The 2012 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Skiing Championships will take place this coming weekend in Bozeman, Mont. Hosted by Montana State University, the alpine races will be located at Bridger Bowl Ski Area.

Seventy-four men and 74 women will be participating between the Nordic and Alpine disciplines, and only 18 of each gender were selected from the Eastern Region in Alpine. Natalie Biedermann ’12, Cassady Roberts ’13 and Brian Morgan ’12 all qualified and will represent the Mules in a giant slalom race on March 8 and a slalom race on March 10. Jim Ryan ’14 also qualified as first alternate. In total, Colby is tied with St. Lawrence University and Williams College for sending the seventh-highest number of athletes to NCAA’s from the East Region this year.

The Colby men’s nordic skiing team had one member—Jake Barton ’13—qualify for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Skiing Championships in Bozeman, Mont. this year. Barton has been a standout performer all season, consistently finishing in the top 20 in his races, and often in the top 10.

Last weekend, at the Eastern Championships hosted by Middlebury College, Barton finished in seventh place in the 20-kilometer classic mass start, despite the fact that he was racing in a blizzard. Barton competed in the NCAA Championships last year at Sunday River as well, finishing 26th overall in the 20-kilometer mass start and 38th in the 10-kilometer freestyle technique.

Barton has had a strong season so far, leading the Mules in almost every race. According to head coach Tracey Cote, “Jake has had an incredibly strong and consistent season. Although competing at altitude has its challenges, Jake has proven he can compete with the best. It’s really exciting to see him race his second NCAA nationals.” Barton will be competing on March 7 and 9 at Bohart Ranch.