The Middlebury ski programs tallied the maximum 12 selections for the upcoming NCAA Championships. The four-day event begins on Wednesday, March 11 with the Giant Slalom (GS) at the Utah Olympic Park in Park City, Utah. Nordic action commences with the 7.5K Individual Classic on Thursday, March 12 from the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway, Utah.

ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• The Panthers are competing in their 66th national event and have participated in every event since 1967.
• Middlebury has secured top-10 placings in six consecutive championships.
• The squad finished sixth last season, scoring 252.5 points. It was the program's highest result at the national event since claiming fifth in 2008.
• The Panthers tallied four finishes of fourth or better during Carnival season, headlined by a runner-up spot at the EISA Championships.
• Throughout the season, the squad earned top-three honors in 26 disciplines.

ALPINE PANTHERS

• Rookie Julian Arthur headlines the men's qualifiers. He tallied Eastern Intercollegiate Skiing Association (EISA) Rookie of the Year and all-region first team honors. Arthur has finished 10th or better in six disciplines this season, including a second-place finish during the slalom at the University of Vermont.
• Milan Novak will also make his initial appearance at the NC Skiing Championships. The All-EISA Second Team selection won the giant slalom title at the Vermont Carnival and has two other top-10 placings.
• Securing his second consecutive berth to the postseason is Nicholas Unkovskoy. The Panther will look to improve on his 13th-place showing in the GS and 24th-place finish during the slalom a campaign ago. 
• On the women's side, Sophia Tozzi qualifies for her third straight postseason. The all-league second team selection had four top-10 finishes during carnival season, headlined by runner-up honors in the GS at Williams. Tozzi claimed 26th and 27th in the GS and slalom at the 2024 installment, respectively.
• Kjersti Moritz punches her ticket to the skiing championships for the second time after declining last season's invitation to compete at the FIS World Junior Championships. Moritz has excelled while balancing collegiate and international competition, earning the GS titles at Dartmouth, UVM and the regional championships hosted by Middlebury. 
• Closing out the women's qualifiers is Kaite Fynn. The senior makes her second appearance on the national stage after tallying a 14th-place finish in the slalom and 30th in the GS during the 2024 championships in Colorado.

NORDIC PANTHERS

• Shea Brams, who qualifies for her fourth consecutive championship, leads the nordic contingent. An All-East First Team selection, Brams owns five top-three finishes on the campaign. The senior looks to improve on her All-American performance in the 20K Freestyle (ninth) at last year's national championship. 
• Sofia Scirica appears in her second national meet after finishing 18th in the 7.5K Classic and 27th in the 20K Classic a season ago.
• Closing out the women's qualifiers is Mica Bodkins. The Panther will compete in her first NCAA Championships and has six finishes of 10th or better this season.
• Mason Wheeler headlines the men's squad. The senior makes his second appearance on the national stage, having finished 18th during the 7.5K Classic and 26th in the 20K Freestyle. The All-East Second Team selection has five individual top-five finishes entering the event.
• Rookie Abrahm Geissinger looks to build off his 10th-place showing in the 7.5K at the EISA Championships.
• Finn Veit caps the Panther squad and has two top-10 finishes coming in the 20K Mass Start at Colby and 7.5K Classic at Dartmouth.

ABOUT THE COMPETITION

• The Big Green have excelled on the east circuit, winning four carnivals. Dartmouth claimed its second consecutive EISA Championship over two weeks ago, taking the top spot with 982.5 points.
• Utah (669 points) held off a late run by the University of Colorado (651 points) to claim its second Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA) title. The Utes tallied a victory in their home invitational, while the Buffaloes earned the top spot at the Denver and Colorado Invitationals.
• Last season, the Utes claimed their fourth title in five seasons with 590 points. Colorado (513) and Dartmouth (508.5) rounded out the top three in the team standings.

INDIVIDUALS TO WATCH

• All five of the top finishers in the men's slalom return. University of New Hampshire's Jayden Buckrell (1:27.17) looks to defend his title after besting Colorado's Filip Wahlqvist (1:27.20) by three-hundreths of a second.
• Johs Herland of Utah claimed the 2025 giant slalom title and comes off a runner-up finish in the discipline at the RMISA Championship. 
• Denver's Sara Rask was the top performer in both the GS and slalom at the 2025 Championships hosted by Dartmouth.
• On the nordic side, Eric Laven (Utah) and John Steel Hagenbuch (Dartmouth) return to the field looking to defend their 7.5K titles. 
• There will be new individual championships in the men's and women's 20K, as Utah's Joe Davies and Alaska-Fairbanks' Kendall Kramer have each graduated.

CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION

• Schedule of Events
  • Wednesday, March 11- Alpine - Utah Olympic Park (Park City, Utah)
    • Women's Giant Slalom
    • Men's Giant Slalom
  • Thursday, March 12 - Nordic - Soldier Hollow Nordic Center (Midway, Utah)
    • Women's 7.5K Individual Classical
    • Men's 7.5K Individual Classical
  • Friday, March 13 - Alpine - Utah Olympic Park (Park City, Utah)
    • Men's Slalom
    • Women's Slalom
  • Saturday, March 14 - Nordic - Soldier Hollow Nordic Center (Midway, Utah)
    • Men's 20K Mass Start Freestyle
    • Women's 20K Mass Start Freestyle