University of Denver Women's Skiing

Joonas Rasanen is set for his fifth season as the Otto Tschudi Alpine Skiing Head Coach at the University of Denver in winter 2026 after being hired to the position on June 17, 2021. In addition to his role at DU, Rasanen is the President of the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association, the conference the Pioneers compete in. Rasanen, 37, has helped the Pioneers to top-four finishes in each of the four NCAA Championships, including three in the top three. Since taking over prior to the start the 2022 season, alpine skiers have recorded 27 individual victories, three individual NCAA Championships and 24 All-American awards. In 2025, Rasanen guided senior Sara Rask to the national title sweep as the women's alpine senior won both slalom and giant slalom at the NCAA Championships. Rask won eight races throughout the collegiate season, including sweeping the seven slalom events. Additionally, Mia Hunt, Thomas Hoffman and Pietro Motterlini joined Rask in earning All-American awards.

Eliska Albrigtsen is in her first season as the Head Nordic Skiing Coach of the University of Denver after being named to the position on Sept. 8, 2025. In her role, she leads the Nordic athletes while working in tandem with Otto Tschudi Head Alpine Skiing Coach Joonas Rasanen in guiding the men and women of the DU ski team. Albrigtsen joined the Pioneers after spending the previous six seasons (2019-2025) as the head coach of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Nordic skiing and cross country running programs. During her time at the helm of the UAF ski team, the Nordic-only program placed in the top 10 overall and in the top six in the Nordic standings in each of the five completed NCAA Championships. At Alaska, she helped the Nanooks earn 23 individual All-American awards, including 10 first-team honors. Under her guidance, Joe Davies won the 2023 individual NCAA championship in the 10K freestyle interval start and Fairbanks local and U.S. Ski Team member Kendall Kramer claimed the 20

Eric Houck wrapped up first season as the assistant Nordic coach for the University of Denver ski team in 2024-25 after being named to the position on Sept. 16, 2024. In his first campaign in 2025, he helped men's senior Andreas Kirkeng win five races and women's graduate student Lea Wenaas pick up her first career individual victory in the 10K freestyle pursuit at the Denver Invitational. As a team, the Pioneers won the Nordic-only Alaska Fairbanks Invitational and claimed the overall Nordic and men's Nordic RMISA regular-season championships. His role with Denver includes helping Nordic head coach Rogan Brown in the daily logistical side of race and training preparation as well as assisting the waxing needs of the Pioneer student-athletes. Houck joined the Pioneers after spending three seasons at Michigan Technological University as a graduate assistant coach from 2019-2022.

Mary Rachel (M.R) Hostetter is set for her fifth season as the Alpine Associate Head Coach of the University of Denver Ski Team in winter 2026. In her previous four seasons, she has helped guide the Pioneers to four top-four finishes at the NCAA Championship and first place among all alpine squads at the 2023 National Championships. Hostetter has also aided alpine skiers to 27 individual victories and 24 All-American honors. Hostetter, 35, helped guide senior Sara Rask to eight individual victories in 2025, including a pair of national titles in women's slalom and giant slalom and a season sweep in the collegiate slalom events (seven wins). Additionally, junior Mia Hunt joined Rask with a pair of All-American awards and made her FIS Alpine World Cup debut earlier in the season in Killington, Vermont. The Steamboat Springs, Colorado, native returned to Denver prior to the 2022 collegiate season after previously being an alpine skier at the school from 2009-2011.