Last updated: November 4, 2026
Alaska Olympic sports had a big winter: eight skiers with Alaska ties made the 2026 U.S. Olympic cross-country team, and four University of Alaska Anchorage alumni raced in Milan Cortina under three different flags. This refresh replaces older snow-season notes with what the Games and the homecoming actually showed.
Quick summary
- Eight Alaska-linked skiers were named to the U.S. Olympic cross-country team on January 22, 2026, and the Games ran February 6 to 22 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
- Four UAA alumni competed in Nordic skiing or biathlon for the United States, Slovakia and Canada.
- Gus Schumacher won silver in the men’s team sprint, and Andrew Kurka took Paralympic super-G bronze.
- Anchorage held a downtown celebration in April to welcome its Winter Olympians home.
Alaska Olympic sports at the 2026 Winter Games
Alaska Olympic sports are dominated by Nordic skiing, and the 2026 team showed why. According to Alaska’s News Source, all eight named skiers train and compete with Alaska Pacific University, and four of the eight were born or raised in the state. The roster blends first-time Olympians with veterans who have already raced at the Games. McCabe, a three-time NCAA champion, and Brennan, who lives in Anchorage but grew up in Park City, Utah, are two of the names fans will know best.
The eight skiers named to Team USA
On the men’s side, Gus Schumacher, JC Schoonmaker, Hunter Wonders and Zanden McMullen made the team. Schumacher and Schoonmaker both competed in Beijing in 2022, while Wonders and McMullen made their Olympic debuts. On the women’s side, Rosie Brennan was headed to her third Winter Olympics, Novie McCabe and Hailey Swirbul had Beijing experience, and Kendall Kramer, a 2025 University of Alaska Fairbanks graduate, made her Olympic debut.
Four Seawolves, three flags
UAA’s athletic department announced four Seawolves headed to Milan Cortina. Schoonmaker, a Tahoe City, California native, arrived with 83 World Cup starts and 17 top-10 finishes. Swirbul, from El Jebel, Colorado, had two World Cup third-place results and a fourth-place relay finish from Beijing. Peter Hinds, an Anchorage native, skied for Slovakia, and Pascale Paradis of Calgary represented Canada in biathlon.
You can follow the athletes themselves on RallyFuel: see the profiles for Hailey Swirbul and JC Schoonmaker, or explore the school pages for UAA and Alaska Fairbanks.
Results and the homecoming
The headline result came in the men’s team sprint, where Schumacher and Ben Ogden finished second for silver, as reported by the Anchorage Daily News. The same report notes that Andrew Kurka of Palmer earned a bronze medal in the Paralympic super-G. In early April, Anchorage held a downtown celebration for the state’s Winter Olympians, with Mayor Suzanne LaFrance offering a greeting.
How the Alaska pathway works
The 2026 roster points to a clear development path. Wonders (South High, 2017), McMullen (South High, 2019), Schumacher (Service High, 2018) and Kramer (West Valley High in Fairbanks, 2020) all came up through Alaska high schools, according to the same report, and the club and college programs at APU, UAA and UAF gave them a place to compete while they chased World Cup starts. Several of the skiers above passed through more than one stage: Schoonmaker and Swirbul skied at UAA, Kramer at UAF, and all eight now train in the Anchorage ecosystem. For a closer look at how other states build Olympic sports pipelines, read our guides to Idaho Olympic sports, Arkansas Olympic sports and Oregon Olympic sports.
Why it matters beyond the podium
Olympic-sport athletes often build visibility long before a medal. Our piece on how Olympians grow their audience covers that side of the story, and Do Olympic Athletes Get Paid? explains the money. For the rules in the state, see Alaska NIL laws.
What to watch next
With the Games over, the next steps are the next World Cup season and a new college ski year at UAA and UAF. Fans following Alaska Olympic sports can track the same names on RallyFuel as the athletes move from the Olympic stage to everyday competition.
FAQ
How many Alaska skiers made the 2026 U.S. Olympic team?
Eight cross-country skiers with Alaska ties were named on January 22, 2026, and all eight train with Alaska Pacific University.
Which UAA alumni competed in the 2026 Winter Olympics?
UAA named four: JC Schoonmaker and Hailey Swirbul for the United States, Peter Hinds for Slovakia and Pascale Paradis for Canada in biathlon.
Did an Alaska skier win a medal in Milan Cortina?
Gus Schumacher teamed with Ben Ogden for silver in the men’s team sprint, according to the Anchorage Daily News.
Where can I follow Alaska Olympic sports athletes?
Start with the RallyFuel Winter Olympics page, then browse athlete and school profiles.
Follow College Athletes on RallyFuel
Keep up with Olympic-sport athletes on the RallyFuel athlete directory, check the NIL Score leaderboard, and visit the Trophy Case.
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