Kaitlyn Harsch

Photo by: Serena Rodriguez

Photo by: Scott Arnold, ProMotion Ltd.

Position:
Alpine
Height:
5-3
Class:
Graduate Student
Hometown:
Eagle-Vail, Colo.
High School:
Vail Ski & Snowboard Academy
Prev School:
Ski & Snowboard Club Vail

World University Games Participant (2023 Lake Placid)
Second-Team All-American (SL, 2022)
Two-Time NCAA Championship Qualifier (2022, ‘23)
Three-Time National Collegiate All-Academic Ski Team (2021, ‘22, ‘23; 3.5 GPA, Participation In Regionals)
4.0 Club (2023)
Two-Time Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll (2021-22)
SAAC Distinguished Service Award (2022)
Finalist for CU Career Athletic Achievement Award (2023 CUSPYs)
CU Academic Student of the Month (March 2022)
Laura Sharpe Flood Award (2019; Spirit, Enthusiasm, Dedication)
Lucie Hanusova Award (2022)
Two-Time Letterwinner (2022, ‘23)

At Colorado: Career—Harsch finished her five-year career by finishing 45 of 57 races including seven top 10 and 31 top 20 performances. All seven of her career top 10’s came in slalom but her top 20’s were more evenly split with 18 in slalom and 13 in giant slalom.

2023 (Fifth Year)—Harsch elected to take advantage of her “COVID year” and come back for a fifth season for the Buffaloes, adding some much needed depth to the women’s alpine team that featured just three skiers until she returned. She finished her final season by finishing 11 of 13 races with three top 10 finishes and seven top 10 performances, including four in slalom and three in GS (all three of her top 10’s came in slalom). She nearly doubled her career top 10 output with four in her first four seasons and three in her final season of competition. She was equally as impressive in the classroom earning mention on the 4.0 Club and being named to the National Collegiate All-Academic Ski Team for the third time. She was a finalist at the CUSPY Awards for Career Athletic Achievement and eanred her second letter, also qualifying for and competing at the NCAA Championships for the second time. She also participated at the World Univeristy Games in Lake Placid in January. She was most clutch near the end of the season in Alaska, coming up with two top 10 slalom performances to improve her seeding, which in turn helped the Buffs secure the lead at the midpoint and eventual runner-up team performance at the championships.

2022 (Senior)—Harsch capped her career with a storybook ending, earning second-team All-America honors at the NCAA Championships with an eighth place finish in slalom race in the final race of her career, her fourth career top 10 performance in 48 career races. She also took eighth early in the season at the Utah Invitational in a slalom race, giving her two top 10 finishes on the season, matching her career total entering the season. In all, she finished 10 of 11 races in which she participated with six top 20 and the two top 10 finishes. She earned the first letter of her career and was given the team’s Lucie Hanusova Award. She was named to the National Collegiate All-Academic Ski Team, the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll and was the CU Academic Student-Athlete of the Month in March 2022. She was also given the Distinguisted Service Award for participating in the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

2021 (Junior)—Harsch got her junior season off to a solid start, setting her career best finishes in both disciplines right out of the gate. She finished 13th in both GS races in Aspen as part of the DU Invitational and then after not finishing the first slalom race at Eldora in CU’s Spencer James Nelson Memorial Invitational, she finished sixth in the second race, her career best finish for either discipline. In that slalom race at Eldora, she had the fastest second run in the field to move up from 16th to finish sixth. On the season, she finished seven of 10 races with five top 20 performances and her one top 10, the sixth place finish at Eldora. She took 15th in a slalom race at Snowbird and 19th in the GS race at Park City to give her five top 20 performances on the season.

2020 (Sophomore)—Harsch started all 12 races and finished 11 in her sophomore season, earning eight top 20 and one top 10 finish. She just missed out on lettering, finishing in the top three twice throughout the season while being the Buffs fourth finisher five times. In the Denver series, she finished 14th in the GS qualifier race to open the season and 20th in the GS race as part of the DU Invitational before getting her career best 10th place finish in the slalom race in Aspen. In Eldora, she took 16th in the GS and 14th in the slalom as part of the CU Invitational and didn’t finish the slalom qualifier race. In Park City, she took 14th in the GS race and had to hike the slalom race, taking 27th, before finishing 17th in the extra slalom qualifier race. In Bozeman, she was 22nd in the GS qualifier race, 27th in the GS and 17th in the slalom race, the last two as part of the RMISA Championships.

2019 (Freshman)—Harsch started 11 of 12 races in 2019, missing the RMISA Alpine Qualifier #2 giant slalom race in Montana due to illness. She gradually and continually improved throughout her freshman campaign, earning five top 20 finishes, including three to end the season in Alaska at the UAA Invitational and RMISA Championships. It was there in Alaska that she had her career best performances of 16th in slalom at the UAA Invitational and 14th in GS at the RMISA Championships. Her GS finishes improved each race throughout the season, starting with 24th at the CU Invitational, then 17th at the UAA Invitational and 14th at the RMISA Championships. In slalom, she opened the season with a 20th place finish at CU, then had a pair of 21st place finishes at Montana State and New Mexico before taking 19th in the second New Mexico slalom and 14th at the UAA Invitational. She was honored with the team's Laura Sharpe Flood Award, giving to the skier who best exemplifies the spirit, enthusiasm and dedication, both on the mountain and in the classroom.

Prior To CU—Harsch skied for Team Summit from 2005-09 and for Ski Club Vail from 2010-18. She was on the U.S. Ski Team's National Training Group in 2016 and a Junior Team America athlete from 2015-18.. She has 12 NorAm Cup races to her credit and she was third overall for those born in 2001 for the 2018 season. She was first overall in the Jr. Championships in slalom at Beaver Creek in 2017 and first place in duals at Breckenridge in 2017. She was the recipient of the 2017 Berlack/Astle Memorial Fast Skier Award and the National Junior Champion in slalom, giant slalom and Super G in 2015 for the U14 age group. In 2016, she was sixth in the slalom at the Jr Hahnenkamm in Kizbuehel, Austria and 10th in slalom at the Seven Nations Cup in Hinterreit, Austria, in 2017. She has more than 45 FIS sanctioned races to her credit with 18 top 20, five top 10 and two top five finishes including one podium appearance, a second place in GS at Mount Sunapee Resort. In 2018, Kaitlyn placed 7th at the US Jr Nationals in giant slalom at Sun Valley, ID. She skied at some RMISA sanctioned meets in 2018 as an independent skier with Ski Club Vail at the New Mexico Invitational at Red River and the RMISA Championships in Steamboat Springs.

High School—She graduated a year early from Vail Ski & Snowboard Academy holding above a 4.0 GPA and in the top two percent of her high school class.

In the Classroom—Harsch is enrolled in CU's Leeds Business School and is majoring in Finance. She was awarded the Vail Valley Future Business Woman Scholarship and her goals after college are to become a CEO of a large corporation.

Personal—Kaitlyn Kendall Harsch was born January 1, 2001, in Pueblo, CO to Caleb and Karen Kendall Harsch. She has one sister, Hailey, who is an up and coming ski racer. Her mom skied for the Buffs in 1994-96 and was a three-time All-American and helped lead the Buffs to the 1995 National Championship. Kaitlyn plays the guitar (self-taught) and also enjoys hiking with her dog, Aspen. She has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity Home Build and the Vail Mountain Rescue.

Why Colorado—"Because of the Leeds School of Business and the opportunity to ski D1 for CU."