Colorado University Athletics
2024 Skiing Roster
Julia Toiviainen
- Position:
- Alpine
- Height:
- 5-7
- Class:
- Graduate Student
- Hometown:
- Hyvinkaa, Finland
- High School:
- Ounasvaara
- Prev School:
- Finish National Team/Westminster
Honors
2024 (Graduate)—Toiviainen used her fifth and final season of eligibility to come to Colorado for a season as a graduate transfer, and she was an integral part of the Buffs' push for the 2024 NCAA Championship. She finished 13 of 14 races on the season and took home 12 top 20 finishes, six top 10 finishes, and one in the top five, which came at a clutch moment at the RMISA Championships in the slalom race. She opened the season with three straight top-eight finishes in the first four races of the season, with a sixth-place finish in the slalom at the Westminster Invitational, and then took seventh and eighth in two GS races at the Westminster and Utah Invitationals. She just missed out on an All-American performance at the NCAA Championships with an 11th-place finish in the GS. Her honors included being named second-team All-RMISA, she was given the CUSPY for the Spencer Nelson Buffalo Spirit Award and named to the National All-Academic Ski Team.
At Westminster College—Toiviainen attended Westminster College for four seasons, skiing on the RMISA and NCAA circuit for three, in 2020-22 and she did not ski in 2023. In those three seasons, she finished 36 of 39 races, all in the top 20 with 29 in the top 10 and 18 in the top five, including 12 podium appearances and five race wins. Her 2021 season was outstanding when she finished all 12 races, all in the top six with 11 top five finishes that included eight podium appearances and four race wins, three in GS and one slalom. She was named the National Skier of the Year by the Ski Coaches Association and the RMISA MVP in giant slalom. In 2022, she finished 12 of 14 races with seven in the top 10 and four in the top five, all of which were podium appearances with one race win, taking home the RMISA Individual Championship in the GS. She earned two first-team All-America honors, both in 2021 when she finished fourth in the GS and third in the slalom at the NCAA Championships.
Prior To College—She has been a member of the Finnish National Team and coached by Mikael Kurki. She won the Finnish National Championship in the GS race in 2020 whiel also taking second in slalom that season. She took second at the Finnish National Championships in GS in 2019 and at the Austrian National Championships in 2019. She also has two top 10 GS finishes at the US National Championships, taking fourth in 2021 in Aspen and 10th in 2022 in Sugarloaf. She has five world cup starts to her credit, all in slalom from 2016-20, and 15 continental cup race starts on the European Cup and North American Cup circuits, with a best finish of sixth in a slalom race at Copper Moutnain in 2021. In all in FIS races dating back to 2015, she has 224 top 30 finishes including 165 top 10 finishes with 70 podium appearances, which includes 23 race wins in seven different seasons.
High School—She graduated from Ounasvaara High School in Northern Finland that specialized in sports in 2018.
In the Classroom—She graduated from Westminster College and was selected as the school’s Arts & Sciences Outstanding Student of the Year for Comupter Sciences in 2023. She graduated from CU in 2024 with a Master's Degree in Finance from the Leeds School of Business.
Personal—Full name is Julia Katarina Toivianen and her birthday is July 1 and she was born in Finland. Her parents are Jyri and Janika Toiviainen and she has one sister, Janni. She enjoys golf and would like to work in the financial industry with a technology focus after her skiing career is over.
- Second-Team All-RMISA (2024)
- CUSPY Winner Spencer Nelson Buffalo Spirit Award (2024)
- National All-Academic Ski Team (2024; 3.5 Cumulative GPA)
2024 (Graduate)—Toiviainen used her fifth and final season of eligibility to come to Colorado for a season as a graduate transfer, and she was an integral part of the Buffs' push for the 2024 NCAA Championship. She finished 13 of 14 races on the season and took home 12 top 20 finishes, six top 10 finishes, and one in the top five, which came at a clutch moment at the RMISA Championships in the slalom race. She opened the season with three straight top-eight finishes in the first four races of the season, with a sixth-place finish in the slalom at the Westminster Invitational, and then took seventh and eighth in two GS races at the Westminster and Utah Invitationals. She just missed out on an All-American performance at the NCAA Championships with an 11th-place finish in the GS. Her honors included being named second-team All-RMISA, she was given the CUSPY for the Spencer Nelson Buffalo Spirit Award and named to the National All-Academic Ski Team.
At Westminster College—Toiviainen attended Westminster College for four seasons, skiing on the RMISA and NCAA circuit for three, in 2020-22 and she did not ski in 2023. In those three seasons, she finished 36 of 39 races, all in the top 20 with 29 in the top 10 and 18 in the top five, including 12 podium appearances and five race wins. Her 2021 season was outstanding when she finished all 12 races, all in the top six with 11 top five finishes that included eight podium appearances and four race wins, three in GS and one slalom. She was named the National Skier of the Year by the Ski Coaches Association and the RMISA MVP in giant slalom. In 2022, she finished 12 of 14 races with seven in the top 10 and four in the top five, all of which were podium appearances with one race win, taking home the RMISA Individual Championship in the GS. She earned two first-team All-America honors, both in 2021 when she finished fourth in the GS and third in the slalom at the NCAA Championships.
Prior To College—She has been a member of the Finnish National Team and coached by Mikael Kurki. She won the Finnish National Championship in the GS race in 2020 whiel also taking second in slalom that season. She took second at the Finnish National Championships in GS in 2019 and at the Austrian National Championships in 2019. She also has two top 10 GS finishes at the US National Championships, taking fourth in 2021 in Aspen and 10th in 2022 in Sugarloaf. She has five world cup starts to her credit, all in slalom from 2016-20, and 15 continental cup race starts on the European Cup and North American Cup circuits, with a best finish of sixth in a slalom race at Copper Moutnain in 2021. In all in FIS races dating back to 2015, she has 224 top 30 finishes including 165 top 10 finishes with 70 podium appearances, which includes 23 race wins in seven different seasons.
High School—She graduated from Ounasvaara High School in Northern Finland that specialized in sports in 2018.
In the Classroom—She graduated from Westminster College and was selected as the school’s Arts & Sciences Outstanding Student of the Year for Comupter Sciences in 2023. She graduated from CU in 2024 with a Master's Degree in Finance from the Leeds School of Business.
Personal—Full name is Julia Katarina Toivianen and her birthday is July 1 and she was born in Finland. Her parents are Jyri and Janika Toiviainen and she has one sister, Janni. She enjoys golf and would like to work in the financial industry with a technology focus after her skiing career is over.
Colorado Ski: Why CU?
Friday, June 27
Colorado Ski: 2025 Facility Tour
Tuesday, June 10
Colorado Ski: 2024-25 Banquet
Tuesday, April 22
2024 Ski Team Season Recap
Tuesday, April 30