TRUCKEE, Calif. — A standout performance by Truckee native Aspen McAuley has placed a local athlete on the national stage after a historic showing at the U.S. Collegiate Ski & Snowboard Association National Championships, held March 9–14.
McAuley, a 20-year-old freshman engineering student competing for Hobart and William Smith Colleges, captured the women’s slalom national title — the first individual national championship in her program’s history. She followed that performance with a second-place finish in giant slalom, securing the top seed in the overall alpine individual standings.
Her results earned her All-American honors across three disciplines: slalom, giant slalom and skier cross, capping what officials described as a milestone season for the alpine program.
“Since I was having so much fun, it didn’t even cross my mind that it was Nationals,” McAuley said. “I didn’t even have the greatest starting position that race — I was starting 24th.”
McAuley’s path to the podium began in Truckee, where she first took up skiing at age 11 with Sugar Bowl Academy. Coaches there have long emphasized technical discipline and race experience, a foundation that appears to have translated seamlessly to collegiate competition.
The championship schedule saw women’s alpine races contested Thursday, followed by the men’s events Friday. Momentum carried through the Hobart and William Smith team, highlighted when teammate Will Patton secured a national title in the same event a day after McAuley’s win.
“We were coming into this race like complete underdogs,” McAuley said. “Nobody really knew our name, but the momentum we brought into this week just kept building on each other.”
Team culture also played a central role in her success, she said.
“I’ve never been part of a team that’s so supportive, no matter how you do,” McAuley added.
The United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association oversees one of the largest collegiate winter sports competitions in the country, drawing athletes from universities nationwide. A national title at this level is often seen as a springboard for higher levels of competition and recognition within the sport.
For El Dorado County readers — where winter sports culture runs deep from Sierra resorts to local youth programs — McAuley’s rise underscores the region’s continued influence in developing elite alpine talent.
“I’ll probably remember that moment for the rest of my life,” she said.
With her first collegiate season complete, McAuley has already set a high benchmark — not just for her program, but for aspiring skiers across Northern California.
