Julia Mancuso thrilled hometown fans last week after earning her 16th American national title at the Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships in Squaw Valley. The Olympic gold medalist grew up on the slopes of Squaw, making her win that much sweeter. “It’s very fun to be at my home mountain and, of course, I want to win here,” Mancuso said.

Tahoe Daily Tribune reported a .88 second finish for Mancuso in the opening slalom race, sealing her victory over top junior racer Mikaela Shiffrin. Overall, the Squaw Valley Ski Team managed to pull a collective handful of titles from Foreste Peterson finishing third among juniors and seventh overall, to other local racers placing in the top 40, including Lena Andrews (27th), Julia Bjorkman (34th), Nicolette Caravelli (40th) and Morganne Murphy (41st). To read the full article click here. Photo Credit: Sylas Wright / Sierra Sun, Julia Mancuso races to a record 16th national title in the U.S. Alpine Championships giant slalom race at Squaw Valley on Thursday.