USCSA Press Release: USCSA 47th Annual Collegiate National Championships Event Recap

March 22, 2026

Photos: Meagan Bronson and Ian Pouliot

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jay Moyer
[email protected] 

LAKE PLACID, New York. – MARCH 22nd, 2026.  The U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) wrapped up its 6-day long annual Collegiate National Championships on Saturday March 14th after awarding team and individual Collegiate National Championships in Alpine Skiing, Alpine Snowboarding, Freeskiing, Nordic Skiing, and Freestyle Snowboarding competitions. The weather varied from warm and sunny days, to rain, and finally below freezing days with snow, presenting a challenge for both athletes and event organizers. Despite this, all events were still able to be held as scheduled.

Over 650 collegiate athletes representing 68 colleges and universities competed at the 2026 U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard National Championships. This championship represented the best collegiate athletes from around the country. USCSA has member schools in every geographic region of the United States. Events included Alpine Ski and Snowboard Giant Slalom, Alpine Ski and Snowboard Slalom, Parallel Slalom, Nordic Sprints, Nordic Distance, Slopestyle, Skier and Snowboard Cross, and Rail Jam. For a complete schedule of events, news, and results please go to the official USCSA website at www.uscsa.org. To view our video broadcast archives, visit https://www.uscsa.org/broadcast.html. Photos of all events are also available online at www.uscsa.org/photo--video.html

USCSA Co-Director of National Championships Andy Rangen said that “From start to finish, this was the best U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard National Championship event we’ve ever had. The weather definitely kept things interesting at times, but our student-athletes performed incredibly well, the event itself came together at a very high level, and ORDA and NYSEF were outstanding partners throughout the entire championship. Most importantly, we’re really proud of the experience this created for our college athletes, because that’s what this event is really all about.” 

Alpine Skiing

Alpine competition kicked off at Whiteface on Tuesday with a women’s Giant Slalom, with over 140 athletes tackling Upper Thruway and Draper’s Drop. Rocky Mountain College took first place as a team, followed by Babson College in 2nd and Clarkson University in 3rd place. On the individual side, Julia Wiacek from Babson won the National Championship, followed by Aspen McAuley from Hobart William Smith Colleges taking the silver and Synne Gaustad Kvinlog from Rocky Mountain College taking bronze. Winning the individual National Championship was Julia Wiacek from Babson College. After the races, individual runner up Aspen McAuley said that it was a “tough day but so rewarding.”

Competition for the men kicked off on Wednesday as they also competed in a Giant Slalom on Draper’s Drop. Temperatures were warmer than Tuesday, but hard work by the course crew and volunteers kept the surface hard throughout the day. Clarkson University took home the team National Championship, followed in close 2nd by Rocky Mountain College with Babson College in 3rd. Marin Vigneras from the University of Massachusetts took home the individual National Championship.

Athletes switched to their shorter skis on Thursday, kicking off Slalom action with a women’s Slalom race down Draper’s Drop. The cold weather finally arrived, creating a hard surface but also some icy ruts, which proved to be a challenge for some athletes during the race. The University of Connecticut persevered though, taking home their school’s first ever team National Championship. This was followed by Colgate University in 2nd and Rocky Mountain College rounding out the podium in 3rd. After their win, Hadley Prewitt from the University of Connecticut said that “this was a great way to end the season. I am super proud of this team and super appreciative of all the support that we get from friends, family, coaches, and alumni. Go Huskies! WOOF!” Aspen McAuley from Hobart William Smith Colleges followed her strong performance in the Giant Slalom with an individual National Championship in the Slalom. 

The men arrived on the Draper’s Drop Slalom course to find a firm surface that rivaled some World Cup competitions. Overall, the men excelled on the course, completing the race with the lowest Did Not Finish rate of the week. Rocky Mountain College proved to be the team to beat, winning their first men’s team National Championship of the week, followed by Babson College in 2nd and Vermont State University - Castleton in 3rd. Will Patton from Hobart William Smith Colleges won the men’s individual Slalom title, the school’s second individual National Championship of the event. After the race, individual National Champion Will Patton said that “it was a great day with amazing energy and support from the team. Whiteface and USCSA made a great day and surface for the slalom."

