# Denver Pioneers ski team

The University of Denver Ski Team is a collegiate team that has won a record 24 NCAA Championships the first dating back to 1954. Under the direction of coach Willy Schaeffler, a member of the National Ski Hall of Fame, the Pioneers skied their way to 13 championships. Under Schaeffler's leadership, the University of Denver Ski Team "completely dominated intercollegiate skiing" in the United States for two decades. Schaeffler's "passion for preparedness" and tough training regimen yielded "remarkable" success in competition.
The program was absent from 1984–1992, but surged back onto the national scene winning eight of the first 12 NCAA Championships this century. The Alpine team currently practices less than 70 miles away from campus at Winter Park Resort. The Nordic team calls Devil's Thumb Ranch Resort home, only 78 miles from the university.

## National championships

The Pioneers won their 24th team championship in 2018, the most by any ski team in NCAA history. Colorado is second with 20 titles, and Utah is third with 11. The 24 ski titles are the third most NCAA Division I titles among any team in any single sport. Oklahoma State wrestling holds the most national titles with 34, followed by Southern Cal men’s outdoor track and field (26) and Iowa wrestling (23).
NCAA Champions :
| Year | Location | Head Coach |
| 1954 | Reno, Nev. | Willy Schaeffler |
| 1955 | Northfield, VT | Willy Schaeffler |
| 1956 | Winter Park, Colo. | Willy Schaeffler |
| 1957 | Snow Basin, Utah | Willy Schaeffler |
| 1961 | Middlebury, Vt. | Willy Schaeffler |
| 1962 | Squaw Valley, Calif. | Willy Schaeffler |
| 1963 | Solitude, Utah | Willy Schaeffler |
| 1964 | Franconia Notch, N.H. | Willy Schaeffler |
| 1965 | Crystal Mountain, Wash. | Willy Schaeffler |
| 1966 | Crested Butte, Colo. | Willy Schaeffler |
| 1967 | Kingfield, Maine | Willy Schaeffler |
| 1969 | Steamboat Springs, Colo. | Willy Schaeffler |
| 1970 | Franconia Notch, N.H. | Willy Schaeffler |
| 1971 | Terry Peak, S.D. | Peder Pytte |
| 2000 | Park City, Utah | Kurt Smitz |
| 2001 | Middlebury, Vt. | Kurt Smitz |
| 2002 | Anchorage, Alaska | Kurt Smitz |
| 2005 | Stowe, Vt. | Kurt Smitz |
| 2008 | Bozeman, Mont. | Andy LeRoy/David Stewart |
| 2009 | Bethel-Rumford, Maine | Andy LeRoy/David Stewart |
| 2010 | Steamboat Springs, Colo. | Andy LeRoy/David Stewart |
| 2014 | Park City/Soldier Hollow, Utah | Andy LeRoy/David Stewart |
| 2016 | Steamboat Springs, Colo. | Andy LeRoy/David Stewart |
| 2018 | Steamboat Springs, Colo. | Andy LeRoy/David Stewart |

