2024 Annual Awards Recognize Athletes, Coaches at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center

Athletes, coaches, staff, and members of the U.S. Biathlon and local Utah community gathered at the new Soldier Hollow Competition Center, home of the U.S. Biathlon Association headquarters, to celebrate the senior, junior, youth and coach of the year, Charlie Kellogg award and Walter G. Williams Endowment Fund Grant recipients. 

Athletes of the Year 

Deedra Irwin - Female Athlete of the Year

Irwin, winning her second consecutive female athlete of the year award, rounded out her 2023/24 season ranked 38th on the overall World Cup points list, a 20-spot jump from the 2022/23 season. Season highlights include her first World Cup top-10 result in Lenzerheide, SUI finishing in 8th, and hitting a World Championships personal best 11th in the women’s individual. 

Campbell Wright - Male Athlete of the Year

After transitioning to Team USA last fall, Wright finished the 2023/24 season ranked 31st overall on the World Cup points list. Shining in the second half of the season, Wright had nine individual top-20 finishes, his best being sixth place on home snow at Soldier Hollow in March. 

Junior Athletes of the Year

Hannah Chipman - Female Junior Athlete of the Year

Chipman finished up her last season as a junior athlete where she posted a 29th place finish in the women’s mass start 60 at Junior Open European Championships, giving her momentum as she went into racing at Junior World Championships. Chipman currently attends Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH where she is studying engineering and racing on the Nordic ski team.  

Van Ledger - Male Junior Athlete of the Year

Ledger, also entering his first season as a senior, tallied up first, second and fourth place finishes at Junior International Team Trials in December 2023, which landed him on U.S. Biathlon’s Junior IBU Cup, Junior Open European Championships and Junior World Championships teams this past season. Ledger currently attends Montana State University in Bozeman, MT where he is studying chemical engineering with a focus in pre-med.

Youth Athletes of the Year

Virginia Cobb - Female Youth Athlete of the Year

Cobb is currently headed into her first season as a true junior athlete, despite having been a member of U.S. Biathlon’s Junior National Team the past two years. She is a two-time Youth World Championships team member and raced at the 2024 Junior Open European Championships as a youth athlete. 

Elias Soule - Male Youth Athlete of the Year 

Soule, member of U.S. Biathlon’s Junior National Team, is also headed into his first year as a junior athlete. This past season, he raced at the 2024 Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, KOR where he placed 31st in the individual and 23rd in the sprint, as well as Youth World Championships where he placed 22nd in the youth men’s sprint. Soule began his first year at Harvard College this fall and is a member of the Harvard Nordic ski team. 

Coach of the Year - Holly Hanson, Bluff Country Biathlon 

Since Hanson began coaching, she has shown a keen interest in learning and improving her skills to help her athletes. She has always participated actively in U.S. Biathlon’s coach education opportunities and has volunteered her time to help at multiple U.S. Biathlon development camps, helping not only her athletes but also athletes from around the country.

It is clear that Hanson’s coaching is paying off in the continued improvement of the athletes she works with.

Charlie Kellogg Awards

One of U.S. Biathlon’s most noted honors, the Charlie Kellogg Awards, recognize developing athletes who distinguished themselves through outstanding progress. This year’s award recipients are Grace Castonguay and Nikolas Burkhart. Since taking up biathlon in 2020, Castonguay has made great strides highlighted by her World Cup debut in Hochfilzen in December 2023 and current position as member of the U.S. Biathlon Senior National Team. Burkart, also a current member of the U.S. Biathlon Senior National Team, gained momentum on the IBU Cup throughout the season, ending on a high note with a 14th place finish in the mass start 60 in Obertilliach, AUT. 

The Charlie Kellogg Award is given annually to developing athletes who distinguish themselves through outstanding progress over the season. The award includes a training grant of $1000 made possible by Michael Martin and the Kellogg family to honor Charlie’s legacy as Biathlon's first US National Champion and his extraordinary leadership as a Board Member who cared deeply about developing athletes.  

Walter G. Williams Endowment Fund Grant 

The Walter G. Williams Endowment Fund Grant, created by the Williams Family, honors Walter’s contributions to biathlon as the first president of the U.S. Biathlon Association following the organization’s separation from Pentathlon. This award recognizes junior development athletes who distinguished themselves through outstanding progress. This year’s award recipients are Haley Finch and Matej Cervenka. Finch began doing biathlon in 2020 at age 13 and has made incredible progress. She made her international racing debut this past season on the Junior IBU Cup in her first year as a youth athlete and is now a member of U.S. Biathlon’s Junior National Team. Cervenka, beginning biathlon in 2013, had a remarkable comeback this past season after breaking his leg in spring 2023. Following his recovery, he didn’t miss a beat, qualifying for the 2024 Junior World Championships in his first year as a junior athlete.