Alpine Skiing concluded on Saturday with the Parallel Slalom event. After fierce competition, Rocky Mountain College came away with team National Championships for both their women’s and men’s teams. This was followed by Babson College in 2nd place and Clarkson University in 3rd place for the women, and Northern Michigan University in 2nd place and Babson University in 3rd place for the men. For the individual qualifiers, Rosie St Cyr took 1st, Paige Petersen came in 2nd, and Paige Barta placed 3rd for the women. On the men’s side, Justin Shafritz won the championship, with Connor Truman in 2nd and Ben Cerreta in 3rd to round out the podium. “It was such a great way to end not only the season but my career on such a high note,” said Paige Petersen after her 2nd place finish.

Overall for the week, Rocky Mountain College won the men’s and women’s combined team National Championships. Tiebreakers using individual place points were needed to help determine the remainder of the podium for both the men and women. For the men, a tie for second place was broken to give the silver to Babson College and Clarkson University the bronze. For the women, the University of Connecticut won 2nd place, while another tie for 3rd between Babson College and Clarkson University was broken in Babson College College’s favor. 

After the event, Rocky Mountain College Head Coach Jerry Wolf said, “The 2026 USCSA National Championships– what a Nationals to remember. I won’t forget. Weather, ice, wind, rain, snow– kinda everything packed in the week. The RMC word for everything during the week was “variable”. I must have used that word a hundred times a day during the week out East. The icy hard “variable” conditions did give the Bears some issues especially in the slalom events. This win for the Bears was super sweet, with some of our top athletes struggling, not finishing and at times lacking confidence on the “variable” surface. Both the men and women’s teams having Freshman/5th seed athletes stepping up on the big stage to help fill the gaps, scoring for the team, is what kept the Bears dominant on the slopes this year.  Defending the Alpine Overall titles was the mission, plus  both the men and women’s Skier Cross and Parallel Slalom titles added some spice and good times that this group will never forget. The competition this year was second to none: hats off to all the other awesome programs out there in USCSA (coaches, teams, athletes, institutions, volunteers, etc.). Especially in the East, there are a bunch of schools nipping at the Bear’s heals. It’s so great to see the noticeable step up in many programs that are working hard to better themselves. I’m so excited for the future of this great organization.”

Colgate Head Coach and USCSA Mideast Conference Coordinator Todd Enders added, “I am very proud of the Colgate men’s and women’s teams. The women’s team won the Mideast Conference Regional Championships and went on to capture 5th place overall at Nationals for the second year in a row. Additionally, they finished Nationals with two athletic All Americans Charlotte Morris and Carissa Dunlap. The plan they adopted was simple: adapt to the conditions through the week and fight to the end. Training on Whiteface through the week helped them prepare for the races they faced. The men’s team were led by the same principals as the women’s teams. All season they trained hard with the goal to once again visit Lake Placid for another opportunity at Nationals. Hard work earned the team 7th place overall with Cole Sachs as an athletic All American. The work ethic and drive the teams share is second to none. The culture is simple. They work hard and travel as a family. Great student athletes! I am very proud of the Mideast Conference. We continue to gain momentum with top results in both individuals and teams at the National Championships.”

Nordic Skiing

Nordic competition returned to the legendary Mt. Van Hoevenberg on Tuesday with a 7.5km classic interval start competition. Western Colorado University took home the team National Championship for the men while St Olaf College took home the women’s team victory. Greta Bochenek, the women’s individual champion from Colorado Mesa University, said that “(Lake Placid) is one of my favorite places to ski in the U.S., and I am hoping for more sun than rain the rest of the week.” Men’s individual National Champion Phil Matthews from Paul Smith's College added that it was a “really fun day out there– super sunny and slushy, but great competition.”

Competitors switched to their skate skis for the Freestyle Sprint race on Wednesday. Coming out on top for the men was Paul Smith’s College’s men’s team, with St. Olaf College in 2nd and Western Colorado University in 3rd. In the women’s event, St. Olaf College’s team won the National Championship, followed by Paul Smith's College in 2nd and the University of Wyoming in 3rd. After their third place finish, Tyler Hichpen from Western Colorado University said that it was “really sloppy all day– we had to have some luck out there, hardest ski we skied all year, but happy with the result. Great to get the team on the podium.” Individual National Champion Sisu Lange added, “Having trained on this course all year with my teammates, I had a good level of confidence coming into the sprint races. A podium was a good goal that I set for myself but I am super pleased with coming home with the win."