## Individual National Champions

The Pioneers have produced 80 NCAA individual champions, including three in 2011.
| Year | Gender | Athlete | Event |
| 1996 | M | Geir Skari | Classical |
| 2000 | M | Pietro Broggini | Classical |
| 2001 | M | Wolf Wallendorf | Classical |
| 2002 | M | Ola Berger | Classical |
| 2005 | M | Rene Reisshauer | Classical |
| 2006 | M | John Stene | Classical |
| 2000 | M | Pietro Broggini | Freestyle |
| 2001 | M | Pietro Broggini | Freestyle |
| 2002 | M | Ola Berger | Freestyle |
| 2005 | M | Rene Reisshauer | Freestyle |
| 2007 | M | Rene Reisshauer | Freestyle |
| 1994 | M | Erik Roland | Giant Slalom |
| 2007 | M | Adam Cole | Giant Slalom |
| 2008 | M | John Buchar | Giant Slalom |
| 2010 | M | Leif Kristian Haugen | Giant Slalom |
| 2011 | M | Seppi Stiegler | Giant Slalom |
| 1954 | M | John L'Orange | Slalom |
| 1965 | M | Rick Chaffee | Slalom |
| 1967 | M | Rick Chaffee | Slalom |
| 1968 | M | Dennis McCoy | Slalom |
| 1969 | M | Paul Rachetto | Slalom |
| 1971 | M | Otto Tschudi | Slalom |
| 1973 | M | Peik Christensen | Slalom |
| 1975 | M | Peik Christensen | Slalom |
| 1998 | M | Christian Hutter | Slalom |
| 1999 | M | Jayme Smithers | Slalom |
| 2007 | M | Adam Cole | Slalom |
| 2008 | M | John Buchar | Slalom |
| 1965 | M | Rick Chaffee | Alpine (Discontinued) |
| 1967 | M | Jon Terje Øverland | Alpine (Discontinued) |
| 1968 | M | Dennis McCoy | Alpine (Discontinued) |
| 1969 | M | Paul Rachetto | Alpine (Discontinued) |
| 1971 | M | Otto Tschudi | Alpine (Discontinued) |
| 1973 | M | Peik Christensen | Alpine (Discontinued) |
| 1974 | M | Peik Christensen | Alpine (Discontinued) |
| 1962 | M | Mike Barr | Downhill (Discontinued) |
| 1966 | M | Jon Terje Øverland | Downhill (Discontinued) |
| 1967 | M | Dennis McCoy | Downhill (Discontinued) |
| 1970 | M | Otto Tschudi | Downhill (Discontinued) |
| 1971 | M | Otto Tschudi | Downhill (Discontinued) |
| 1972 | M | Otto Tschudi | Downhill (Discontinued) |
| 1954 | M | Marvin Crawford | Individual Cross-Country (Discontinued) |
| 1958 | M | Clarence L. Servold | Individual Cross-Country (Discontinued) |
| 1959 | M | Clarence L. Servold | Individual Cross-Country (Discontinued) |
| 1970 | M | Ole Ivar F. Hansen | Individual Cross-Country (Discontinued) |
| 1971 | M | Ole Ivar F. Hansen | Individual Cross-Country (Discontinued) |
| 1954 | M | Willis S. Olson | Jumping (Discontinued) |
| 1955 | M | Willis S. Olson | Jumping (Discontinued) |
| 1956 | M | Willis S. Olson | Jumping (Discontinued) |
| 1957 | M | Alfred L. Vincelette | Jumping (Discontinued) |
| 1958 | M | Oddvar Rønnestad | Jumping (Discontinued) |
| 1961 | M | Christoffer Selbeck | Jumping (Discontinued) |
| 1962 | M | Oyvind Floystad | Jumping (Discontinued) |
| 1964 | M | Erik Jansen | Jumping (Discontinued) |
| 1965 | M | Erik Jansen | Jumping (Discontinued) |
| 1969 | M | Odd Hammernes | Jumping (Discontinued) |
| 1972 | M | Odd Hammernes | Jumping (Discontinued) |
| 1957 | M | Harald Riiber | Nordic (Discontinued) |
| 1958 | M | Clarence Servold | Nordic (Discontinued) |
| 1959 | M | Theodore A. Farwell | Nordic (Discontinued) |
| 1963 | M | Aarne Valkama | Nordic (Discontinued) |
| 1964 | M | Erik Jansen | Nordic (Discontinued) |
| 1969 | M | Georg R. Krog | Nordic (Discontinued) |
| 1954 | M | Marvin Crawford | Skimeister (Discontinued) |
| 1956 | M | John R. Cress | Skimeister (Discontinued) |
| 1995 | F | Narcisa Sehovic | Slalom |
| 1996 | F | Roberta Pergher | Slalom |
| 1997 | F | Roberat Pergher | Slalom |
| 2000 | F | Cecilie Hagen Larsen | Slalom |
| 2004 | F | Pia Rivelsrud | Slalom |
| 2011 | F | Sterling Grant | Slalom |
| 1996 | F | Lisbeth Johnsen | Classical |
| 1999 | F | Britta Wienand | Classical |
| 2009 | F | Antje Maempel | Classical |
| 2010 | F | Antje Maempel | Classical |
| 1996 | F | Lisbeth Johnsen | Freestyle |
| 2009 | F | Antje Maempel | Freestyle |
| 2010 | F | Antje Maempel | Freestyle |
| 2011 | F | Ida Dillingoen | Giant Slalom |
| 2012 | M | Espen Lysdahl | Slalom |

## Denver Skiing Olympic athletes

1948 St. Moritz, Switzerland
Donald Johnson (USA) Alva Hiatt (USA) Gordon Wren (USA)
1952 Oslo, Norway
Alvin Wegeman (USA) Keith Wegeman (USA) Willis Olson (USA) Theodore Farwell (USA) Catherine Rudolph (USA)
1956 Cortina, Italy
Marvin Crawford (USA) Willis Olson (USA) Theodore Farwell (USA) Gladys Werner (USA) Catherine Rudolph (USA) Clarence Servold (Canada)
1960 Squaw Valley, California, USA
John R. Cress (USA) Craig M. Lussi (USA) Alfred L. Vincelette (USA) Theodore A. Farwell (USA) Charles T. Ferries (USA) Ansten Samuelstuen (USA) Max S. Marolt (USA) Willy Schaeffler, Coach (USA) Clarence L. Servold (Canada)
1964 Innsbruck, Austria
Charles T. Ferries (USA) Richard G. “Rip” McManus (USA) James E. Shea (USA) Asten Samuelstuen (USA) Jon Terje Øverland (Norway)
1968 Grenoble, France
Fred S. Chaffee II (USA) Georg R. Krog (USA) Dennis M. McCoy (USA) Otto Tschudi (Norway) Mike A. Devecka (USA) Jon Terje Øverland Norway Charles T. Ferries, Coach USA
1972 Sapporo, Japan
Fred S. Chaffee II (USA) Eric J. Poulsen (USA) Otto Tschudi (Norway) Reuben T. Palmer (USA) Terry J. Palmer (USA) Mike A. Devecka (USA) Willy Schaeffler, Coach USA Paul D. Rachetto, Coach USA James E. Shea, Coach USA
1976 Innsbruck, Austria
Odd Hammernes (Norway) Mike A. Devecka (USA) Robert F. Kiesel, Coach USA
1980 Lake Placid, N.Y.
Mike A. Devecka (USA) Robert F. Kiesel, Coach USA Dave Durrance, Coach USA
1984 Sarajevo, Yugoslavia
John McMurtry, Coach USA
1994 Lillehammer, Norway
Jeanette Lunde (Norway)
1998 Nagano, Japan
Andrzej Bachleda (Poland) Sophie Ormond (Great Britain)
2002 Salt Lake City, Utah
Andrzej Bachleda (Poland)
2010 – Vancouver, Canada
Leif Kristian Haugen (Norway)
2014 – Sochi, Russia
Leif Kristian Haugen (Norway) Sebastian Brigovic (Croatia) Trevor Philp (Canada) Andrea Komsic (Croatia)
2018 – PyeongChang, South Korea
Leif Kristian Haugen (Norway) Bronze Medal Erik Read (Canada) Trevor Philp (Canada) Andrea Komsic (Croatia)