National Champ

In the final stretch of last year’s NCAA Skiing Championship 5-km freestyle race, freshman Julia Richter had one more hill ahead. “It’s the last thing you have to do for the day, just get to the finish!” she told herself. Without realizing it, she made up nearly 10 seconds and crossed the finish line to the sound of an ecstatic crowd—winning the NCAA race’s individual title and helping the U’s ski team win its 12th NCAA championship. “I love training to get better,” she says. “But most of all, I really, really love to compete!”