St. Olaf College Athletics

Kelly Underkofler is undoubtedly one of the most decorated Ole Nordic Skiers in the history of the College. The 2005 St. Olaf graduate from St. Paul was a member of the Oles’ Nordic ski team and joined the U.S. Paralympic Team in 2001. Underkofler skied her way to a spot on the 2002 Paralympic Team in Salt Lake City where she competed in four events. She balanced her workload at St. Olaf with her skiing regiment before training full-time after graduation from St. Olaf.

She shined at the 2006 Torino Paralympic Games, where she competed in six events. Her best finish was a fourth place effort in the long distance Biathlon to go with a seventh-place finish in the short distance biathlon while she was eighth in the 5k freestyle, ninth in the 10K classic and 10th in the 15K freestyle. She again was on the U.S. Paralympic Team at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. She was ninth in the 12.5K and 3K Biathlon events, and also competed in the 1K (14th), 5K (10th) and 15K (8th) Cross Country events. Underkofler competed in numerous U.S. and World Championship events between Paralympics. She now resides in Minneapolis.She collected a number of medals in international competition. She skied at the 2002 Europa Cup, where she won a Bronze medal in the 10K Skate in Isny, Germany. Her best two finishes were a pair of Silver medals at the 2005 and 2007 World Championships in Fort Kent, Maine, and Klosters, Switzerland. She was also Bronze medalist in 2007 in the Overall World Cup Biathlon. In 2009, she was a Bronze medalist in the 12.5K Biathlon at Mt. Washington, B.C., Canada. In all, she spent 11 years as a member of the U.S. Paralympic Nordic Ski Team and was a nine-time U.S. Paralympic Women’s National Champion.