SPEED SKATING: Mantia and Bowe win two each at U.S. Nationals

American speed skating star Brittany Bowe

Going into the 2018 U.S. Long Track Championship at the Olympic Oval in Kearns, Utah, there was very little doubt that the top skaters were former World Champions Joey Mantia and Brittany Bowe.

Their status was confirmed as both won two events and Mantia actually won a third and was disqualified.

Bowe, who is the ISU World Cup leader at 1,000 m and third in the 500 m and 1,500 m, won the 500 m and 1,000 m races easily. She outpaced Erin Jackson in the 500 m, 37.54-38.27, and won the 1,000 m over Kimi Goetz, 1:13.53-1:15.37.

“Going into the rest of the season, my focus is to prepare for the World Single Distance Championships,” said Bowe. “I’m really, really pleased with how my racing has gone this far. I’m a little more sharp, getting my rhythm and my timing down, and doing well during the championships this weekend.”

Mantia ranks sixth in the World Cup Mass Start rankings and eighth in the 1,500 m, and won three events – the 1,000 m, 1,500 m and the Mass Start – but lost the Mass Start title as he was disqualified for pushing.

“My goals are to continue feeling comfortable on the ice and find a little more speed before the World Championships,” said Mantia. “If I can do that, I think everything will take care of itself.”

The event was the U.S. qualifier for the fifth and sixth World Cup events and for World Sprint Championships, World Allround Championships and World Single Distance Championships. The U.S. teams are named here.

“I think our 1,000 and 1,500 meter races are coming along really well,” said National Head Coach Tom Cushman. “I think we have the speed we need and they’re able to finish those races strong. The top speed in the 500 and the long distance races are what we need to work on for the rest of the season.”

Summaries from Kearns:

U.S. Speedskating National Championships
Kearns, Utah (USA) ~ 28-30 December 2018
(Full results here)

Men

500 m: 1. Kimani Griffin, 35.24; 2. Joey Mantia, 35.35; 3. Brett Perry, 35.61; 4. Austin Kleba, 36.00; 5. Kyle Ronchak, 36.14; 6. Steven Hartman, 36.24; 7. Tyler Cain, 36.48; 8. William Gebauer, 36.71.

1,000 m: 1. Mantia, 1:07.84; 2. Griffin, 1:09.07; 3. Kleba, 1:09.59; 4. Hartman, 1:10.64; 5. Perry, 1:11.78; 6. Gebauer, 1:11.80; 7. Ronchak, 1:11.84; 8. Shaner Lebauer, 1:12.13.

1,500 m: 1. Mantia, 1:44.99; 2. Ian Quinn, 1:48.16; 3. Ethan Cepuran, 1:48.24; 4. Justin Stelly, 1:48.36; 5. Griffin, 1:48.61; 6. Hartman, 1:48.66; 7. Casey Dawson, 1:49.44; 8. Kleba, 1:49.57.

5,000 m: 1. Cepuran, 6:36.86; 2. Quinn, 6:39.99; 3. Stelly, 6:47.59; 4. Dawson, 6;56.00 (only entrants).

10,000 m: 1. Quinn, 14:27.48 (only entrant).

Mass Start: 1. Cepuran, 8:29.08; 2. Quinn, 8:31.58; 3. Conor McDermott-Mostowy, 8:46.20; Mantia and Dawson were disqualified.

Women

500 m: 1. Brittany Bowe, 37.54; 2. Erin Jackson, 38.27; 3. Kimi Goetz, 38.43; 4. Brianna Bocox, 38.54; 5. Jerica Tandiman, 39.17; 6. Paige Schwartzburg, 39.17; 7. Chrysta Rands, 39.84; 8. Esther Munoz, 41.23.

1,000 m: 1. Bowe, 1:13.53; 2. Goetz, 1:15.37; 3. Bocox, 1:15.95; 4. Schwartzburg, 1:17.20; 5. Jackson, 1:17.46; 6. Tandiman, 1:18.02; 7. Rands, 1:19.44; 8. Munoz, 1:21.75.

1,500 m: 1. Goetz, 1:59.21; 2. Schwartzburg, 1:59.27; 3. Bocox, 1:59.37; 4. Cariljn Schoutens, 2:01.50; 5. Jackson, 2:05.78; 6. Rebecca Simmons, 2:07.08; 7. Rands, 2:07.86; 8. Sara Rehklau, 2:08.13.

3,000 m: 1. Schoutens, 4:13.99; 2. Mia Kilburg-Manganello, 4:17.33; 3. Rebecca Simmons, 4:27.49.

5,000 m: 1. Schoutens, 7:18.84; 2. Maria Lamb, 7:33.26 (only entrants).

Mass Start: 1. Kilburg-Manganello, 9:24.54; 2. Simmons, 9:30.97; 3. Goetz, 9:29.06; 4. Lamb, 9:47.26.