The Middlebury alpine and Nordic ski teams will send nearly a full squad to the 2022 NCAA Championships next week, as 11 individuals were selected for competition. The event will take place March 9-12 at Park City Mountain Resort in Park City, Utah and Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway, Utah with the University of Utah serving as the host school. 
 
NORDIC PREVIEW
Peter Wolter, Sam Hodges, Willson Moore, Avery Ellis and Charlotte Ogden will represent the Panthers on the nordic side, while Logan Moore, Will Nemeth and Josh Valentine were all selected as alternates.
 
Wolter is the top seed in the men's 10K and sixth in the 20K. This winter, he has been phenomenal for the Panthers, finding a spot on the podium in six of his seven races. He won the 10K classic at the Dartmouth Carnival and earned runner-up honors on four occasions. Wolter earned All-East honors and was the EISA Classic Bib Leader this year. 
 
Hodges has been a consistent scorer for Middlebury this season and is seeded 13th in the 10K. His best finishes came at the Saint Michael's Carnival in the 5K classic (11th place) and in the 10K classic during the Dartmouth Carnival (sixth place). At the EISA Championship, Hodges placed 12th in the 20K freestyle.
 
Willson Moore has also been in the mix this year, highlighted by an eighth-place finish in the 20K freestyle at the EISA Championship. He was the sixth skier to cross the finish line in the 10K classic at the Dartmouth Carnival and finished 11th in the 5K classic at Saint Michael's. Moore is seeded 12th in the 10K. 
 
On the women's side, Ellis has been steady throughout the season for Middlebury, placing in the top-20 in every race this season. She opened the year with a 10th-place finish in the 5K at Saint Michael's and placed 12th at the EISA Championship in the 5K classic.
 
Ogden had her best race of the winter at the EISA Championship last weekend, leading the Middlebury squad in the 5K classic with an eighth-place finish. She is seeded ninth in the 5K for the upcoming NCAA Championships. 
 
ALPINE PREVIEW
On the slopes, Lucia Bailey, Mika-Anne Reha, Sofia Yubero, Justin Alkier, Bradshaw Underhill and Axel Bailey have been selected to compete, while Alexandra Cossette and Samantha McClellan were each selected as alternates.
 
The Panthers have shined in the giant slalom (GS) this season, capturing four individual titles in the event. Both the men and the women won the event at the season-opening Colby Carnival, while the women captured the GS at the Saint Michael's Carnival and the men took home the crown on their home course. 
 
Lucia Bailey, an All-East First Team selection, is seeded second in the giant slalom (GS) and fourth in the slalom. She won the slalom at Saint Michael's and helped Middlebury win the GS on the women's side with a runner-up performance. 
 
Reha and Yubero have been consistent point scorers all season. Reha is seeded 10th in the slalom and has placed in the top-10 several times this year. She was the fastest Panther in the slalom at the Dartmouth Carnival, placing fifth overall. At the EISA Championships, Reha finished in sixth place in the slalom. Yubero has placed in the top-15 spots in all of her races this season, highlighted by a sixth-place finish in the slalom at the Middlebury Carnival. She is seeded 13th in the GS and 14th in the slalom. 
 
On the men's side, All-East Second-Team honoree Alkier is seeded second in the GS, while EISA Rookie of the Year Underhill is right behind in third. Alkier won the GS at the Middlebury Carnival and found himself back on the podium with a third-place effort in the event at the EISA Championship. Underhill opened the season with a runner-up performance in the GS and placed second in the event at his home carnival to earn EISA Skier of the Week laurels. 
 
Axel Bailey is seeded 13th in the GS after placing 15th in the event at the EISA Championship. At the Saint Michael's Carnival, Bailey was the first Panther in the GS, finishing fifth overall.