University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
Laura Wilson Todd 1991 - Skiing
A 2001 UVM Hall of Fame inductee who is one of the Catamounts top all-time Nordic skiers, Laura Wilson Todd was a four-time, first team All-American and the first skier ever to win four NCAA individual championships, winning both the freestyle and classical Nordic races in 1990 and 1991.
A native of Montpelier and a two-time Olympian, she was a junior national champion after making a late conversion from alpine to Nordic. Laura started slowly in her first season with her best race was a second-place finish at the UVM Winter Carnival. She also ran a leg in the UVM Nordic relay (with Brenda White and Selma Lie) that went unbeaten throughout the season including winning the NCAA title. Individually, she was seventh in the 10-K cross country event in 1988.
Prior to the start of her sophomore season at UVM she won four U.S. Junior National titles. Returning to the Catamounts, she recorded wins in the 5-K races at the Dartmouth and Middlebury (Eastern Championships) Carnivals and finished second in two others. At the NCAA Championships, she was second in the 5-K, and in the 15-K race she finished fourth behind three teammates to propel the Cats to the national team championship.
In 1990, Laura went from a solid performer to domination of the sport. During the carnival circuit through the NCAA Championships, she lost just one of eight races. At the NCAA Championships, she won both NCAA (5-K classical, 15-K freestyle) races as the Cats repeated as national champions. Following the season, she was named female Skier of the Year by Ski Racing magazine.
Capping her UVM career as a senior, she repeated her success in the carnivals winning five of six races. Laura became the first-ever Nordic skier to win four NCAA individual championships as she defended both titles. She went on to win five US Senior National titles and to represent the United States in two Olympic games: in Lillehammer in 1994 and in Nagano in 1998.
In Nagano, she finished 35th in the 30-kilometer freestyle and was the top American finisher in the race. She competed in all five Nordic events in the Nagano Olympics: the 30-K freestyle, 15-K Classical, 5-K Classical, 10-K Pursuit and the 4x5-K Relay.
Sports Illustrated selected Wilson as one of the Top 50 Vermont athletes of the 20th Century. The magazine's editors composed a list of the "Top 50 Athletes" in each state in its December 27, 1999 issue to commemorate the millennium. Wilson ranked 18th among the Top 50 Vermonters.
