Two Middlebury skiers renamed to U.S. National Team

Kjersti Moritz ’28 and Erik Arvidsson ’21 are set to be a part of the 2024–25 Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski teams. 

This is a prestigious honor. The governing body of snowsports, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, only selects the most qualified candidates who provide the greatest chance for the U.S. to win medals in future World Championship and Olympic Winter Games. The team looks at a number of international rankings and results from head-to-head competitions to make their selections. 

Stever Bartlett, head coach of Middlebury’s Alpine ski team, noted that both skiers made the team despite recovering from ACL injuries in previous seasons. 

“I wouldn't say [it’s] a total rebuilding year, but, you know, it's definitely a challenge,” he said. “The beginning of their year is going to start a little bit slower [for them].”

Arvidsson will compete on the U.S.’ B-Team. This marks his sixth year on the Stifel U.S. Ski Team, where some of his most notable achievements include coming in eighth place at the Saalbach downhill World Cup, placing 14th at the Aspen World Cup super-G and coming in 16th place at the Bormio downhill.

Arvidsson was a star at Middlebury. In 2018, he was an NCAA All-American and was the EISA Rookie of the Year. In both of his other two years competing for the Middlebury ski team, he made the EISA All-East First Team. 

Moritz, meanwhile, will be competing on the U.S.’ developmental team. The developmental team represents the top of the junior developmental pipeline and is designed to help talented young skiers progress in their careers. This year marks Moritz’ second year on the team. Throughout her career, so far, her most impressive accomplishments include five top ten finishes in the North American circuit. 

As a first-year student, Moritz has yet to begin her Middlebury Alpine skiing career. However, she is also a defender and midfielder for the women’s soccer team, making her one of the most unique athletes at the school. So far this season, Moritz has logged 35 total minutes played in two games of action.

In today's day and age, being good enough to play collegiate soccer and any other sport, doesn't matter if it's a D1 sport like skiing, or if it's another D3 sport, Bartlett said. 

“It's pretty remarkable with how specialized everybody is now in sports, so her soccer ability is tremendous,” he added.

Middlebury’s Alpine Ski teams have had no shortage of top-tier talent in recent years. Arvidsson and Moritz’ selections continue the trend of skiers with international pedigrees competing at Middlebury. In 2022, Michel Macedo (Brazil) ’23, Ali Nullmeyer (Canada) ’24 and Sam Wood (U.S.) ’19 all competed at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Wood won a gold in the Paralympics mixed relay along with a silver in the Paralympic slalom and long distance as a guide for his lifelong friend Jake Adicoff. 

Outside of international competition, Middlebury’s Alpine team is primed for a strong season this year. Last year, the team finished in third place out of the 14 teams competing at the EISA Championships. Standout performers Bradshaw Underhill ’25, the runner up for the giant slalom at the EISA Championships last year, and Mika-Anne Reha ’25, who finished in sixth place in the slalom at the NCAA Championships last year, are both returning for this season. With the addition of Moritz, the Panthers are in a good position to continue their dominance in skiing. 

“I think the girls will be right in there. They'll win carnivals. We'll have a good team for NCAAs,” Bartlett said. “And the guys, I think we're returning our strongest guys from last year, which is good, and we have three first year guys that have raced in Europe and or at the academy level.”