Junior Emma Strack has qualified for her third consecutive trip to the postseason with an upcoming trip to the 71^st Annual NCAA Ski Championships, hosted by the University of Colorado, in Steamboat Springs, Colo.
 
"Having qualified for her third NCAA championships, Emma is easily the most accomplished athlete I have had the pleasure to coach at St. Lawrence," said head coach Ethan Townsend. "She had her berth pretty well locked up by the second weekend but has been dealing with a hand injury due to a crash in the third carnival weekend at Harvard. This past weekend at Middlebury were her first races back using both hands and while not 100% she raced very well and is gaining back race form.  Had she not crashed and broken a pole in the classic race at Middlebury, I think it is likely she would have placed in the top 10. The injury was a setback for the season for, but we are looking forward to NCAA championships in Steamboat."
 
Emma started off the season with an eighth-place finish in the 10K freestyle at UVM. She then skied to a fifth-place result in the 7.5K skate and a podium third-place finish in the 20K classic both at Colby. Despite the fall at Harvard, she battled back and recorded a 12th-place finish in the 15K classic. After competing in the relay events at the Williams Carnival, she closed the season with a13th-place finish in the 20K classic at the Middlebury Carnival/Eastern Regionals.
 
In 2024, she became the first skier in Coach Townsend's tenure to podium twice and now is the first skier to qualify for NCAAs three times.
 
Strack will compete in the 7.5K Freestyle on Thursday, March 7 (12 p.m. MST / 2 p.m. EST) and the 20K Classic on Saturday, March 9 (10 a.m. MST / 12 p.m. EST). Both events will be held at Howelsen Hill in Steamboat Springs and streamed live on https://www.ncaa.com/liveschedule.