The Middlebury ski teams earned the maximum 12 selections for the upcoming NCAA Championships, and will have 10 individuals competing in the event with a full squad on the nordic side. Kjersti Moritz and Dominic Shackleton also earned spots at the FIS World Junior Championships and have declined their selections in the national event to represent their respective countries on the world stage.
 
The four-day event commences on Wednesday, March 5 with the giant slalom (GS) at the Dartmouth Skiway. The 7.5K Classical individual start kicks off nordic competition on Thursday, March 6 from the Oak Hill Outdoor Center.
 
ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• The program is making its 65th appearance on the national stage, having competed at the event every year since 1967.
• The Panthers have finished in the top-10 spots in five-straight NCAA Championships that were scored, and 57 times overall.
• Middlebury placed in the top-three spots in the east circuit in six of eight carnivals this winter. The Panthers earned runner-up finishes at the Dartmouth Carnival and on its home mountain.
• At the Middlebury Carnival, the squad tallied its most points since 2019 (877.5) and finished in the top-two spots in each discipline.
• Head alpine coach Stever Bartlett was recently named the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association's (EISA) Coach of the Year.

ALPINE PANTHERS

• On the men's side, Bradshaw Underhill qualifies for his fourth-straight postseason. The Panther claimed the EISA Bib Leader in both the GS (286 points) and the slalom (226 points) this season. Underhill has stood on the top of the podium in seven events (four GS, three slalom) this winter, and earned EISA First Team honors for the third-conseuctive season. 
• Rookie Nicholas Unkovskoy has made a statement in his first season in the navy and white. The Panther earned EISA Second Team praise and has finished in the top-10 spots in seven races. 
• Making her third career appearance at the NCAA Championships will be Mika-Anne Reha. The Panther recorded an impressive sixth-place finish in the slalom a year ago, breaking into the top-10 for the first time. Reha has finished in the top-10 spots on six occasions this season, highlighted by a fourth-place performance in the GS at the St. Lawrence Carnival.
• Sophia Tozzi earns a spot at the event for the second-straight year, having placed in the top-25 in both the slalom and the GS at the 2024 championship. Tozzi owns four top-10 performances this season. 

NORDIC PANTHERS

• The nordic team has qualified a full squad as Jack Christner, Logan Moore and Mason Wheeler will represent the men, while Shea Brams, Sofia Scirica and Maggie Wagner have been selected for the women's team.
• Moore enters competition riding a three-race podium streak after claiming runner-up honors in the individual and mass start races at the EISA Championship. He paces the squad with 11 top-10 finishes and five podiums. Moore earned a spot on the league's first team and will compete in his third-straight NCAA Championships. He has finished in the top-15 spots in three of four events on the national stage.
• Christner has tallied a top-10 nod in six of seven disciplines this season and returns to the national championship field for the third consecutive season. The Panther earned EISA Second Team honors and was tabbed the organization's male nordic skier of the week following two top-five finishes at the Middlebury Carnival. 
• Making his debut on the national stage is Wheeler. The Panther has finished in the top-10 spots in five events this year.
• Brams returns to the NCAA Championships for the third straight year. She was recently named to the EISA Second Team, having finished in the top-10 in every event except one this season. The junior had stood atop the podium on three occasions.
• Scirica debuts at the event this year, while Wagner competes for the second time. Scirica has finished in the top-10 spots on seven occasions, highlighted by a fourth-place performance in the mass start at the Middlebury Carnival. Wagner has collected seven top-15 finishes, including a fourth-place honor in the sprint on her home course.

ABOUT THE COMPETITION

• Dartmouth has dominated the East this season, sweeping the carnival circuit and snapping the University of Vermont's five-year title streak by winning the  EISA Championship last weekend.
• The West has seen three schools at the top of the leaderboard this season. Utah claimed the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA) Championship with 683 points, but the Utes have shared carnival victories with both Colorado and Denver this year.
• It came down to the wire at the 2024 NCAA Championships, with the host Buffaloes (569.5 points) edging out Utah (567.5 points) by just two points. The Utes had claimed the previous four titles (2019, 2021, 2022, 2023). Denver paces the NCAA with 24 trophies, most recently claiming the crown in 2018. 

INDIVIDUALS TO WATCH

• Magdalena Luczak of Colorado is set to defend her titles in the slalom and GS from a year ago. The Buffalo recently claimed the crown in the GS at the RMISA Championship, while placing sixth in the slalom. UVM's Justine Clement won the EISA GS this season, while Colby's Carissa Cassidy triumphed in the slalom for the third time this season.
• Filip Wahlqvist stood atop the podium in the slalom as a rookie last year. This season, he became the first skier in Colorado history to claim all carnival titles in a discipline (slalom). The Buff did not finish the slalom in the conference championship but placed sixth in the GS. Last season, Wahlqvist finished eighth in the GS at NCAAs. Denver's Thomas Hoffman claimed the slalom title in the West this season and placed sixth on the national stage a year ago. Dartmouth's Oscar Zimmerman edged Underhill to hoist the GS trophy in the East this season, and finished 10th  at the NCAA Championships a year ago.
• On the nordic side, the Big Green has a dominant squad contending for titles in all four disciplines. John Steel Hagenbuch claimed the NCAA Championship in the 7.5K Freestyle a year ago and swept both events at EISA's for the second-straight year last weekend. Jasmine Drolet was the 2024 NCAA Champion in the 20K Classic and placed third in the 7.5K Freestyle. She enters the competition coming off winning the individual event at the EISA Championship last weekend. 

CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION

• Schedule of Events
  • Wednesday, March 5 - Alpine - Dartmouth Skiway
    • 9:00 a.m. - Women's GS First Run 
    • 10:15 a.m. - Men's GS First Run
    • 12:30 p.m. - Women's GS Second Run
    • 1:30 p.m. - Men's GS Second Run
  • Thursday, March 6 - Nordic - Oak Hill Outdoor Center
    • 10:00 a.m. - Women's 7.5K Classical Individual Start
    • 12:00 p.m. - Men's 7.5K Classical Individual Start
  • Friday, March 7 - Alpine - Dartmouth Skiway
    • 9:30 a.m. - Women's Slalom First Run
    • 10:15 a.m. - Men's Slalom First Run
    • 12:15 p.m. - Women's Slalom Second Run
    • 1:00 p.m. - Men's Slalom Second Run
  • Saturday, March 8 - Nordic - Oak Hill Outdoor Center
    • 10:00 a.m. - Men's 20K Freestyle Mass Start
    • 12:00 p.m. - Women's 20K Freestyle Mass Start

More information can be found on Dartmouth's Championship Central page.