the first American to do so. Diggins, 30, is originally from Minnesota.
Sophia Laukli, of Yarmouth, ME: U.S. Cross-County Skiing
Yarmouth, Maine native Sophia Laukli will join Team USA in Beijing, after being a member of the silver medal-winning relay team at the 2020 World Championships. Luakli, 21, graduated from Yarmouth High School in 2018 and attended both Middlebury College and the University of Utah, where she is currently a junior.
Ben Ogden, of Landgrove, VT: U.S. Cross-Country Skiing
Ben Ogden currently skies for the Vermont Catamounts, and hails from Landgrove, Vermont. The soon-to-be 22-year-old will join the U.S. Cross-Country Ski Team in Beijing this year. He is a two-time junior world championship team relay gold medalist.