Races kicked off for Team USA on Friday, January 22nd at the Hub System in Thialf Stadium in Heerenveen, Netherlands. Both Joey Mantia (Ocala, FL.) and Ian Quinn (St. Louis, MI.) made it out of their Mass Start Semi-Final heats and moved onto the Mass Start Final, set for Saturday. During the final, Quinn earned a sprint point which helped him secure 11th place, who was followed by Mantia taking 15th.


The second day of racing was jam-packed with the entire World Cup team competing in events. Ethan Cepuran (Glen Ellyn, Il.) started off the day with a 7th place finish in the Men’s Division B 1500 meter, with a time of (1:47.98). Brittany Bowe (Ocala, Fl.) took home Gold in the Women’s 1500 meter (1:53.88), winning by .69 of a second! Teammates Joey Mantia and Conor McDermott-Mosowy (Washington, D.C.) raced in the Men’s 1500 meter, Mantia had a 7th place finish (1:45.57), and Conor finished in 16th with a time of (1:47.50).


“I’m really pleased with the first weekend of racing here in The Netherlands. I felt really confident in my preparation going into this competition… ” Bowe said.  “... Although grabbing Gold this weekend feels great, I have to stay focused and keep my foot on the gas pedal to keep the momentum going over the next few weeks here in the bubble.”


The final day of racing began with a personal best from Cepuran in the Men’s Division B 5000 meter (6:22.43), earning himself a 9th place finish. Up next was back-to-back performances from Bowe, placing 6th in the 500 meter (37.85), and bringing home her second Gold medal of the weekend in the 1000 meter (1:13.60). To finish off the weekend, Conor finished in the 16th spot in the 1000 meter, with a time of (1:10.18). 


“It was incredibly fun to be back competing on an International level, Brittany Bowe led the charge with two gold medal races,” Coach Matt Kooreman said. “... and my feeling is that Team USA is poised to continue to improve next weekend as well.  I think the entire team is very grateful to all that worked so hard to make this first world cup a success!”


Next weekend will be the second World Cup, make sure to tune in on Peacock TV to watch live and on-demand.

Brittany Bowe - GOLD Women's 1500m 

Brittany Bowe - GOLD Women's 1000m


To view the weekends results click here.