WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Laura Valaas, an NCAA All-American in two events a year ago, is back this winter to set a powerful pace for the Whitman College Nordic ski teams.
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Valaas, a senior from Wenatchee, Wash., burst into national prominence last season, placing fifth in the classic and ninth in the freestyle at the NCAA National Championships in Stowe, Vt.
Joining Valaas on the Whitman women’s team are senior Tara Gregg, junior Emma Catmur and talented first-year competitors Kate Ceronsky, Whitney Heyvaert and Lindsay Records.
The Whitman men’s squad returns plenty of experience in senior Alex Farnand, junior Charles Erdman and sophomores Robert Marcotte and Loren Schmidt. Davis Taylor, a sophomore who trained with the team last season, will see his first college racing action this winter.
The Whitman Nordic teams are headed to Utah early in January for season-opening college races. The University of Alaska-Anchorage Invitational is set for Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 7-8, at Soldier Hollow.
A year ago, by the time the NCAA national championships rolled around in March, Valaas had emerged as one of the top Nordic skiers in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA). She placed third and fifth at West Region Championships in Bozeman, Mont., earning RMISA’s Skier of the Week honors. She capped the regular season by nabbing one of 10 spots on the All-RMISA Women’s Nordic Team. Later in the spring, she was named to ESPN The Magazine's Academic All-District At-Large Team.
“Experience, patience and persistence count for a lot in Nordic skiing, and Laura has been training hard for years,” first-year Whitman coach Nathan Alsobrook says. “Last year, everything came together for her. She also told me that one key to her success last season was that she realized the importance of easing back her on her training before the big races in order to be well rested and peak at the right time.”
As she did last year, Valaas prepped for the ski season by running cross country for Whitman in the fall. She placed 19th in the Northwest Conference Championships in late October.
In mid-November, Valaas posted a pair of strong performances in early season races in West Yellowstone, Wyo. She finished second in a freestyle sprint and 11th in a 12-kilometer classic race. “Almost all of the top skiers in the country were there, so Laura’s results were outstanding,” Alsobrook says.
“Laura is one of the top skiers in the country right now,” he adds. “She had an outstanding cross country running season, and her early season ski results were her best ever. I can’t say for sure, since I wasn’t her coach last year, but I would guess that she’s as fit now as she’s ever been.”
Alsobrook expects to see a “super competitive” women’s field this season. “Many of the top U.S. skiers are also collegiate skiers, and as usual there will be several fast foreign-born skiers in the college ranks. So, it should be interesting.”
Tara Gregg (Winthrop, Wash.), the other senior on the Whitman’s women’s roster, has been slowed by illness and injury for much of the past six months. “Normally, that would kill a skier’s chance of being competitive, but Tara is a very experienced skier, and experience counts for a lot in Nordic skiing,” Alsobrook says. “She’s still nursing an injury, so neither of us has any idea of what to expect from her in terms of results.”
Gregg’s best efforts last winter came near the end of the season, when she placed 23rd and 24th in two weekend races.
Emma Catmur (Crested Butte, Colo.) missed her sophomore season due to injury and just returned from a study abroad semester in Argentina. “Emma will not be racing much or at all this season,” Alsobrook says. “She’s primarily focused on training for next season.”
Kate Ceronsky (Arden Hills, Minn.) and Lindsay Records (Boulder, Colo.), two of Whitman’s three first-year athletes, capped their high school careers last winter by the qualifying for the U.S. Junior National championships. Both skiers made their best showing in the 10-kilometer classic; Ceronsky was 20th in her age division, while Records was 44th in her division.
Whitman’s third first-year skier, Whitney Heyvaert (Maple Plain, Minn.), nearly qualified for Junior Nationals last winter despite missing much of the season due to illness. “Whitney has been one of the top high school skiers in Minnesota for the last few years,” Alsobrook says. “It’s exciting to have three first-year skiers with this kind of competitive background.”
For now, Alsobrook doesn’t see much difference in his top four competitors on the men’s team. “The men are all so close right now that I couldn’t begin to guess” what pecking order might evolve, he says. “It’s going to be exciting to watch them sort it out this season.”
Alex Farnand (Bend, Ore.), the only senior on the squad, placed as high as 34th and 35th in two races last winter. “Alex has been training really hard this year, and he has a good, smooth technique. I think his results will improve a lot.”
Loren Schmidt and Robert Marcotte, two sophomores from Fairbanks, Alaska, enjoyed similar results last winter as freshmen. Schmidt competed in all 10 RMISA qualifying races, placing as high as 33rd and 34th. Marcotte, after missing the first two weekends of competition, finished 33rd in one race and 35th in another.
Charles Erdman (Williston, Vt.) rounds out the top four. He competed in just four races a year ago as sophomore, placing 43rd in two races. “Charles is a very talented skier, but his training was inconsistent last summer,” Alsobrook says. “At the moment, he’s healthy and should be right in there with the rest of the team.”
Davis Taylor (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) should also contribute this season, Alsobrook says. “His fitness and technique have improved a lot,” he says. “Having never raced at the collegiate level before, he’s at a bit of a disadvantage, but I expect him to make the adjustment quickly.”
RMISA, a collection of 10 schools, will send 21 men and 21 women to the NCAA National Championships this season. The region has a total of 10 qualifying races, starting with the University of Utah Invitational in early January and continuing through the region championships Feb. 23-24 at California’s Donner Summit.
Whitman, with an enrollment of 1,450, is the only Division III school competing in NCAA skiing in the western U.S. Other RMISA members include seven Division I schools, including the universities of Utah, Denver, New Mexico, Nevada and Colorado.
Dave Holden, Whitman Sports Information,
(509) 527-5902; holden@whitman.edu