University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
Hanne Krogstad Jenssen 1989 - Skiing
A three-time All-American and 1986 NCAA individual champion in cross country skiing;, Hanne Krogstad Jenssen, a 2001 Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, was "one of the most powerful Nordic skiers ever at UVM," according to long-time coach Chip LaCasse. She also won the Semans Trophy in 1987, awarded for leadership, loyalty and service.
Her first year of competition, 1985, Krogstad won four EISA carnival races, finished second twice and was part of four winning relay teams. At that year's NCAA Championship, she finished second in the 7.5-K race (29:27.3) and was part of the 3-by-5 K relay team that finished sixth.
In 1986, Krogstad started to dominate. As former UVM Sports Information Director Dick Whittier said in her bio in the 1986-87 All-Sports Guide, "No skier in the world last year - at the collegiate or professional level - dominated like UVM's Hanne Krogstad." Krogstad went undefeated in six Eastern carnivals, blowing away all comers and winning by an average of 1:34. At the NCAAs, she won the 10-K national title with a come-from-behind win over Leslie Thompson of Dartmouth. Capping her year, she was named EISA Skier of the Year in 1986.
In 1987, her third and final year of competition, Krogstad continued her dominance taking five EISA Nordic individual races and finishing second in the other. She also participated in the relay and helped Vermont win five of six of those events. At the NCAA Championships in Alaska in March of 1987, Krogstad finished second in the 10-K event (29:52.3) and teamed with Erica MacDonald and Hall of Famer Brenda White to win the 3-by-5-K national relay title. Krogstad competed in 18 individual carnival races winning 15 and finished second in the other three. In three individual NCAA races, she won one title and finished second the other two years.
