Middlebury College will be well represented in the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics and Paralympics. Three graduates and one current student - Matt Whitcomb '01, Peter Wolter '22, Ali Nullmeyer '23 and Nikhil Alleyne '28.5 - have been selected for involvement in the Games, while assistant women's golf coach Chloe Levins '20 was named the women's alternate for the United States biathlon team.
 
Whitcomb, a five-time U.S. Ski Team International Coach of the Year, is in his sixth year as the head coach of the United States cross country team and leads the group for the fourth consecutive Winter Games. He competed on the Middlebury nordic team during his time on campus.

"I've been patriotic since I was a little boy," Whitcomb said. "I grew up watching the Olympics and dreaming of representing the United States, and that Olympic pursuit - my compass - continued through my four years at Middlebury."

 
Wolter, a two-time NCAA All-American on the Panther nordic squad, will serve as the guide for Jake Adicoff, a 2018 Bowdoin graduate competing on the U.S. Paralympic cross country team. The tandem grew up near each other in Idaho and progressed together through the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation in Ketchum.
 

"I do have the goal for myself of making the Olympic team, but there's a lot of work that has to happen between now and then to make that happen," Wolter said in May of 2025 during an interview with Alex Abrams, freelance contributor to USParaNordic.org. "But regardless, being able to have the opportunity to live in the village and (attend) the Opening Ceremony and be able to experience [the Paralympics] with Jake is just as much fun and just as cool of an opportunity."

 
Nullmeyer, an NCAA All-American representing the Panthers in the slalom in 2020, prepares for her second showing in the Winter Games. She finished 21st in the discipline at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China while she was a student at Middlebury. The Toronto, Ontario native has competed in eight World Cup events during the 2025-26 season, with her best finish (ninth) coming on March 27, 2025 in Sun Valley, Idaho.
 

"It feels amazing to represent Canada and Middlebury at my second Olympic Games," Nullmeyer said. "My time at Middlebury propelled my career by helping me rediscover my love for skiing after my knee injuries, while also allowing me to pursue my academic goals. I'm currently managing some nagging injuries, but I'm excited to take my experience and what I've learned since the last Games and put that to use!"

 
Alleyne is set to make history, joining Emma Gatcliffe from St. Lawrence as Trinidad and Tobago's first Olympic alpine skiers. He is a sophomore at Middlebury and overcame several setbacks on his road to being named a flagbearer in Italy's Opening Ceremonies.
 
The Olympic Games from Italy will run from February 6 through February 22, while the Paralympic Games are scheduled for March 6 through March 15.