As of January 29, 12 athletes from Dartmouth—eight graduates and four enrolled students—are headed to Sochi, Russia, for the 2014 Olympics. They are on the U.S. biathlon team (3), the U.S. alpine ski team (3), the U.S. cross-country ski team (2), the U.S. freestyle ski team (1), the Canadian women’s hockey team (1), the Bermuda cross-country ski team (1), and the Estonia alpine ski team (1). Nine have worn Dartmouth green and competed in their respective sports as undergraduates. The three others competed on the professional level while taking classes.
Dartmouth is known for attracting and mentoring remarkable winter athletes. Since 1924, 132 athletes from Dartmouth, including these 12, have participated in the winter Olympics—more than any other Ivy League school. Dartmouth alumni and students have won 12 gold, eight silver, and five bronze medals in the Winter Games.
The Olympics begin February 7.
U.S. Alpine Ski Team
(photo: courtesy of U.S. Ski Team)
David Chodounsky `08
Crested Butte, Colorado
Major: earth sciences and engineering
Instagram: @dchodounsky
Of note: Chodounsky skied for Dartmouth and was the 2005 NCAA slalom champion. He is one of the few people to have earned a college degree before joining the U.S. ski team.
http://alpine.usskiteam.com/athletes/david-chodounsky
(photo: courtesy of U.S. Ski Team)
Nolan Kasper `14
Warren, Vermont
Major: undeclared
Twitter: @nolankasper
Of note: Kasper has been a member of the U.S. ski team since 2008, and he competed in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
http://alpine.usskiteam.com/athletes/nolan-kasper
(photo: courtesy of U.S. Ski Team)
Andrew Weibrecht `09
Lake Placid, New York
Major: earth sciences
Twitter: @a_weibrecht
Of note: Nicknamed “Warhorse,” the speedy Weibrecht won the bronze medal in the 2010 Winter Olympics in the Super G race.
http://alpine.usskiteam.com/athletes/andrew-weibrecht
Canadian Women’s Hockey Team
(photo: courtesy of Hockey Canada)
Gillian Apps `06
Unionville, Ontario
Major: psychology
Twitter: @gapps10
Of note: Already the recipient of two Olympic gold medals, Apps is one of the longest serving members of the Canadian women’s hockey team.
http://olympic.ca/team-canada/gillian-apps/
U.S. Cross Country Ski Team
(photo: courtesy of U.S. Ski Team)
Sophie Caldwell `12
Peru, Vermont
Major: psychology
Blog: http://sophiecaldwell.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html
Twitter: @dophed
Of note: Caldwell, who says she learned to walk and ski simultaneously, grew up in the Northeast Kingdom area of Vermont. http://nordic.usskiteam.com/athletes/sophie-caldwell
(photo: courtesy of U.S. Ski Team)
Ida Sargent `11
Barton, Vermont
Major: biology
Blog: http://idasargent.blogspot.com
Twitter: @idasargent
Of note: According to the U.S. Ski Team, “Sargent’s off-hill hobbies include running, biking, canoeing, reading, gardening and drinking maple syrup.”
http://nordic.usskiteam.com/athletes/ida-sargent
U.S. Biathlon Team
(photo: courtesy of Hannah Dreissigacker)
Hannah Dreissigacker `09, `10Th
Morrisville, Vermont
Major: engineering modified with studio art
Blog: http://hannahsartventure.blogspot.com/
Of note: Dreissigacker is the daughter of Olympic rowers Judy Geer `75, `83Th and Dick Dreissigacker. In her free time, Dreissigacker paints.
http://www.teamusa.org/Athletes/DR/Hannah-Dreissigacker
(photo: courtesy of U.S. Biathlon)
Susan Dunklee `08
Barton, Vermont
Major: biology
Blog: http://susandunklee.wordpress.com/
Twitter: @susandunklee
Of note: Dunklee finished fourth in a pre-Olympic World Cup race—the highest-ever finish for an American female biathlete. http://www.teamusa.org/Athletes/DU/Susan-Dunklee
(photo: courtesy of U.S. Biathlon / Nordic Focus)
Sara Studebaker `07
Boise, Idaho
Major: government
Blog: http://sarastudebaker.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @sarastudebaker
Of note: In the 2010 Olympics, Studebaker and had the highest finish among Americans in the 7.5-kilometer race, and she led the start for the team in the 4×6 kilometer relay.
http://www.teamusa.org/Athletes/ST/Sara-Studebaker
U.S. Freestyle Ski Team
(photo: courtesy of U.S. Ski Team)
Hannah Kearney `15
Norwich, Vermont
Major: undeclared
Twitter: @HK_Ski
Of note: Though her Canadian counterpart was favored, Kearney won a gold medal in the 2010 Olympic games in the mogul-skiing event. She enrolled as a Dartmouth student in 2011.
http://freestyle.usskiteam.com/athletes/hannah-kearney
Bermuda Cross-Country Ski Team
(photo: courtesy of dartmouth.edu)
Tucker Murphy `04
Bermuda
Major: biology and anthropology
Of note: Murphy will be the one athlete competing for Bermuda at the Winter Games. He also represented his country in the 2010 Olympics. After Dartmouth he studied at Oxford as a Bermuda Rhodes Scholar.
http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20140109/SPORT/140109811
Estonia Alpine Ski Team
(photo: courtesy of dartmouth.edu)
Trace Cummings Smith `15
Dedham, Massachusetts
Major: economics
Of note: Smith is a dual citizen of the United States and Estonia. “I can represent Estonia on the world stage, which is a really cool thing,” he told “Dartmouth Alumni Magazine.”