Southern Cal Track Athlete Jessica Davis Makes USA Bobsled Team

Track Athlete Jessica Davis Makes USA Bobsled Team

2018-2019 USA Bobsled National Team named

LAKE PLACID, N.Y.(Oct. 26, 2018)- Twenty-three athletes were named to the USA Bobsled National Team this morning after the conclusion of selection races in Lake Placid. Although 13 of the 17 athletes named to the pool of push athletes have earned their first national team berth, the potential of the 2018 rookie class has the coaches optimistic about the future. Team USA qualified three quota spots for both the women’s and men’s teams.

“We are going to be leaning on the veterans, coaches and drivers to help turn this high-potential rookie class into world-class bobsled athletes,” said USABS CEO Darrin Steele. “There will be a steep learning curve, but after what we’ve seen from this group in push championships and team trials, we expect big things.”

"I’m looking forward to starting the next chapter with these drivers,” said USA Bobsled Head Coach Mike Kohn. “Starting a new Olympic quad is always challenging, but we’ve got the tools to get things kicked off on the right path.”

For the Women's Team Elana Meyers Taylor (Douglasville, Ga.) earned a bye onto the national team with her 2018 Olympic silver medal performance. Brittany Reinbolt(Searcy, Ark.) and Nicole Vogt(Dallas, Texas) will join Meyers Taylor as the women’s national team drivers.

The six competitors named to the women’s pool of push athletes includes the following, listed in alphabetical order: former Wayne State College track athlete Nicole Brungardt(Norfolk, Neb.), University of Southern California track athlete Jessica Davis(Gardena, Calif.), 2018 Olympic silver medalist Lauren Gibbs(Los Angeles, Calif.), former LSU-Shreveport basketball player, weightlifter and reigning national bobsled push champion Sylvia Hoffman(Arlington, Texas), former Towson track athlete Megan Kelly(Middletown, Md.) and former University of Iowa track athlete Lake Kwaza(Sycamore, Ill.).

The first World Cup race will be in Sigulda, Latvia from December 3-9. The season also features a World Cup on home ice in Lake Placid from February 11-16, and the season will conclude with World Championships on the 2010 Olympic track in Whistler, Canada from February 25-March 10.

About USA Bobsled & Skeleton
For more information, please visit the USABS website atwww.usabs.com.

BTMB.