Photo Credit: Lincoln Benedict
Schedule and Results

2009 SKIING NOTEBOOK
The University of Vermont ski team finished fifth at the 2009 NCAA Ski Championships hosted by Bates College in Bethel and Rumford, Maine. Freshman David Donaldson and Juergen Uhl led the way by winning individual national championships. Donaldson won the men’s giant slalom while Uhl skied to a first-place finish in the men’s 10k classic. Donaldson and Uhl were two of eight Catamounts to earn NCAA All-American honors at the NCAA Ski Championships.

NCAA SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS
Vermont earned 573 points as a team at the NCAA Ski Championships to finish fifth overall. The Catamounts were the top Eastern team finishing 18 points ahead of Dartmouth. Vermont had eight of 10 skiers earn All-American honors at the NCAA Ski Championships. Freshman David Donaldson was named a First-Team NCAA All-American after winning an individual national championship in the men’s giant slalom. Donaldson's individual title was the 11th all-time in the giant slalom at the NCAAs for a UVM skier. Donaldson posted a combined time of 2:30.24 to win his eighth race of the year. Senior Juergen Uhl was also a First-Team NCAA All-American after winning the men’s 10k classic. Uhl's individual title was just the third all-time in the classic for a Vermont skier and the first since Thorodd Bakken '98 won in 1998. Uhl finished with a time of 24:14.9 for his third victory of the year. Senior Jilyne McDonald as well as freshmen Meg Ryley and Franz Bernstein also earned First-Team NCAA All-American. Junior Jennie Bender and freshman Caitlin Patterson were both Second-Team NCAA All-Americans as was sophomore Lyndee Janowiak.

UVM TOP-10 FINISHES AT NCAA SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS
David Donaldson – 1st Men’s Giant Slalom
Juergen Uhl – 1st Men’s 10k Classic
Jilyne McDonald – 3rd Women’s Slalom, 7th Women’s Giant Slalom
Meg Ryley – 4th Women’s Slalom
Franz Bernstein – 5th Men’s 10k Classic
Caitlin Patterson – 6th Women’s 5k Classic, 7th Women’s 15k Freestyle
Lyndee Janowiak – 9th Women’s Giant Slalom
Jennie Bender – 10th Women’s 5k Classic

STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING ALL-AMERICANS
Sophomore Valerie Kechian and senior Jilyne McDonald were named Strength and Conditioning All-Americans by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). This year marked Kechian's second straight season earning NSCA All-America honors and she is the first Catamount student-athlete to earn the honor twice. McDonald was named a NCAA All-American for the fourth time in her career in 2009 after finishing third in the women’s slalom and seventh in the women’s giant slalom at the NCAA Ski Championships.

NCAA ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
The Vermont ski team placed 17 student-athletes on the 2009 NCAA All-Academic Team. Those selected to the all-academic team attained a grade point average of 3.5 or higher for the fall term and competed at this year’s Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association Championships.

The Vermont skiers honored were junior Jennie Bender, freshman Franz Bernstein, sophomore Chris Colpitts, junior Kara Crow, junior Colin Devore, freshman David Donaldson, junior Erik Gilbert, senior Marsh Gooding, senior Katrina Howe, freshman Ellery Leeds, sophomore Johanna Mayerhofer, senior Jilyne McDonald, sophomore Bryana Park, freshman Caitlin Patterson, senior Mary Stewart, senior Juergen Uhl and senior Chris Ziegler.

MCDONALD AND UHL NAMED TO ESPN THE MAGAZINE ALL-DISTRICT I HONORS
Seniors Jilyne McDonald and Juergen Uhl were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District I At-Large Team.

Uhl was one of the most accomplished Nordic skiers in UVM’s history and earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District I honors for a second straight season. Uhl was a three-time NCAA All-American and four times was named to the NCAA All-Academic Team while maintaining a 3.81 grade point average in mechanical engineering.

Uhl capped off a brilliant career by winning the men’s 10k classic at the 2009 NCAA Ski Championships to earn Vermont’s first individual national championship in a Nordic event since 1998. Uhl finished his collegiate career with 10 first-place finishes and 22 top-five performances. He won three classic races as a senior and as a junior went a perfect 5 for 5 in classic races on the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association Circuit. Uhl was also named First-Team All-East in each of his four years and was a team captain in 2009.

McDonald completed a sensational career in 2009 by earning NCAA All-American honors for the fourth time in her career. She did so while maintaining a 3.49 grade point average in public communication.

McDonald competed at four NCAA Ski Championships in her career and earned a pair of podium finishes. She grabbed third in the slalom at the 2009 NCAA Ski Championships and was second in the slalom at the NCAA’s as a sophomore in 2006.

McDonald was named First-Team All-East in 2006, 2008 and 2009. She skied to 22 podium finishes in her career while posting six victories. She won the slalom at the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association Championships in 2005 and won the giant slalom at the EISA Championships in 2008.

ALL-EAST TEAM
Nine members of the Vermont ski team were named to the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association All-East Team following their performances on the EISA Circuit this season.

