His best individual finish at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships was fifth in the sprint at the 2007 championships in Sapporo. Newell's best individual finish at the Winter Olympics was 16th in the sprint at Turin in 2006. In March, 2006, Newell reached a third place in a World Cup sprint race in Changchun, China. This podium position was the first in just over 20 years for an American Nordic skier. Newell has a total of twenty one individual sprint victories at various levels since 2001, including his first National Championship in January, 2007, at Houghton, MI.