University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada announced it was bringing back its ski program Wednesday. Pictured from left are University President Brian Sandoval, ski coach Mihaela Kosi and Wolf Pack AD Stephanie Rempe.
Photo by Carter Eckl.
The University of Nevada, Reno has been drawing up plans to bring back its skiing program for a few years.
On Wednesday, that plan became official as the Wolf Pack added its newest co-ed sport to the mix of Division I athletic programs offered at the university.
It’s the 17th sport offered by the Wolf Pack and returns to the fold after the university cut the program in 2010.
The co-ed program will be competing in Alpine skiing — slalom and giant slalom — and will have 13.3 scholarships available to divide between men and women.
“It’s a dream come true. You always dream to be a part of an NCAA Division I alpine team,” new Wolf Pack ski coach Mihaela Kosi said at the university’s announcement ceremony Wednesday. “Just today, that we are here, I’m honored and grateful to be part of this and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.”
The first season for the ski team will run from January through April and the Wolf Pack will compete in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA) alongside Alaska-Anchorage, Alaska-Fairbanks, Colorado, Colorado Mountain, Denver, Montana State, Utah, Westminster, and Wyoming.
Kosi, who served as the Sierra Nevada University ski coach starting in 2018, will move over into the same role with the Wolf Pack.
In her five years at the helm of Sierra Nevada’s team, Kosi and company won 16 team national titles at the U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association Collegiate National Championships.
However, that competition was at the NAIA level — the Wolf Pack will compete as a Division I program.
“Mihaela’s accomplishments in leading Sierra Nevada skiing to multiple national titles will prepare our program to jump right into action, and we are excited to have her lead Nevada skiing’s return to competition,” said Nevada Athletic Director Stephanie Rempe.
The addition of alpine skiing to the Wolf Pack varsity sports lineup is part of the university’s transition of assets and operations from Sierra Nevada University, a year-long process which has rebranded the previous SNU as the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe.
Getting back to the highest level of competition
Nick Cohee has accomplished just about anything to be done in the collegiate skiing ranks.
The 2006 Douglas High graduate went on to ski at Utah, where he was a two-time first team All-American in the RMISA before graduating in 2012.
He continued to ski for private clubs after graduating, earning sponsorship status with the clubs.
A crash in 2016 ended his racing career.
Cohee’s ties into snow sports extend well beyond his own racing career, as his father was the president of Kirkwood Ski Resort from 1993 to 2010.
When Cohee heard the university had plans to bring the ski team back, he started to get involved.
“I knew I had information that they wanted that I ski raced in college on a top team, I also raced professionally after college and I coached in the (Tahoe) Basin. I kind of came in and said I can tell you guys how you should be doing this because I feel that the university needs help,” said Cohee. “Bringing this ski team back is the first step in bringing the Tahoe Basin back to being a premier skiing mecca and the most elite skiing on the West Coast.”
Cohee’s first thoughts were to help the budding program with recruiting, where to find coaches and generating the funding necessary to run a successful program.
Cohee served as the head men’s coach at Sugar Bowl Academy from 2018 to 2020.
Now a financial analyst in Reno, Cohee is on the board for Nevada’s skiing boosters.
“The acquisition of Sierra Nevada University was the catalyst for the ski team coming back,” said Cohee. “It really never should’ve been cut in the first place. … (The ski terrain) is a major marketing tool for the university.”
The current makeup of the Nevada ski team is international athletes, but building up a pipeline of talent around Lake Tahoe will quickly become a priority for the Wolf Pack.
Zach Fretz, a Gardnerville resident who skied for the Wolf Pack, is another key booster for the restarting program.
Cohee isn’t shy about where he hopes the program will go.
“The main reason is to bring a national championship to Nevada. That’s the only reason we are in it. … We want to be the highest level of ski racing on the West Coast,” Cohee said.
The program has a fundraising goal and Cohee says they’ll need help from the community.
“The goals are high,” Kosi said. “We have scored some really decent results and I think if we are part of this conference for an entire season, we can really show top-10 results.”
