University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
Joe Galanes 1990 - Skiing, Track and Field
A four-time All-American and past U.S. Olympian who helped Vermont to consecutive national championships in skiing in 1989 and 1990, Joe Galanes, inducted into the UVM Hall of Fame in 2000. won the Wasson Athletic Prize in 1990, signifying the top male scholar-athlete at UVM. A native of Brattleboro, Vermont, Galanes was a key member of the Catamount teams that won two straight NCAA titles.
As a junior, he finished seventh in the 20-K freestyle race (57:38.4) to earn All-American honors as well as help stave off a late Utah rally. That year, 1989, Vermont won the title by a mere four points, the closest margin in NCAA history. In the 1989 NCAA 10-K classical race, Galanes finished a strong second (30:04.1). Leading up to the NCAA Championships, he earned All-East honors with a second-place finish at the EISA Championships, and was second three times in the carnivals while participating on four winning relay teams.
In his senior year, Galanes again helped Vermont to an NCAA title, finishing in the top five in both national races. He was second in the 10-K classical race (29:39.50) and fifth in the 20-K freestyle event (56:54.10). In the Eastern Championships, Galanes finished second in the 20-K (6:48.4), leading a 2-3-4 Vermont finish, and he teamed with Tim Miller and Hall of Famer Sturla Hagen to win the relay event.
As a sophomore, Galanes was Vermont's top male nordic performer at the 1987 NCAA Championships, finishing third in the 15-K race (37:09.6) and fourth on the 3-by-10-K relay team that also included Hall of Famer Bruce Likly and Hagen. Vermont finished second to Utah in 1987.
In 1986, Galanes' freshman year, he was eighth in the NCAA 15-K race (42:58.7) on a deep Catamount nordic squad that also included Likly and Hall of Famer and past Olympian Todd Boonstra. Those three combined in the 3-by-10-K relay to finish second at the NCAAs.
In between his sophomore and junior years, Galanes competed in the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, Alberta on the U.S. team. Galanes also competed in track and field at UVM participating in the steeplechase.
