Annika Hunt and Raphael Lessard-overall NorAm 2025 winners. Credit: Burke Mountain Academy
The 2025 North American (NorAm) Cup season concluded with an incredible showdown in Sugarloaf, Maine, and Burke Mountain Resort at the Stifel Success NorAm Finals. Six racers were victorious from the speed races, with one of the first-place finishes resulting in an exciting tie.
For the tech portion of the Stifel Success NorAm Finals, the men and women both had two triumphant racers.
Ryder Sarchett from the Stifel US Ski Team claimed victory in the giant slalom for the men, while Croatian skier Matej Vidovic triumphed in both slalom events.
On the women’s side, Elisabeth Bocock, also representing the Stifel US Ski Team, secured a win in one giant slalom and two slalom races, with Cassidy Gray from Alpine Canada Alpin taking the top spot in another giant slalom.
At the end of the event, the 2025 discipline NorAm titles and overall NorAm titles were presented.
Annika Hunt and Raphaël Lessard Achieve the Overall Titles
Canadian Raphaël Lessard achieved an outstanding season on the NorAm circuit, winning the overall standings by 598 points. The University of Utah athlete excelled in all four disciplines.
During the NorAm Cup Finals, Lessard achieved six results in the top-4 out of seven races, including two victories in the speed events.
Lessard stated, “My ability to be competitive on all types of slopes and conditions, across all disciplines, is something I am proud of.”
“Winning the overall felt great. It was a big goal for me, so that made it even better.” He continued, “I’ve worked to be competitive in all events, including slalom, so it makes the good results in the tech events just as special as in the speed events.”
The women’s field was a tighter race for the overall title. Nevertheless, Annika Hunt of Burke Mountain Academy was able to achieve it.
Last season, Hunt finished the NorAm Cup overall standings in 14th, and this season her consistent success brought her up 13 places to the top of the standings.
Impressively, she stood on nine NorAm podiums this season, competing in all of the disciplines. But super-G is where she earned the most top-3 results.
She stated, “I have worked so hard leading up to this point in my career, so it feels like my work has really paid off. As much as these past races have felt like a dream come true, I also know that I worked my butt off to get here, so I know that I deserve it!”
She came into the NorAm Finals feeling at ease as she had already achieved her top priority: “I had already achieved my season goals of qualifying for the Stifel U.S. C-Team and placing top 5 in NorAms in multiple events, including tech, so really I had no weight on my shoulders coming in.”
Hunt concluded the 2025 season with an immense amount of gratitude and continued to reflect on that and will use it to fuel her off-season training.
Elisabeth Bocock’s Win Solidified the GS NorAm Title
Elisabeth Bocock has had a successful season on the NorAm circuit with five victories, one second-place, and four other top 10 finishes. But the most exciting part was securing the GS title with a win in the Finals.
She stated, “My goals going into the Finals were to lower my slalom points and win the GS NorAm title. I was really pleased that I was able to achieve those goals and end the NorAm season on a positive note.”
Although Bocock did not have a ton of racing experience this season in slalom, she still managed to pull off two wins, which moved her up to third in the NorAm Cup slalom standings.
“I was super happy with my results in the Burke NorAms. I was particularly happy with my slalom results because they were only my 5th and 6th slalom races of the year due to a hand injury,” Bocock explained.
Bocock also achieved her personal-best result on the World Cup circuit this season, achieving a 14th place in the Åre giant slalom. Her impressive achievements are driving her to enhance her strength in the gym during the off-season as she gears up for the World Cup circuit next season.
Liam Wallace Ends Comeback Season with the GS NorAm Title
Liam Wallace of Alpine Canada Alpin has been having a stellar comeback season after a devastating crash last season.
Impressively, Wallace successfully won in three of the NorAm giant slaloms and earned a 2nd-place result. Although he crashed on the second run of the GS in the NorAm finals, he was still able to clinch onto the discipline title.
“I am so happy that I started the season with a win and podium this season and found success early after my injury last year. I feel relieved, and it made me hungry at the same time,” Wallace explained.
After his victory at Panorama resort, Wallace felt at ease as he earned a World Cup spot. He stated, “I felt that I could just go skiing and enjoy the fact that I was heading towards a World Cup spot for next year.”
The World Cup is on his radar, but his primary focus is on the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. He stated, “The main goal is to be competing with the best in the world next year and to represent my country at the Olympics and see what I can do.”
Liv Moritz Achieves the Slalom NorAm Title
Liv Moritz is not only a member of the Stifel US Ski Team but also a remarkable multi-sport athlete, competing in both alpine ski racing and soccer at the University of Denver.
This season, Moritz secured a spot on the podium in five NorAm races. She celebrated a victory in the NorAm slalom at Norquay, where she also finished in second place. To wrap up the season, she clinched another second place in the Finals, which ultimately earned her the highest points in the discipline.
She stated, “It felt awesome, and I was super excited to achieve numerous podiums this season. One of my goals was to podium a NorAm or a couple this season, so it was validating to meet and surpass this goal this season.”
Going into the final races, she knew that the overall NorAm title was on the line as the points were tight, which created pressure for the top-performing athletes. Despite nerves and pressure, Moritz was able to push through them to achieve a podium.
“I am happy I was able to overcome some nerves and pressure and finish with a strong last slalom race,” Moritz stated.
The U.S. athlete concluded third in the overall standings.
Matej Vidovic Conquered Two Wins in Slalom for the Title
Despite the challenging conditions, Croatian Matej Vidovic concluded the NorAm Finals with two impressive victories in the slaloms at Sugarloaf.
“I feel relieved and grateful to get a double win and 15.00 FIS points in a very packed and competitive field,” Vidovic stated.
Vidovic’s experience with previous success on the NorAm circuit, Europe Cup circuit, and World Cup gave him the confidence and ease coming into the Finals.
He stated, “Honestly, I wasn’t focused on the slalom title, even a little bit. I was really going from run to run and race to race, and I had enough grit to make it happen in the end. My previous experience at the World Cup, winning the Europe Cup slalom title and NorAm title last year, really helped me stay focused on just racing and not thinking about the title.”
Vidovic wraps up the season with multiple highlights. He reflected, “For me, making the flip at World Champs and having a solid second run, sitting in the leader’s chair. Also, it was my goal to score 15 in slalom when I decided to race the NorAm series two years ago, so accomplishing that feels like I made the right choice to race in the U.S.”
About the Author: Ellie Hartman
