Growing up in the mountains of Boulder, Colo., it was only normal that senior standout Miles Havlick took to the slopes. With some of the top ski resorts in the country close by, it was easy for Havlick to get acclimated to skiing.
Yet the sport he dominates now was not his first athletic interest — that was soccer. It wasn’t until Havlick was in fifth grade that he was introduced to Nordic skiing. Since then, he has taken the sport by storm.
With perennial skiing powerhouse Colorado being in his hometown, it seems logical Havlick would have attended there, as he could have stayed close to home while skiing for a team that seems to always be at the top in the national standings. But Havlick had a different idea.
“I always knew I wanted to go somewhere other than [University of Colorado],” Havlick said. “I just wanted to try something new, and Utah is notorious for epic skiing, which was a big attraction for me. Utah has a long tradition of pumping out high-quality skiers so it has been an honor to be part of such a great team.”
Havlick is certainly helping to keep that tradition alive. Not only has he been Utah’s best skier for some time now, but he is the top skier in the nation in the classical and freestyle races. A five-time All-American and defending NCAA champion in the 20-kilometer classical race, no one can deny the success Havlick has had as a Ute.
With the NCAA Championships taking place this week, Havlick will be looking to defend his title in addition to winning the 10-kilometer freestyle. Although a great deal of pressure is placed on him, Havlick finds a way to stay calm through it all.
“There are a lot of skiers out here who will be in the mix, including my teammate Einar Ulsund,” Havlick said. “Really, I am just focused on myself, controlling the things that I can control and skiing my best. That’s all you can really do.”
When one gains as many awards and personal accolades as Havlick has throughout his career at Utah, it could have been easy for him to let it all get to his head. According to teammates and coaches, though, that has never been a problem for Havlick.
“He is a very inspiring teammate,” Ulsund said. “He always gives 100 percent and sets the standard the rest of the team has to live up to.”
Jeremy Elliot agreed.
“Miles is a real champion,” Elliot said. “He puts in an insane amount of work and preparation and does whatever it takes to win. That’s why he won last year and that’s why he is the favorite to win again this year. I’d consider him the leader of this team, and I think he can be credited for a lot of the success the men’s Nordic team saw this season.”
While his teammates clearly look up to Havlick and what he can do, his coach —Abi Holt — just might be his biggest fan of all.
“I have written many press releases on Miles’ accomplishments, and I’m not sure I have ever managed to duly capture how much I respect what he has accomplished in his years at the University of Utah,” Holt said. “Besides his results, he has had a tremendous influence on shaping the entire team … Getting a guy like Miles on the team is like winning the lottery. He has set the bar incredibly high for the University of Utah Ski Team and will leave some big shoes to fill next year.”
While Utah will be losing Havlick, he fully intends to continue his skiing career. He has a particular desire to ski for either the Sun Valley Gold Team in Idaho or Team Homegrown in Colorado, which would serve as a springboard for an even more elevated goal.
“I want to give the Olympic team a shot,” Havlick said. “Right now, I am just focused on skiing well this week at the NCAA championships, and I’ll figure that stuff out after that.”
Whatever he decides to do after this week, it is safe to say that Havlick has had an impressive, if not a historic, career at Utah and has certainly left his mark on the Utes team.