Sherwood Center, Whitman College
Walla Walla, WA 99362
FAX: (509) 527-5960
Email: teagueam@whitman.edu
WALLA WALLA, Wash. - After graduating from the University of Denver last June, August Teague considered himself fortunate to land a position as a financial adviser with Park Avenue Securities in Denver.
When he learned a few months later that Whitman College needed a nordic ski coach, however, he didn't hesitate to answer the call. "I wasn't quite ready to give up my passion, which has been cross country skiing for as long as I can remember," Teague says.
As a senior at the University of Denver, Teague capped his collegiate career by placing in the top 20 in all but one of his ten events. His best efforts came at the Western State College Invitational, where he placed ninth and 12th in the classic and freestyle. In Teague's four seasons at Denver, the Pioneers captured three NCAA national ski titles (alpine and nordic combined).
Teague, now 23, began competitive ski racing when he was in the third grade. He won Colorado state high school titles in the both the classic and freestyle events in 1999.
Teague's younger sister, Emily, is a junior at the University of Puget Sound, where she competes on the alpine team. Puget Sound competes in the U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association.
Teague's father, Harry Teague, skied on the alpine team at Dartmouth College, graduating in 1966. He then coached the alpine team at Yale University for two seasons while completing a master's degree at the Yale School of Architecture. Harry Teague is principal designer and founder of Harry Teague Architects, based in Aspen, Colo.
Axle Wilhelmsen, a recent graduate of the University of Colorado, is serving as an assistant coach as Teague launches his first season at Whitman. Wilhelmsen, a native of Norway, skied two seasons at Colorado before injuries ended his collegiate career. He works in his family's business in Vail, Colo., but he plans to take an active, on-site role with the Whitman nordic teams during the racing season.