PARK CITY, Utah - After a standout season, Eliza Sullivan will compete at the NCAA Championship, with Alpine events held at the Utah Olympic Park in Park City, Utah, this week. The senior will compete at the event for the first time, and will go into Wednesday's giant slalom and Friday's slalom as the sole Eph representative on the Alpine side.
"I was super excited to have qualified for NCAAs this year because I had never qualified before," said Sullivan. "In fact, I have never even been close to qualifying in any previous season! I had some good results early in the season, so I was hopeful, but I was on the bubble, so it was really exciting when I found out I had actually done it!"
Sullivan's season started at the Colby Carnival, where she posted a third-place finish in the slalom, a huge podium result that put her in a strong position to qualify for the NCAAs after just a single race. The Manchester, Vt. native continued with strong results through the next several carnivals, but it wasn't until the Williams Carnival where a fourth-place slalom finish on Jiminy Peak put the senior in a strong position to head to the Championships.
Qualifying for the NCAA Championship takes each Alpine skier's best two finishes in each of the giant slalom and the slalom from throughout the carnival season, and Sullivan's third- and fourth-place slalom finishes were enough for her to earn a spot in Utah.
"Eliza has worked her tail off to get here and I'm so happy that she'll have the opportunity to finish her Williams career at Nationals," said Alpine head coach Amber McHugh. "She's overcome a lot over the years and the fire that she's had this whole season has been amazing. She's been really focused in every race, bringing a strong mentality and racing well every weekend, which is really hard to do."
Her presence at the National Championship is a testament to that hard work, according to McHugh.
"Eliza is really fun to work with," said McHugh. "Every day, she comes to training prepared and gives one-hundred percent. This has led to some big improvements in her skiing the past few years and it is so exciting to see her reach Nationals."
The NCAA Championship for Alpine consists of two races: the giant slalom on Wednesday (first run at 8:45 a.m. MT / 10:45 a.m. ET, second run at 12:15 p.m. MT / 2:15 p.m. ET), and the slalom on Friday (first run 9 a.m. MT / 11 a.m. ET, second run at 11:45 a.m. MT / 1:45 p.m. ET). While Sullivan has the opportunity to score in both events, the slalom is where she's had the most success this season.
"I am really looking forward to the slalom on Friday, because that is my favorite event," said Sullivan.
"The pitch of the slalom course in Utah should really suit her, which is exciting," added McHugh. "We'll approach it the same as any other race: get a good inspection, set the skis, and then go out and enjoy it. It should be a lot of fun and a great way to end her career."
The opportunity to compete on the national stage is one that Sullivan is eager for, and to do it with the support of those closest to her.
"I am really happy to have my family out here supporting me, so I am looking forward to seeing them in a couple of days and getting to explore a bit of Utah with them," she said. "Additionally, the forecast is for bluebird skies, so I am looking forward to just soaking in some gorgeous ski days for the final days of my ski racing career!"
A livestream of all NCAA Ski Championship events will be available at NCAA.com.
