The top 22 NCAA Div. I skiing teams in the country will assemble in Steamboat Springs, CO March 10-13 for the NCAA Division I Skiing Championships and six Ephs (4 Alpine and 2 Nordic) will be competing. A year ago the Ephs finished 14th at the NCAA Championships.
Senior Alice Nelson and sophomore Dimitri Luethi are both making their second appearance at the NCAA Championships in the Nordic events.
Nelson, a captain and a letterman in lacrosse as well, posted a fifth place finish in the Williams Carnival 5k Classic race and had three top-10 finishes this season. “Alice is a second time NCAA qualifier so she has the experience to know how to
handle both this level of competition and the altitude it will be held at,” stated Eph Nordic coach Bud Fisher. “Alice has the potential for a top-10 finish in Colorado.”
Luethi finished second at the EISA Championships in the 10K Classic race and has a total of five top-10 finishes this winter. “Dimitri is one of the best classic skiers in the region,” noted Fisher. “He also scored a 4th in skating at the Williams Carnival, so I look for him to be a threat for a top-ten finish in either discipline.”
Three Eph women and one Eph man will compete in the Alpine events with seniors Alex Dyroll and Emily Porter leading the way.
Dyroff, a captain, will be making his third trip to the NCAA Championships. “Alex is a strong contender in the slalom and giant slalom who is just coming into form for these championships,” stated Eph Alpine coach Ed Grees. Dyroff’s best finishes this season were a 7th in the St. Michael's giant slalom and a 7th in the slalom at Middlebury.
Senior Emily Porter is also making her third appearance at the
NCAA Championships. “Emily is a very talented skier who
has worked extremely hard on and off the hill for her senior
season,” commented Grees. Porter finished second at the
Williams Carnival in the giant slalom and posted a 5th in the
slalom at Middlebury.
Sophomore Laurel Carter and first year Geordie Lonza are making
their first appearances at the NCAA Championships. “Laurel
has been a consistent top-10 finisher [four times] this
year,” said Grees. Carter’s best finishes this season
were a third at St. Michael’s in the slalom and 6th in the
slalom at both Williams and Middlebury.
Lonza made quite an impression this season with four top-10 finishes and finishing in the top-20 in all 12 races. “Geordie is a very talented skier who is strong in both events,” noted Grees. Lonza’s best finishes were a 5th in the slalom at St. Lawrence and a 7th in the giant slalom at the UVM Carnival.
