The Utah ski team competes in the NCAA Championships this week in Middlebury, Vt. The championships begin today and will run through Saturday. With Utah being one of only seven schools to qualify a full team, the Utes will be busy every day.
While Utah is fully aware of West Coast powerhouses such as Colorado and Denver, the Utes will be getting their first taste of East Coast competition.
“The championships are always interesting because it’s the first and only time each season that we compete with the eastern schools,” said alpine skier Jeremy Elliot.
Elliot said that although defending champion Vermont and Colorado will be the Utes’ toughest competition, the team won’t settle for anything less than the title.
“I absolutely think we have a chance at winning it all this year,” Elliot said. “We got second the last two years, and silver is starting to get old, so we are all motivated to win. Everyone has been working really hard, and we have the talent, so I know we are capable.”
The alpine team will start things off in the giant slalom races Wednesday and the slalom races Friday. Leading the way will be Elliot, who is ranked No. 2 in the giant slalom. With giant slalom being an event of often uncontrollable outcomes, Elliot is preparing for anything.
“I have a pretty good shot in [giant slalom],” Elliot said. “If I can put together two clean runs, I can win. It is a high-speed event with a lot of variables. Anything can happen.”
On Thursday, the Nordic team will make its way to the snow to compete in the 5-km and the 10-km Classical races. The team will also compete Saturday in the 15/20-km Freestyle race.
Miles Havlick is the defending NCAA champion in the 20-km Freestyle. Since he is currently ranked No. 1 in both the Classical and Freestyle races, it is clear who everyone in the country will be gunning for. Fortunately for Utah, Havlick has a great supporting cast. Einar Ulsund is ranked No. 3, and Niklas Persson is not far behind at No. 7 overall.
“Of course Miles has a national title to defend, so a lot of eyes will be on him,” said head Nordic coach Abi Holt. “Einar has only been off the podium in one race all season, so he will be one to watch. Niklas has also finished in the top 10 in almost every race this season. I would love to see all of them finish in the top 10.”
Because so much emphasis is on the men’s Nordic team, some might overlook the season Rose Kemp has had on the women’s side. Kemp has emerged as the team leader because the other two female Nordic skiers are freshmen. Kemp’s leadership will have to show this week more than ever on such a big stage. Coming into the championships ranked fifth overall, Holt is expecting big things from her senior.
“Rose has had her best collegiate season this year,” Holt said. “She should have a shot at two top 10 finished by the week’s end. As for the freshmen on the team, I’ll be happy to see them gain some experience and finish in the top 15.”
All of the action can be found on NCAA.com.