(March 30, 2025) – The men’s team capped off the World Cup season with a strong showing in Planica on the legendary HS240 Ski Flying hill, marking one of the team’s most successful season finales in recent history.
Andrew Urlaub, Jason Colby, Kevin Bickner, and Tate Frantz represented the U.S. in Saturday’s Team Event. The group jumped consistently, finishing 8th in the first round to qualify for the final. They held their ground in the second round, delivering another solid set of jumps to secure 8th place overall—an encouraging team result on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
On Sunday, momentum carried into the individual competition. Frantz led the charge with a personal best of 231.5 meters in the trial round, singling his readiness to take on the hill. He followed up with a 213.5-meter jump in the first round of competition, then soared to 221.5 meters in the second, finishing the day in 21st place. With that, Frantz officially ended the season 22nd in the Overall Men’s World Cup Standings—earning the most World Cup points ever by an American ski jumper in a single season, a huge milestone for both Frantz and the program.
Kevin Bickner also delivered a solid performance to close out the season. He posted jumps of 181.0 and 196.5 meters, finishing 30th on the day. Bickner’s consistency throughout the season earned him 28th in the Overall Standings—putting two U.S. athletes in the Top-30 for the first time in years and underscoring the team’s growth and competitive progress on the world stage.
