‘Cats send eleven to NCAA championships

Eleven UNH skiers have been chosen to compete in the 2013 National Collegiate Men and Women’s Skiing Championships (NCAA) this week. Senior co-captains, Anya Caldwell Bean and Elizabeth Guiney, as well as sophomore Annika Taylor, will be part of a full three-member contingent on behalf of the UNH women’s Nordic ski team. Representing the UNH mens ski team are senior co-captain Erik Lindgren and his brother Per Lindgren. 

The NCAA championship will be held at the Ricket Nordic Center in Middlebury, Vt. The events will begin with Alpine racing on March 6-7 and Nordic racing on March 8-9. The team left on Saturday, March 2 to begin preparing for the races, getting familiar with the trails and settling into the racing mentality.

“Getting to represent UNH at (the) national championships is a huge honor and as a senior a big goal of my season,” Elizabeth Guiney said. 

All year, the skiers have been working on a rigorous training routine, all of which builds toward the season. It is thanks to the efforts that UNH Nordic Head Coach Cory Schwartz and UNH Alpine Head Coach Brian Blank put in that help the team reach such a high level of performance.

“We have fun with practice, but Cory instills the intensity for us,” senior co-captain Anya Caldwell Bean said. “He puts so much into the team, and it makes us want to put so much into it as well.”

The team came into the season fit and motivated, and with positive attitudes and continuous efforts, they were headed down the right road for a successful season.

“The team has become really close this season and has a good sense of camaraderie, really setting us apart from previous years,” Caldwell Bean said. “You ski faster when you’re happy and have a positive attitude, and this is portrayed by how well we are racing.”

Proud of what the team has accomplished so far, Swartz and Blank are hopeful and optimistic for what the NCAA Championship has in store.

“It’s amazing what seniors try to do and can achieve in that atmosphere,” Schwartz said. “They know it’s the last time they’re putting on the bib and the race suit, so you’ll see a really good effort.”

The team is looking to end the season strong with hopes of making the All-American squad. Becoming an All-American would be a great achievement, according to Coach Schwartz.

“We would love to get some Top-10 (All-American)’s, and I don’t think it is at all out of the question for any one of us if everything really comes together on a given day,” senior captain Elizabeth Guiney said. 

 “A podium is reasonable for any of our skiers competing and cracking the Top-5 as a team would be unbelievable, and if everyone can just go out and ski the way they can, I’ll be happy with that,” Blank said.