Photo: Charlie Volker pushes off at the start in heat one of the competition

Lake Placid, N.Y. (July 31, 2021) – Second year competitor Charlie Volker (Fair Haven, N.J.) earned the USA Men’s Bobsled Push Championship title today, and three-time Olympic medalist Elana Meyers Taylor (Douglasville, Ga.) won the women’s drivers competition at the world-class Ice House in Lake Placid, N.Y. today.

“It’s so great to have the ice house and it’s going to be a game changer for us as a team,” Meyers Taylor said.

Push championships, presented by Mananalu Water, is one of a series of qualifications for the 2021-2022 national team. The lowest combined time from the best driver’s push bar and best monobob push for each athlete determined the winner in the women’s drivers contest. The men’s push athlete winner was decided by the athlete with the lowest combined time from the brakes and on one side.

Volker, a 2019 Princeton University graduate, went from chasing an opportunity in the NFL to thinking about Beijing thanks to the COVD-19 pandemic. When the NFL canceled its minicamps for potential free agents, Volker submitted a virtual combine on GMTM.com. He ran his 40-yard sprint in the pouring rain, and coach Mike Dionne said “his stock went up.”

Volker clocked a two-run total of 10.14 seconds to win today’s competition. He posted the fastest time of 5.07 seconds from the brakes, and an equally fast time of 5.07 seconds from the left side.

Josh Williamson (Lake Mary, Fla,), winner of the first season of Team USA’s The Next Olympic Hopeful and a former Division 1 lacrosse player, finished second today. Williamson clocked a total time of 10.17 seconds after pushing a 5.08 from the brakes, and 5.09 seconds from the left side.

The 2012 Decathlon National Champion Kris Horn (Pembroke, Mass.) was third with a combined time of 10.27 seconds. Horn clocked 5.12 seconds from the brakes, and 5.15 seconds from the right side.

Hakeem Abdul Saboor (Powhatan, Va.) pushed a 5.10 from the brakes, which was the third fastest from that position, but was a scratch for the remainder of the competition due to an injury.

In the women’s drivers competition, Meyers Taylor was dominant. The three-time Olympic medalist threw down the fastest times in all four heats. Her best time of 5.64 from the driver’s bar and 5.83 from the monobob position were combined for 11.47 seconds to give her a large lead of 0.35 seconds over the field.

“Personally it was good to see where I am,” Meyers Taylor said. “I wanted to push faster but I have to remember the goal is to be ready in February.”

Lauren Brzozowski (Wyckoff, N.J.) finished second with a two-run total of 11.82 seconds. She pushed 5.88 seconds from the driver’s bar, and 5.94 seconds in monobob.

Brzozowski found the silver lining during the pandemic. After completing her final track season at Elon University, Brzozowski traveled to Loughborough University in England to study for her master’s degree. That came to an abrupt end when the pandemic hit. She packed up and returned to the U.S. Unwilling to end her athletic career on that note, she found the virtual combine on GMTM.com and submitted her videos, which resulted in an invitation from the coaches to attend a camp and she’s now gearing up for her second season.

Team veteran Brittany Reinbolt (Searcy, Ark.) was third with a combined time of 11.93 seconds after pushing 5.90 seconds from the driver’s bar and 6.03 seconds from the monobob position.

Three-time Olympic medalist Kaillie Humphries (Carlsbad, Calif.), who is entering her third season competing for the U.S., was close to Meyers Taylor after pushing a 5.67 from the driver’s bar. She sustained an injury during her second push and decided to scratch the remaining monobob heats.

Today’s heats conclude the 2021 USA Bobsled Push Championships, presented by Mananalu Water. Bobsled athletes will return to the Ice House in Lake Placid for combination push testing and competition September 4-5.

Please contact USABS Marketing & Communications Director Amanda Bird at 518-354-2250, or amanda.bird@usabs.com, for more information.

Results

Men’s push athletes

1. Charlie Volker 10.14 (5.07 brakes, 5.07 left side);

2. Josh Williamson 10.17 (5.08 brakes, 5.09 left side);

3. Kris Horn 10.27 (5.12 brakes, 5.15 right side);

4. Dakota Lynch 10.3 (5.14 brakes, 5.16 right side);

4. Martin Christofferson 10.3 (5.17 brakes, 5.13 left side);

6. Adrian Adams 10.31 (5.13 brakes, 5.18 left side);

6. Carlo Valdes 10.31 (5.15 brakes, 5.16 right side);

8. Nic Taylor 10.35 (5.16 brakes, 5.19 right side);

9. Blaine McConnell 10.36 (5.18 brakes, 5.18 left side);

10. Manteo Mitchell 10.37 (5.16 brakes, 5.21 right side);

10. Kyle Wilcox 10.37 (5.17 brakes, 5.2 right side);

12. Michael Fogt 10.41 (5.2 brakes, 5.21 right side);

13. Boone Niederhofer 10.44 (5.22 brakes, 5.22 right side);

13. Jimmy Reed 10.44 (5.22 brakes, 5.22 right side);

15. Gage Smith 10.47 (5.22 brakes, 5.25 left side);

16. Chase Blueberg 10.48 (5.23 brakes, 5.25 left side);

17. Freddy Harris 10.51 (5.24 brakes, 5.27 left side);

18. Alex Mustard 10.53 (5.24 brakes, 5.27 left side);

19. Sean Doyle 10.58 (5.3 brakes, 5.28 right side);

20. Chris Avery 10.64 (5.28 brakes, 5.36 left side);

21. Jamil Muhammad-Ray 10.65 (5.28 brakes, 5.37 left side);

22. Timothy Lukas 10.73 (5.38 brakes, 5.35 right side);

23. Alan Cohen 10.98 (5.44 brakes, 5.54 left side);

Women’s drivers (driver’s bar, monobob)

1. Elana Meyers Taylor 11.47 (5.64, 5.83);
2. Lauren Brzozowski 11.82 (5.88, 5.94);
3. Brittany Reinbolt 11.93 (5.90, 6.03);

4. Riley Compton 12.04 (5.92, 6.12);

5. Nicole Vogt 12.18 (6.00, 6.18);

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About USA Bobsled & Skeleton

USA Bobsled & Skeleton (USABS), based in Lake Placid, N.Y., is the national

governing body for the sports of bobsled and skeleton in the United States. For

more information, please visit the USABS website at www.usabs.com. Individuals

interested in becoming a bobsled or skeleton athlete can visit www.usabobsledskeleton.com.

Volker and Meyers Taylor take titles in second day of USA Bobsled Push Championships, presented by Mananalu Water

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