January 6, 2026 – Milwaukee, Wi – The selection process for the 2026 Winter Olympic speedskating team wrapped up Monday night at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee, Wi. Topping the list is Jordan Stolz from the Town of Wayne. The 21-year-old will be skating in four events in Milan, Italy including the 500m, 1000m, 1500m, and Mass Start. Stolz put on a show in the second Mass Start event of the night, with a breakaway sprint to the finish that showed of his massive power-to-ice leg strength in the final 1000m.
If Stolz was recovering from a head cold, it wasn’t evident in his performance Monday as he dominated the field and charged the finish.
Questioned if he’ll be able to go faster once he hits his peak at the Olympics, Stolz said that was his plan. “If it works exactly how I want it to, that’ll be the case. I think if things go smoothly and I have a good preparation, that should happen. I’m going to use the Inzell World Cup as kind of like a preparation for it. Right now as I build up I think it’s looking that way.”
Coach Bob Corby was happy with the results, all-around following the weekend Olympic Trials. He praised Emery Lehman’s performance in the 1500m. “He took the boys to the woodshed, that 1500m was phenomenal,” said Corby. “And then Erin Jackson’s 1000m… oh my gosh, that was really impressive.”
The final 13 Olympic Team USA members are:
Men:
Ethan Cepuran (Mass Start, Team Pursuit)
Casey Dawson (1500m, 5000m, 10000m, Team Pursuit)
Emery Lehman (1500m, Team Pursuit)
Conor McDermott-Mostowy (1000m)
Cooper McLeod (500m, 1000m)
Jordan Stolz (500m, 1000m, 1500m, Mass Start)
Zach Stoppelmoor (500m)
Women:
Giorgia Birkeland (Team Pursuit)
Brittany Bowe (1000m, 1500m, Team Pursuit)
Erin Jackson (500m, 1000m)
Mia Manganello (Mass Start, Team Pursuit)
Greta Myers (1500m, Team Pursuit)
Sarah Warren (500m)
Veteran Erin Jackson will be skating the 500m and 1000m representing the United States of America. “It’s just an amazing feeling. There’s just a lot of honor and pride that goes into it, like putting on the uniform and just, racing for my country. It’s really cool.”
Casey Dawson will be skating the 1500m, 5000m, 10000m, and Team Pursuit. He said as far as the US team is concerned, it will definitely pick up some medal in Milan. “This is definitely one of the strongest team I’ve seen in a while. Not just the distance side, sprint side, you know, you have Jordan, you have Cooper McLoud, you have me, you have Ethan, we have the team pursuit boys as well. The women’s team pursuit is coming up as well. So, everyone is just super strong. They’re on their game right now. We peaked at the right time. You know, we’re just looking forward to just continuing this success going into the Olympic Games.”
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Click HERE for more details on 2026 Olympic qualifiers
Below is a preview of the final day of Olympic Trials.
January 5, 2026 – Milwaukee, WI – Day 4 of Olympic Trials will feature the Mass Start and the second 500m at the Pettit National Ice Center as 14 skaters vie for a final spot on Team USA for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. Coach Bob Corby has a very entertaining review of Mass Start strategy and one prediction for the race at the Olympics.
Local favorite Jordan Stolz has already pre-qualified to compete in the 500m at the Olympics, along with the 1000m, 1500m, and today he races the Mass Start. It’s pack-style racing, and a longer distance, 16 laps.
During this past ISU World Cup season Stolz is listed 5th in the standings for Mass Start. It’s likely two Americans will skate the Mass Start at the Olympics. The early second favorite for the men is Ethan Cepuran who is 16th in the ISU World Cup standings.
The results above show Stolz’s finishes so far this season. The initial race in Utah saw him finish 15th, and within a week you can see he was figuring it out and jumped to a bronze medal and a No. 3 finish. Stolz was on track to possibly podium again in Heerenveen, when a crash took him out midway through the race.
The following week in Hamar, coach Bob Corby said Stolz mimicked the stride of a marathon racer and in the end “stole the lunch money” of the skaters in front of them and won by a sizable margin.
For the women, keep an eye on 35-year-old Mia Manganello. She is the heavy favorite for Team USA.
10_draw_womenmassstart-1_20260105000222Below is the lineup of skaters for today’s races, which begins with the mens Mass Start.
9_draw_menmassstart-signed_20260105000348Click HERE for the full Monday, January 5, 2026, schedule
Skating gets underway around 4 p.m. Monday afternoon, January 5, 2025.
nbcsports.com
