It's Day 0 at the NCAA's here in Vermont, and UAA has already won the only award given out so far at this year's championships. Thanks to Casey Wright, we're the early leaders in the medal count!
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| I know the photo is kind of shaky, but things were a bit frantic at this moment. Casey had just given her acceptance speech, and thanked her volunteer assistant coaches, and shaken the hands of the assembled dignitaries, and the press was rushing the stage to get the shot. The Blog's photojournalist got stuck behind some traffic and had to take this behind-the-back shot while running sideways. But you get the general feel of the moment. |
Casey won the Elite 90 Award. It's pretty much the best award you can get. It's given out to the best scholar-athlete at each NCAA championship event. (There are 90 championships.) This award goes to the skier with the best GPA in the country who's at the national championships. Casey's got a 4.0 GPA, which is pretty tough to beat. It's not easy to get a 4.0 GPA in college. It's not easy to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Combining the two feats is even less easy.
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| Here's a better look at Casey's new hardware. And her teammates Georgia and Li. And Sky. |
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| Skippy, Quail and Anna. They'll be skating 5km tomorrow morning. They're ready. |
Congratulations, Casey!
Ski racing begins tomorrow.
