34 US bobsledders, skeleton athletes get call

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) The U.S. national bobsled and skeleton teams will have a much different look this winter.

Olympic medalists Steven Holcomb, Elana Meyers Taylor, Lauryn Williams, Jamie Greubel Poser, Justin Olsen and Matt Antoine were among the 28 athletes were selected Sunday for this season's World Cup rosters, while another six skeleton sliders were picked to compete in the Intercontinental Cup series.

Of those who are World Cup-bound, 17 were not on tour last season.

''We're in a rebuilding phase as we enter the next Olympic quad,'' U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation CEO Darrin Steele said. ''And our coaching staff couldn't be more impressed by what these athletes brought to the line this season.''

Meyers Taylor will drive in both women's bobsled and in four-man events, making her the first U.S. athlete to compete in both disciplines. She finished third in the four-man selection race Saturday and now will try to meet international eligibility criteria in time to race against men at the World Cup opener in Lake Placid, New York next month.

Her international debut in four-man is expected to be in Park City this week in the lower-tier North American Cup series.

Greubel Poser and Olympic veteran Jazmine Fenlator will join Meyers Taylor as women's pilots. Holcomb, Nick Cunningham and Codie Bascue will be men's bobsled pilots for World Cup races.

The pool of women's bobsled push athletes includes Williams, former national team member Cherrelle Garrett and rookies Natalie Deratt, Lauren Gibbs, Ajla Glavasevic and Michelle Howe. Olympic medalist Aja Evans, who is recovering from an injury, may be added to the roster later in the season.

Men's push athletes eligible for World Cup include Olsen, former national team member Adam Clark, development team athletes Adrian Adams, David Cremin and Sam Michener, and rookies Dustin Greenwood, Alex Harrison, James Reed, Carlo Valdes, Aaron Victorian and Casey Wickline.

Antoine, Kyle Tress and newcomer Stephen Garbett will compose the men's World Cup skeleton roster.

World Cup rookie Savannah Graybill won the women's skeleton selection-race series, with Annie O'Shea being tabbed as USA-2 for that circuit.

Allen Blackwell, Alex Ivanov, Greg West, Veronica Day, Kellie Delka and Megan Henry are the skeleton sliders going to the Intercontinental Cup series, which opens Nov. 21 in Lillehammer, Norway.