The women’s alpine team placed three skiers on the all-east team. Freshman Meg Ryley and senior Jilyne McDonald were both named First-Team All-East. Sophomore Lyndee Janowiak was named to the second team.

Freshman David Donaldson of the men’s alpine team was named First-Team All-East after winning seven races on the season. Senior Marsh Gooding was named Second-Team All-East. Senior Juergen Uhl and freshman Franz Bernstein of the men’s Nordic team were both named First-Team All-East.

Freshman Caitlin Patterson of the women’s Nordic team was named First-Team All-East while junior Jennie Bender was named to the second team.

EISA AWARDS
Freshmen David Donaldson and Meg Ryley were named the Male and Female Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association Alpine Rookies of the Year, while freshman Franz Bernstein was named the EISA Male Nordic Rookie of the Year. UVM Nordic head coach Paul Stone was named the EISA Nordic Coach of the Year.

Bernstein had seven top-10 finishes on the EISA Circuit this season, including a first place in the men’s 10k classic at the Middlebury Carnival. He ranked third overall in the classic on the EISA Circuit.

Donaldson won seven alpine races in six EISA carnivals. He won four of six slalom races and finished second in the other two. Donaldson finished the year ranked first in both the giant slalom and slalom in the EISA alpine points standings.

Ryley skied to a first-place finish in the slalom at the Middlebury Carnival and added five other top-5 finishes in alpine races. She ranked second overall in the slalom on the EISA Circuit.

Stone led a Nordic team this season that had four skiers finish in the top-10 of the EISA Rankings (Jennie Bender, Franz Bernstein, Caitlin Patterson and Juergen Uhl). He became the third member of the current Vermont coaching staff to earn an EISA coaching honor. Director of Skiing Bill Reichelt was named the EISA Coach of the Year in 2003 and volunteer Nordic coach Fred Fayette was named the EISA Coach of the Year in 1990.

MEN’S TEAM MVP
Freshman David Donaldson was one of the most dominating first-year skiers in the history of the NCAA this season on his way to earning team MVP honors. Donaldson won the giant slalom at the 2009 NCAA Ski Championships after winning seven races on the EISA Circuit this season. He became the 11th skier in program history to win an individual national title in the men’s GS. Donaldson was also named a First-Team NCAA All-American, the 2009 EISA Male Alpine Rookie of the Year and he was named First-Team All-East. Donaldson posted an impressive 10 podium finishes in 14 races on the season.

WOMEN’S TEAM MVP
Freshman Caitlin Patterson had an impressive first year with the Catamounts skiing to a pair of victories and six podium performances on her way to earning team MVP honors. She finished in the top-10 of all 12 races she competed in. Patterson was also named a NCAA All-American and was First-Team All-East. She skied to a sixth-place finish in the 5k classic and a seventh-place finish in the 15k freestyle at the 2009 NCAA Ski Championships.

MCDONALD WINS SEMANS TROPHY
Senior Jilyne was named the female recipient of the 2009 Semans Trophy at the Rally Awards. The Semans Trophy is presented to the senior male and female student-athletes who have demonstrated a high level of athletic achievement and who earned the respect and regard from his/her fellow students for leadership, loyalty, and service to UVM. McDonald completed a sensational career in 2009 by earning NCAA All-American honors for the fourth time in her career. She did so while maintaining a 3.49 grade point average in public communication. McDonald competed at four NCAA Ski Championships in her career earning a pair of podium finishes. She grabbed third in the slalom at the 2009 NCAA Ski Championships and was second in the slalom at the NCAA’s as a sophomore in 2006. McDonald was named First-Team All-East in 2006, 2008 and 2009. She had a total of 22 podium finishes in her career while posting six victories. She won the slalom at the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association Championships in 2005 and won the giant slalom at the EISA Championships in 2008.

UHL WINS DONNELLY AWARD
Senior Juergen Uhl was awarded the J. Edward Donnelly Award by the UVM Athletic Department as the top male senior student-athlete at the 2009 Rally Awards. Uhl was one of the most accomplished Nordic skiers in UVM’s history. He was a three-time NCAA All-American and four times was named to the NCAA All-Academic Team while maintaining a 3.81 grade point average in mechanical engineering. In 2008 and 2009 he was also named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District I Team. Uhl capped off a brilliant career by winning the 10k classic at the 2009 NCAA Ski Championships to earn Vermont’s first individual national championship in a Nordic event since 1998. He won the race by more than 10 seconds. He finished his collegiate career with 10 first-place finishes and 22 top-five performances. He won three classic races as a senior and as a junior went a perfect 5 for 5 in classic races on the EISA Circuit. Uhl was named First-Team All-East in each of his four years.

SENIORS
Vermont’s seniors in 2009 were: Eric Carter (Minneapolis, Minn.), Marsh Gooding (Steamboat, Colo.), Ryan Kerrigan (Duxbury, Vt.), Juergen Uhl (Muhlenbach, Germany), Chris Ziegler (Detroit Lakes, Minn.), Katrina Howe (Gilford, N.H.), Jilyne McDonald (Bellevue, Wash.) and Mary Stewart (Ripton, Vt.).