BEIJING, China — Twenty-year-old Novie McCabe is one of the rising stars in cross country skiing.
The Liberty Bell High School grad finished ninth at the 2020 World Junior Championships and then anchored the U.S. women to a silver medal in the 4x3.3k relay.
McCabe landed on the podium in every college race she entered while at the University of Utah.
In 2021, she made her World Cup debut and placed seventh in Italy. And just a few weeks later, she got the best news of her life when she was named to the U.S. Olympic team.
"It means a lot,” said McCabe. “I've always dreamed of going.”
McCabe credits a lot of her success to her mom Laura, who competed in cross country at the Winter Olympics in 1994 and 1998.
“She's played a huge role in me starting out,” said McCabe. “She coached me for a while, she's had a big impact on my career. I still train with her. I'm very lucky to have her for sure.”
McCabe grew up in Winthrop, a town that has more Olympians than stoplights. Nestled in the North Cascades, the region is surrounded by some of the best cross country ski trails in the country.
"It's such a special community,” said McCabe. “Everyone knows each other. We all help each other, and it helps when you have one of the best trail systems in the U.S.”
Former Olympians Sadie and Eric Bjornsen also grew up in Winthrop, and just like her mom, had an impact on McCabe’s development.
"They were kind of like my neighbors,” said McCabe. “I would see them around, I was always looking at what they were doing, and seeing them go to the Olympics was awesome, and just made me want to go and it was inspiring seeing them do that."
“I had the pleasure of getting to coach her a little bit this summer,” said Sadie Bjornsen. “I knew this summer that Novie would become a star. It's really cool to see her have races come together. I think it's just the beginning for Novie, she is one of the most talented young women I've seen, and just the power of her mind is unlike anyone else.”
McCabe is one of 10 first-time Olympians on the U.S. team. She said it's a thrill to be teammates with gold medalist Jessie Diggins, who helped put U.S. cross country on the map with one of the best moments from the 2018 games.
"I think that inspired every U.S. skier. I was like, ‘Holy cow, that was incredible,’" said McCabe.
At Liberty Bell, McCabe won three state titles in cross country running from 2016 to 2018.