University of Vermont Athletics

Todd Boonstra 1986 - Cross Country, Skiing, Track and Field

A three-time All-American in skiing and a member of three United States Olympic teams, Todd Boonstra's credentials stack up against any skier who has ever competed for the University of Vermont. Boonstra, a 1996 UVM Hall of Fame inductee, lettered three times at UVM, earning All-American honors all three years and participating on two national championship relay teams. A standout with the Catamounts in 1983, 1985 and 1986, Boonstra had a good excuse for not lettering in 1984 - he was on the U.S. Olympic Nordic ski team that competed in the Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.

In his three NCAA Championship meets, Boonstra finished third, second and third in the 15-K cross-country race to earn All-America honors. In the 3 x 7.5-K relay, his team was first, first and second at the NCAAs, earning him three more All-American certificates. He also won six individual carnival championships in his three years at Vermont and was part of 15 championship relay teams. He and teammates George Welk and Bruce Likly were part of the first NCAA championship relay team that was composed of three Americans.

An outstanding cross-country and track and field runner, Boonstra was Eastern Champion in cross-country in 1985 and he won the Eastern Championship in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 1986. He was the runner-up at the prestigious IC4A meet later that year and Boonstra set a UVM-record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (8:58.92).

After UVM, he continued to excel in skiing competing on the U.S. Olympic teams in 1988 and 1994. A five-time U.S. National Champion, Boonstra was the 1992 American Birkebeiner Champion. A bronze medalist at the 1983 World University Games, he competed in five world championship meets finishing as high as 20th at the 1995 World Championships. A volunteer coach at the 1991 U.S. Olympic Festival, Boonstra went on to become an assistant coach of Nordic skiing at the University of Alaska-Anchorage.