University of New Hampshire Athletics
A giant slalom course will be set on Baron's Run in the morning and the 2021 NCAA Ski Championships will commence.
Let the NCAA Championships Resume
3/9/2021 6:43:00 PM | Men's Skiing, Women's Skiing, UNH Insider
UNH Hosting 2021 Event at Cannon, Jackson XC, Starting on Wednesday
No Spectators Permitted at UNH Athletics Events
No fans will be allowed at the NCAA Ski Championships at Jackson or Mittersill. This decision was made with the safety and well-being of the competing student-athletes as the number-1 priority. Only essential personnel enrolled in the University's stringent COVID-19 testing system and visiting team personnel who were cleared under CDC, state, University and NCAA guidelines are permitted.
FRANCONIA – The venues – Cannon/Mittersill for the alpine events and Jackson Cross Country for the Nordic – are decked out and waiting.
The athletes – the best collegiate skiers in the country - are fired up and anxious.
Here we go.
After a year-long, COVID-19 pandemic-to-blame hiatus, the NCAA gets back to trophy-awarding action with the 2021 NCAA Ski Championships, hosted by the University of New Hampshire, this week. The four-day event starts Wednesday morning with the giant slalom at Cannon/Mittersill and runs through Saturday.
Last year's ski championships were halted abruptly at midstream at Bridger Bowl in Montana. Two days, a day of Nordic and a day of alpine, had just been completed when everyone was sent home.
Wednesday, with virus precautions in place – including the fact no spectators are allowed – the NCAA resumes the championships. All events will be livestreamed at www.ncaa.com, which may also be accessed through www.unhwildcats.com
"We've brought people in from all over the country and so far everything has been going real well, not only with testing but with teams doing a nice job of staying clear of each other," said Cory Schwartz, ski coordinator at UNH and the head Nordic coach. "From what I've seen, everyone is just happy to be racing and they're enjoying the opportunity to represent their school. It's amazing how many coaches and athletes have been thanking us for putting the event on."
Mark Bedics, director of the ski championships for the NCAA, has been hearing the same things
"Cory and UNH have gone above and beyond," Bedics said. "We'll have a great event and everyone will be able to hoist championships at the end of the week and that's a credit to Cory and (alpine coach) Brian (Blank) and the rest of the staff and to the folks at Cannon and Jackson. I can't thank all of them enough and the positive feedback from all the coaches has been over the top. Obviously, New Hampshire is the reason for that."
UNH also hosted the 2017 NCAA Ski Championships.
Schwartz, athletics director Marty Scarano, the school overall, Cannon and Jackson Cross Country and the state all stepped up on short notice this year to put the event on again.
Middlebury College was scheduled to host the championships until the NESCAC schools, including Williams, Middlebury and Bates announced they would not be competing in winter sports due to COVID-19. A new site for the championships was needed.
"We decided to reach out to Cannon and Jackson and see how they felt and they said they'd love to do it," Schwartz said. "We went for it."
The ball started rolling from there.
"Normally they have 12 months to plan and we do a site visit in February the year before so it's 13 months," Bedics said. "This time they did it in about two months."
Let the championships resume.
THE SCHEDULE
WATCH THE 'SHIP
LAST YEAR
THIS YEAR
HISTORICALLY
No fans will be allowed at the NCAA Ski Championships at Jackson or Mittersill. This decision was made with the safety and well-being of the competing student-athletes as the number-1 priority. Only essential personnel enrolled in the University's stringent COVID-19 testing system and visiting team personnel who were cleared under CDC, state, University and NCAA guidelines are permitted.
FRANCONIA – The venues – Cannon/Mittersill for the alpine events and Jackson Cross Country for the Nordic – are decked out and waiting.
The athletes – the best collegiate skiers in the country - are fired up and anxious.
Here we go.
After a year-long, COVID-19 pandemic-to-blame hiatus, the NCAA gets back to trophy-awarding action with the 2021 NCAA Ski Championships, hosted by the University of New Hampshire, this week. The four-day event starts Wednesday morning with the giant slalom at Cannon/Mittersill and runs through Saturday.
Last year's ski championships were halted abruptly at midstream at Bridger Bowl in Montana. Two days, a day of Nordic and a day of alpine, had just been completed when everyone was sent home.
Wednesday, with virus precautions in place – including the fact no spectators are allowed – the NCAA resumes the championships. All events will be livestreamed at www.ncaa.com, which may also be accessed through www.unhwildcats.com
"We've brought people in from all over the country and so far everything has been going real well, not only with testing but with teams doing a nice job of staying clear of each other," said Cory Schwartz, ski coordinator at UNH and the head Nordic coach. "From what I've seen, everyone is just happy to be racing and they're enjoying the opportunity to represent their school. It's amazing how many coaches and athletes have been thanking us for putting the event on."
Mark Bedics, director of the ski championships for the NCAA, has been hearing the same things
"Cory and UNH have gone above and beyond," Bedics said. "We'll have a great event and everyone will be able to hoist championships at the end of the week and that's a credit to Cory and (alpine coach) Brian (Blank) and the rest of the staff and to the folks at Cannon and Jackson. I can't thank all of them enough and the positive feedback from all the coaches has been over the top. Obviously, New Hampshire is the reason for that."
UNH also hosted the 2017 NCAA Ski Championships.
Schwartz, athletics director Marty Scarano, the school overall, Cannon and Jackson Cross Country and the state all stepped up on short notice this year to put the event on again.
Middlebury College was scheduled to host the championships until the NESCAC schools, including Williams, Middlebury and Bates announced they would not be competing in winter sports due to COVID-19. A new site for the championships was needed.
"We decided to reach out to Cannon and Jackson and see how they felt and they said they'd love to do it," Schwartz said. "We went for it."
The ball started rolling from there.
"Normally they have 12 months to plan and we do a site visit in February the year before so it's 13 months," Bedics said. "This time they did it in about two months."
Let the championships resume.
THE SCHEDULE
- The championships open with giant slalom races, two runs for men and two for women, beginning Wednesday at 9 a.m. at Cannon/Mittersill.
- The competition switches to Jackson XC on Thursday for classical Nordic races.
- The alpine teams compete in slalom races at Cannon/Mittersill on Friday.
- The championships conclude on Saturday at Jackson XC with freestyle cross country races.
- The schedule is subject to change depending on weather.
WATCH THE 'SHIP
- All events will be livestreamed at www.ncaa.com.
- Streaming and more information is available through the NCAA Championship page at www.unhwildacts.com
LAST YEAR
- Utah was leading last year's championships when the teams were sent home.
- There no team results entered into the record books after the competition was called off.
- UNH was in ninth place when the event concluded.
- Wildcat Patrick Kenney earned first-team All American honors with a fourth-place finish in the giant slalom on the opening day last year.
THIS YEAR
- Besides most of the NESCAC schools sitting out the season, the Ivy League did as well and Dartmouth and Harvard will not be competing this week.
- Colby College is sending a Nordic team.
HISTORICALLY
- Junior Lisa Olsson was named an All American after finishing seventh in the giant slalom in the 2019 NCAA championships at Stowe.
- Utah comes in as defending champion having won the 2019 title over host Vermont at Stowe.
- Utah also won the championship in 2017 at Cannon/Mittersill and Jackson.
- The University of Denver finished first in 2018.
Players Mentioned
Alpine
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Alpine
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