Laura Edlund, Kathleen DeWahl, and Kelly Chaudoin will represent Gustavus at the NCAA Collegiate Ski Championships on March 5-8 in Bozeman, Mont. All three skiers earned berths by virtue of their performances in eight CCSA-qualifying races in freestyle and classic techniques this season. The trio also led the team to a second place finish in the women’s standings at last weekend’s Central Region Championships, finishing ahead of Central Collegiate Ski Association (CCSA) perennial power the University of Alaska in Fairbanks.
Edlund (Sr., Forest Lake, Minn.) and DeWahl finished (Sr., St. Paul, Minn.) sixth (145.9) and seventh (155.9), respectively, in the final CCSA point standings. Chaudoin (Jr., Ely, Minn.) finished eleventh with 168.2 points. The Gusties are the first Division III institution in the CCSA to qualify the maximum three skiers for the national championships. Previously, Gustavus had only sent one skier, Chandra Daw in 2006, to the NCAA Championships in school history. Morgan Smyth of Northern Michigan finished first in the standings with 106.7 points.