Middlebury College

Hedda Berntsen, a member of the Class of 1999, was a standout alpine skier, soccer player, and track and field athlete who went on to compete on the world stage.
 
Berntsen was a three-time All-American on the alpine ski team, helping the squad finish as the EISA runner-up and place sixth at the NCAA Championship in 1996. In the fall of 1997, Berntsen led the women’s soccer team with 27 points and a school record 11 goals, while earning All-New England and NESCAC All-Star laurels. In the spring of 1998, Berntsen was part of the NESCAC Championship 4x100-meter relay team, she and earned All-New England and All-ECAC honors. Berntsen was also a member of the record-setting 4x400 relay that spring.
 
While on leave from college to pursue her Olympic dreams, Berntsen was the 1997 Telemark Classic World Champion, earned bronze in the slalom at the 2001 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, and competed in alpine skiing at the 2002 Olympics. She returned to Middlebury to complete her degree in 2003.
 
Bernsten earned silver in the ski cross at the 2008 and 2012 World X Games, and at the 2010 Olympics.
 
She earned her PhD in sports psychology in 2019.