From left are USA Luge’s Summer Britcher, Emily Fischnaller and Ashley Farquharson atop the podium, following the USA Luge start championship on Sept. 19 in Lake Placid. (Provided photo — USA Luge)

LAKE PLACID — USA Luge athletes produced a flood of track records and personal bests at the Norton Start Championships on Friday, Sept. 19. Held at the team’s headquarters and training facility in late summer annually, the event serves as an informal kick-off to the luge season.

Results were determined by combining two traditional start times and one reaction start time. The reaction start features a gate that randomly opens, as used in the team relay competition.

In men’s singles, Tucker West of Lake Placid beat his own record in the traditional start time by .05 seconds with a 3.23 in the first heat. He also won a record 13th Norton Start Championship title, with a combined time of 10.68.

“I’m really happy with the level of starts today,” West said. “It’s been a really interesting summer for me. I was struggling with a lat injury for the majority of the summer, so I’m happy with how I’ve come back from that. It’s feeling good, and I’m hoping to keep that feeling going into the season.”

Hunter Harris of East Fairfield, Vermont, clocked in at 11.13 to take second. Aidan Mueller of West Islip was third in 11.29. Jonny Gustafson of Massena and Matt Greiner of Park City, Utah, did not compete as they are dealing with minor injuries.

USA Luge’s Zack DiGregorio and Sean Hollander celebrate after completing a run during the start championship in Lake Placid on Sept. 19. (Provided photo — USA Luge)

Two-time women’s World Championship bronze medalist Emily Fischnaller, formerly Sweeney, of Lake Placid, tied the traditional start record with a best single heat of 3.54 and a combined time of 11.65 en route to victory.

“I’m pleasantly surprised with my times,” Fischnaller said. “I’ve been feeling a little rough the last couple of weeks, so it’s good to be able to show up when it matters. And I’m really proud of all the work that our whole team has put in. I mean, the times that everyone in each discipline were posting up were awesome. So, it’s a really great boost before the season for our team overall.”

Three-time Olympian Summer Britcher of Glen Rock, Pennsylvania, was second in 11.69, while 2022 Olympian Ashley Farquharson of Park City, Utah, was third in 11.86.

The men’s doubles competition saw the duo of Zack DiGregorio of Medway, Massachusetts and Sean Hollander of Lake Placid win in 10.89. Their start times of 3.30 in both heats of the traditional start established a new record.

“I think on a couple of starts, we surprised ourselves today with how much (time) we dropped,” Hollander said. “It feels really good. I think we set two world records on the start. So, we’re just going to take that momentum into the Olympic season, and we’re excited to get sliding.”

Two-time Junior World Champions Marcus Mueller of Brookfield, Wisconsin and Ansel Haugsjaa of Framingham, Massachusetts, were second in 10.97, with Dana Kellogg of Chesterfield, Massachusetts and Frank Ike of Lititz, Pennsylvania, third in 11.37. Kellogg and Ike missed last season due an injury to Kellogg’s shoulder.

The women’s doubles team of Chevonne Forgan of Chelmsford, Massachusetts and Sophia Kirkby of Lake Placid set the start record of 3.54 in the traditional start, a record 4.61 in the reaction start, and posted a combined time of 11.17.

“We managed to beat our previous record on both the regular start and the reaction, so (we’re feeling good, feeling amped for the season,” Forgan said.

The tandem ranked third in last season’s overall World Cup standings.

“I look forward to the season as it comes up very closely, and we’re just going to go do our best and have fun,” Kirkby said.

Maya Chan of Chicago, Illinois and Sophia Gordon of Sussex, Wisconsin, were second in 11.93.

The team will hit the ice on Oct. 9, in Lillehammer, Norway, with two stops at the 2026 Olympic track in Cortina, Italy, before the World Cup season begins. The first five World Cup races of the season will be used to determine the nominees to the Olympic squad. The World Cup season kicks off in Igls, Austria on Dec. 5 to 7, followed by races in Park City, Utah, on Dec. 12 and 13, and in Lake Placid, on Dec. 19 and 20.