Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club alumnae Cooper Puckett and Jett Seymour dominated the field at the U.S. Alpine National Championships in men’s slalom March 31 at Vail. The duo placed first and second and Puckett edged out Seymour by 0.62 seconds to take the crown.

Jevin Palmquist of Team Summitt was third.

“For a number of reasons it was a challenging season,” said Puckett. “To end on such a high note was much needed and it took the last amount of energy out of me.”

Puckett delivered when it mattered most on soft snow.

He was bib 2 at the start of the competition and got to begin the day on clean snow. By his second run conditions had deteriorated. He bobbled at the top of the run but was able to refocus and give everything he had.

“I kinda blacked out after I bobbled,” said Puckett. “I was able to fix mistakes I had made in previous races on soft snow and win.”

Much of his season was also without consistent coaching. Puckett credits former Winter Sports Club coach Mike Bansmer with helping him push through.

“When I was with Coach Bansmer I did well,” he explained. “We’ve built a solid relationship. My success next season hinges on the level of coaching I receive.”

In his first World Cup slalom start, he earned his first World Cup points at Levi, Finland on Nov. 16.

Puckett started the event as bib 69 and placed 26th. His improvement earned him the Stifel Bibbo Award, given to the racer with the greatest improvement — in his case, 43 spots.

Despite his strong early showing, he was not chosen for the U.S. Olympic team and had up and down results on the World Cup and Nor-Am circuits.

“I tried to stay positive all year but it was tough,” Puckett said. “I really had to rely on my faith and family to push through.”

Cooper and Seymour led strong top-10 showings by Winter Sports Club alumnae at the National Championships. Logan Grosdidier was sixth in women’s slalom and third super-G. Tatum Grosidider was fifth in both women’s super-G and giant slalom. Jeremy Nolting was eighth in men’s super-G. The entire event was held over March 28-31.

“The U.S. Alpine team is on the cusp of exploding with young talent,” said Puckett.

Seymour won the 2022 and 2023 National Championship crown in men’s slalom.

“This season was about learning what I need to improve,” said Puckett. “I’m looking forward to next season and making the changes I need to keep improving.”