University of Denver Winter 2024

Lasting legacy When the new millennium dawned, so too did a new era of skiing for the Pioneers. Kurt Smitz was brought on to helm the program when it returned in 1993 and oversaw another national championship in Utah in 2000. It was the first of three consecutive titles, plus another in 2005. The five- year span included 24 individual championships and 39 All-Americans. The Pioneers went on to win six more national titles under alpine coach Andy LeRoy, the latest in 2018. In 2021, Rasanen took over the alpine team, and Rogan Brown now leads the Nordic team. While the team has not triumphed on the sport’s biggest collegiate stage in recent seasons, it hasn’t been without some major successes. In fact, alumnus Jamie Stanton (BSBA ’17), who was a scholarship recipient, won a bronze medal at the 2018 Winter Paralympics in the men’s slalom standing event, adding to DU’s impressive roster of Olympians and Paralympians. “I don’t think an athlete ever really knows if they’ll be able to make it to that level and compete, but it was such an honor to not only represent the U.S., but also Denver, at the Olympics and add to that amazing history,” Hensien says. Coach Brown says it’s hard to measure the impact DU student athletes have made. “It’s great to see the connections and network that DU skiing has globally,” Brown says. “We see it all the time talking to alumni across the globe. What we did here, the impact that this university had on them as student athletes, it’s hard to match. To see what they’ve done out in the world, too, is really fantastic.” Rasanen echoes Brown’s sentiment, saying the recipe for DU’s success has always been and continues to be finding student-athletes who are driven in all their pursuits, especially those beyond skiing. “We try to find the people who are ready to put in the work on and off the slopes,” he says. “That’s really been a key to DU throughout our history and something I’m excited to see more of in the past three years. We take that super seriously as a staff. We want to

make sure everybody gets out of here with a degree because skiing can only take you so far. Those types of student athletes are also the ones who are going to be more driven to improve in the sport, too, but skiing can only take you so far.” Brown points to alumni like Tschudi, who have helped grow the sport, both at DU and beyond. After graduation, Tschudi’s successes in skiing and business resulted in him funding numerous scholarships at the University, including serving as a founding member of the Bob Beattie Ski Foundation and the Willy Schaeffler Scholarship Fund for Disabled Scholar Athletes. In fact, alumnus Jamie Stanton (BSBA ’17), who was a scholarship recipient, won a bronze medal at the 2018 Winter Paralympics in the men’s slalom standing event, adding to DU’s now impressive roster of 40 Olympians spanning 75 years. Tschudi later joined DU’s Board of Trustees in 1991 and is credited as the man with the idea for a second campus in the Rockies, which eventually solidified into the James C. Kennedy Mountain Campus. For Tschudi’s part, he’s quick to shift to Schaeffler and the legacy of diversity he left behind at the University, even after the monumentally successful coach passed away in 1988. “He’s really the one who put DU skiing on the map, and he did that by having a multitude of nations on this team,” Tschudi says. “He was German, so he had connections all over Europe and with the FIS. He knew everyone in the sport and therefore, he pulled people from all over. Even when Tschudi was getting ready to graduate, it wasn’t without one more deal from Schaeffler that would bring more international student-athletes to Denver. “When I graduated, I learned (Schaeffler) had another deal. He said, ‘Oh, ya, you have to get somebody better to take your place, ya?’” When the time came for Tschudi to leave, however, he couldn’t find anybody faster, so he offered Schaeffler a deal that the two sport coach couldn’t refuse: “I told him, ‘Willy, the best I can do is two guys, and one of them plays soccer.’”

Top to bottom row; left to right OLYMPIC GLORY. Bronze medalist Jamie Stanton (BSBA ’17) at the 2018 Paralympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Credit: Mark Reis. EDGE CONTROL. Ida Dillingoen (BSBA ’12) competes in the women’s giant slalom alpine race during the 2011 NCAA Championship in Stowe, VT. Dillingoen placed first to win the national title. Credit: Brett Wilhelm/ NCAA Photos. TOP TWO. Espen Lysdahl (BSBA ’15) and Trevor Philp (BSBA ’15) celebrate their first and second finishes for slalom at the 2014 championship in Park City Mountain Resort, UT. Credit: Erik Seo/ NCAA Photos. NEW GENERATION. Katie Hensien (BSBA ’23), the latest DU ski athlete to be crowned national champion, was named the 2022 National Women’s Alpine Skier of the Year by the U.S. Collegiate Ski Coaches Association after reaching to podium in six of eight races during her senior season. FIST PUMP. Teammates John Buchar (BSBA ’09) and Seppi Stiegler (BSBA ’11) placed first and second during the 2008 championship at Bridger Bowl Ski Area in Bozeman, MT. Credit: Sean Sperry/NCAA Photos. LEGEND. Men’s ski coach Willy Schaeffler, 1950–1960. In 1961, Schaeffler would help close friend and skiing buddy Walt Disney scout locations for a Disney-owned ski resort in California. He was also con nected to other notable figures of the day, including teaching Gen. George Patton how to ski and rock climb. WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS. The Pioneers celebrate their 2016 cham pionship victory at Howelsen Hill Ski Area in Steamboat Springs, CO. Credit: Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos. All uncredited photos courtesy of the University of Denver Libraries Special Collections.

WINTER 2024 • UNIVERSITY of DENVER MAGAZINE | 23