UMPI’s Ramsey reaches nationals
RUMFORD — The University of Maine at Presque Isle Nordic ski team made history as Owl skier, Welly Ramsey, qualified for the 2011 NCAA Men’s Skiing Championships.
Contributed photo
QUALIFIES — UMPI’S Welly Ramsey will ski in this week’s NCAA Championships.
Ramsey’s effort came during the 2011 NCAA Eastern Regional Championships and Bates College Carnival, which was hosted by Black Mountain in Rumford Feb. 26 and 27.
Ramsey, a first-year student from New Sharon, is one of three athletes from the state of Maine to qualify for the National Championships. Ramsey has lived in the Caribou area and trained with the Maine Winter Centers Center throughout the past year. Last season, he competed on the Junior Olympic level.
He has been impressive in his first season of collegiate skiing. He posted several solid finishes, especially in the Eastern Regional Championship, where he was seventh overall in the freestyle race in a time of 29:25 and seventh in the 20K Classic in 1:02:59.
“His finishes are the two best finishes ever at a Nordic carnival by an UMPI skier,” commented Owl head coach Paul Stone. “Welly skied exceptionally well at the US Nationals, then has struggled with illness through the later part of the season. He was sick for the first couple weekend carnivals, but started to come into his own at the UVM race, with an obvious strong showing at regionals.”
The NCAA is made up of three skiing conferences, the Western (or Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association), the Central (Central Collegiate Ski Association), and the Eastern Division(Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association). In only its second year competing in the EISA, the University of Maine at Presque Isle continues to contend with highly-touted NCAA teams such as the University of Vermont and Dartmouth College, both of whom are sending men to the NCAA Championship from the Eastern Division.
“I could not be more thrilled,” stated UM-Presque Isle Athletic Director Christine Corsello, “When we selected Coach Stone and asked him to build our Nordic program, our hope was that one day we could say that UMPI was the only UMaine institution that could compete with the likes of Dartmouth, Williams, Middlebury and Harvard for an NCAA Championship. In Paul’s first season, we have a student-athlete who will be competing in the NCAA championships.”
The Eastern Division will be sending 14 men and 15 women to the NCAA Championship. In a system where only three athletes can qualify from each school, Ramsey qualified as the 10th skier from the East.
“Many congratulations go out to Welly, Coach Stone and all of those in the community who have supported UMPI Nordic skiing so generously,” Corsello said. “This is indeed a very proud moment for UMPI athletics and the Nordic ski program.”
The Nordic championships, which will be hosted by the University of Vermont, are scheduled to be held March 9-12 at Stowe Mountain Resort and Trapp Family Lodge.
