Will Koch

Photo by: Steve Fuller

Photo by: Tobias Albrigtsen

Photo by: Tobias Albrigtsen

Photo by: Ryan Gallant, Utah Athletics

Position:
Nordic
Height:
5-9
Weight:
null
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Peru, Vt.
High School:
Stratton Mountain School
Prev School:
Team USA

World University Games (2023 Lake Placid)
Four-Time Second-Team All-American (2021 CL; 2022 CL, 2023 FS, CL)
Second-Team All-RMISA (2022)
Three-Time National All-Academic Ski Team (2021, ‘22, ‘23; 3.5 GPA, Participation In Regionals)
Two-Time Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll (2021, ‘22, ‘23)
Two-Time 4.0 Club (2021, 2022)
Lucie Hanusova Award (2021)
Spencer Nelson Award (2022)
CU Athlete of the Week (Feb. 6, 2022)
Three-Time Letterwinner (2021, ‘22, ‘23)
Three-Time NCAA Championship Qualifier (2021, ‘22, ‘23)

At Colorado: Career—Koch has successfully balanced being one of the top men’s Nordic skiers in the nation while also competing for the United States in internal competition during his time at CU. In three years, he has competed in 28 of a possible 38 races while missing some due to international competition, finishing all 28 of those races with 27 top 20, 19 top 10 and four top five perroamnces including three podium appearances. He is a four-time All-American and one time All-RMISA performer while also getting it done in the classroom as a two-time 4.0 Club member and earning mention on the National All-Academic Ski Team and Pac-12 Academic Honor roll three times in three tries, as well.

2023 (Junior)—Koch competed in nine college races in 2023, finishing all nine in the top 20 and eight of nine in the top 10 with one top five and podium appearance. A consistent season, he finished ninth or 10th in seven of his nine finishes, including both races at the NCAA Championships to earn a pair of season-team All-America honors. He hit the podium at the US National Championships in the classic sprint race and his only finish outside the top 10 was a 14th place finish at the DU Invitational in the 10K classic race. He also skied at the World University Games in Lake Placid in January and again got it done in the classroom earning mention on the National All-Academic Ski Team and Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll. He easily qualified for NCAA Championships and lettered for the third time, as well.

2022 (Sophomore)—Koch’s sophomore season was outstanding as he finished in the top 10 of every race he took part in until the final race of the season. He opened the season at the U.S. National Championships where he finished sixth in the freestyle sprints, ninth in the classic sprints and 10th in the 15K classic race. After a seventh place finish at the Montana State Invitational, he was at his best in Alaska, finishing fourth in the 5K freestyle race as part of the UAF Nanook Invitational before picking up his first two collegiate podiums, taking third in both the 10K classic as part of the UAF meet and then third place as part of the RMISA Invitational. He missed the RMISA Championships while competing for Team USA at the Junior World Championships, where his 4x5K relay team won a bronze medal. He returned or the NCAA Championships, taking seventh in the 10K classic race, before struggling in the freestyle race, as did the entire team, finishing 23rd. He was named second-team All-RMISA at the end of the regular season. He won the team’s Spencer Nelson Award, was named the CU Athlete of the Week one time and in the classroom earned mention on the 4.0 Club, the National All-Academic Ski Team and the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.

2021 (Freshman)—Koch’s status as the top ranked skier of his age in the United States didn’t automatically guarantee him successful collegiate results, but that’s what proved to be true and evident immediately in his college career. Koch missed two races in the middle of the season competing for the United States at the World Junior Championships, and in the 10 races in which he completed, he finished in the top 13 in all eight with four top 10 performances. He took 11th in freestyle and 12th in classic to open his career at the RMISA Invitational at Utah and then finished eighth in both races at the DU Invitational the following week. After returning from Europe, he finished 13th in classic and sixth in freestyle at the RMISA Invitational at Soldier Hollow and 13th in classic and 11th in freestyle at the RMISA Championships. At the NCAA Championships, he turned in his season best finish in classic, taking seventh and earning second-team All-America honors, before finishing 13th two days later in the freestyle race.

Prior To CU—Koch has skied for SMS T2 Elite team and Team USA. He is the top ranked skier in the United States for skiers born in 2002 for both sprint, distance and overall. He has five junior national championship wins, nine junior national championship podiums and 14 All-America finishes. He took home a bronze medal in the cross country cross final and a fourth place finish in the 10K classic at the Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne and Valle de Joux in Switzerland in 2020. He has two fourth place finishes in Scandinavian Cup races in Estonia in 2019 and Sweden in 2020. He has 19 total top 30, 10 top and and one podium in FIS-sanctioned races since 2018. He has five Nor-Am Cup starts to his credit. He has skied at the U.S. National Championships since 2018 and finished 19th in the sprint final in 2020 at Michigan Tech Nordic Center. He’s also skied on the U.S. Super Tour with six starts.

High School—Koch graduated from Stratton Mountain School in 2020.

In The Classroom—He is majoring in Physics at Colorado and earning two minors in Business and Philosophy. He was the Stratton Mountain School Valedictorian.

Personal—Will Koch was born February 21, 2002, in Ashland, Ore. His parents are Bill and Kate Koch. His dad was a professional Nordic skier and invented the skating technique. In 1974, he was the first American to medal in international competition, placing third at the European junior championships and he won the 1982 Overall World Cup Title and won a silver medal at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck and bronze medal at the 1982 World Championships in Oslo. His uncle, Stuart McNay, is an Olympic sailor and has come close to medaling during several Olympic Games. He has one sister, Mehana, who skis at Wellesley College. His hobbies include mountaineering, backcountry skiing, juggling, cooking and biking. He can ride a unicycle and uses that skill in his training. He works as a lifeguard in the summer and during quarantine, he learned to juggle four balls at once.

Why Colorado?—”I love the location of Boulder, right next to amazing mountains and also a cool town. I know CU provides a high level of support for athletes, beyond most other colleges.”