After a break in the action Thursday, Nordic competitors returned to Mt. Van Hoevenberg on Friday for their longest event- the 15km Freestyle Mass Start. After nearly 40 minutes of racing, Paul Smith’s College took home their second men’s team National Championship of the week. Clarkson University’s men’s team followed closely behind in 2nd place, while the University of Wyoming took 3rd. St Olaf College won the women’s team National Championship, Paul Smith’s College placed 2nd, and Colorado Mesa University placed 3rd overall. After her race, Ayla Bodach-Turner from the University of Maine Farmington said, “this was my last collegiate individual race as a senior at UMF. We had awesome snow and fast skis! It was incredible to be able to race in such a great field!"

Wrapping up the week was the Classic Team Sprint event. In an interesting turn of events, the podium was identical for both the men’s and women’s events: St Olaf College won both team National Championships, Paul Smith’s College took second place, and the University of Wyoming took home third for both genders.

For the week, St Olaf College’s women’s team won the overall National Championship, while Paul Smith’s College’s men’s team won the overall National Championship.

Snowboard & Freeski

At the cross venue, Rocky Mountain College won the team Collegiate National Championship in men’s Skier Cross while Liberty University topped the podium in men’s Boarder Cross. The individual skier cross champion Fredrick Straume from Rocky Mountain College stated, "Fun day and really fun skier cross course.". “Wax matters,” said snowboard cross runner up Owen Gordon. The following day, the women took their turn at the cross events. Rocky Mountain College’s ski team once again won the skier cross in commanding fashion, taking 1st and 3rd place individually as well. UCLA won their first National Championship of the event, winning the women’s Boarder Cross. 

In Rail Jam, Westminster University put on a showcase by sweeping the event and winning the men’s and women’s freeski team Rail Jam Nationals Championships plus the men’s and women’s Snowboard Rail Jam National Championships. 

The Claremont Colleges took a team win in the women’s Freeski Slopestyle event, but Westminster University otherwise continued their strong performance in Slopestyle as well. Westminster won team National Championships in the men’s Freeski Slopestyle as well as men’s and women’s Snowboard Slopestyle. After her second place finish in the women’s Snowboard Slopestyle, Olivia Valles said that “SDSU is the best hype crew out there! Wouldn't be Nationals without them!” Casper van den Brink-Lemley from Westminster University added, "Everybody showed up on harsh conditions and still threw done the level was high and super stoked to get the podium.”

Switching to Snowboard Alpine, Lees-McRae College continued to show that they are the team to beat. Lees-McRae went 4 for 4, winning team National Championships in men’s and women’s Snowboard Slalom as well as men’s and women’s Snowboard Giant Slalom. After the Snowboard Slalom race, men’s individual National Champion Bodie Callaway said, “I had a ton of fun riding with my friends and competing. It was an awesome time.”

For the week, Westminster University won the overall Freestyle National Championships for men’s and women’s Snowboard as well as men’s and women’s Freeski. Lees-McRae College took overall National Championships in men’s and women’s Snowboard Alpine.

Teams began their quest to qualify for the U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard National Championships in their local conference competitions, held across 11 conferences spanning the nation, this January. Top teams from each conference attend one of 6 regional championships, which decide who ultimately qualifies to participate in events at the U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard National Championship. 

The USCSA is the sports federation for collegiate team ski racing and snowboarding in America. The USCSA believes that student-athletes of all levels and abilities should have access to quality and exciting venues of competition. USCSA athletes agree that our team orientation fosters a collaborative approach across their collegiate athletic and academic careers, and often this mentality proves indispensable in their adult lives and careers. The organization includes 140 colleges from coast to coast, fielding over 4,700 male and female, alpine, freestyle, cross-country, snowboarding and nordic ski jumping athletes in over 300 events annually.

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