Let's send out a huge congrats to Old Forge native Maddie Phaneuf. She's been named one of the five women on the U.S. Olympic Biathlon Team for the Winter Olympics coming up in South Korea.

According to TeamUSA.org, 22 year old Phaneuf is a first-time Olympian and will proudly represent the Red, White, and Blue. The Town of Webb has rallied around Phaneuf, calling themselves her ‘Phan Club’ and supporting her every step of the way on her journey to qualifying for the U.S. Olympics.

Phaneuf began her biathlon training at the age of 15 in 2010. Today she placed 11th in the 77-woman field at the 15 km individual race at the IBU Cup in Germany, clearing all 20 targets, according to the article."

WKTV reports that John Swick, building principal for the Town of Webb Union Free School District, is nothing but excited:

"We are so excited for Maddie! Maddie was a senior at the Town of Webb my first year here as Principal. She was a phenomenal athlete when she was here competing in Section III for our Nordic team and she is just a fantastic person overall. We have been following her closely and she came back last year to do an assembly for our entire school, K-12. Everyone was thrilled to see her and encourage her. The level of dedication it takes to compete at her level is incredible. Maddie's work ethic is nothing short of impressive. We had a great time watching her last year compete at the International Level in the Biathlon World Cup. Several of us have been sporting our Maddie's 'Phan' Club t-shirts proudly around town. We are so incredibly fortunate to have McCauley Mountain in Old Forge in our own backyard with young kids just like Maddie going to ski every day after school."

Best of luck to Maddie, and Erin Hamlin!

More From Big Frog 104