The Gustavus women’s nordic ski team will look to claim its third consecutive MIAC Championship this weekend. Coach Scott Jerome’s squad is skiing extremely well and is the favorite to claim the title again. The Gusties are led by senior Ingrid Olson, junior Kelly Damrow, sophomores Chandra Daw, Kirsten DeVries, and Melissa Kittock and first years Nicole Olson and Erin McCarty.
Senior Ingrid Olson, who was named Co-Skier of the Meet at last year’s MIAC Championships, will again lead the Gusties at the conference meet. Olson, the 10 kilometer classical champion a year ago, will be the favorite this year. Olson has really been skiing well this winter and is still very much in contention for a berth to the NCAA Championships in late March in California. Sophomore Melissa Kittock will also be a key skier for Gustavus. Kittock finished second in the classical and third in the freestyle last year earning all-conference honors in both races. Junior Kelly Damrow is also a returning all-conference performer after finishing fifth in the classical race last year. The Gusties will also be bolstered by newcomer Nicole Olson who will be one of the favorites in the freestyle race. Olson, who finished seventh in the freestyle at the NCAA Qualifier at Graystone Trails last weekend, was the top Division III finisher in the race.
“On paper we are the favorites,” stated Head Coach Scott Jerome, “However, Saint Olaf is a solid team and we need to ski our best race. If we get overconfident, Saint Olaf is capable of catching us.” Gustavus has been the top MIAC finisher in each of the four NCAA Qualifier meets this season.