DU Skiing Adds Five to 2025 Nordic Team - University of Denver Athletics (2024)

Skiing 8/15/2024 9:30:00 AM Ron Knabenbauer

Pioneers welcome Eve-Ondine Duchaufour, Joe Graziadei, Anna Stewart, Lea Wenaas and Landon Wyatt

DENVER – University of Denver Skiing announced today that the team has added five student-athletes to its Nordic squad for the upcoming 2025 winter season.

The class includes graduate-transfer student Lea Wenaas (Oslo, Norway) from New Hampshire, as well as incoming freshmen Eve-Ondine Duchaufour (Les Rousses, France), Joe Graziadei (Lincoln, Vermont), Anna Stewart (Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada) and Landon Wyatt (Bozeman, Montana).

"I'm excited to welcome this group of incoming Nordic skiers to the University of Denver for the upcoming season," said Denver Nordic Skiing Head Coach Rogan Brown. "These student-athletes will add to our depth and will help us continue to rise as a program and bring an NCAA Championship back to Denver. I know they will represent our school with pride on the snow and in the classroom."

Below is more information on each skier.

Eve-Ondine Duchaufour | Women's Nordic | Les Rousses, France
5-7 | Victor Berard Morez Lycée | French National Team / Ski Club du Grandvaux

Before Denver: Previously competed for Ski club du Grandvaux and the French Ski Federation for four seasons (2020-2024) … Also a member of Massif Jurassien ski committee … Made her FIS World Cup debut on Jan. 19, 2024 by placing 39th in classic sprints in Oberhof, Germany … Has 17 top-10 results and four top-five finishes in Alpen Cup events from 2022-2024 … Earned her first Alpen Cup podium by coming in third in the 10K classic in Premanon, France, on March 5, 2024 … Won the 2023 FIS Nordic U23 World Championship in the 4x5K mixed relay with Team France in Whistler, British Columbia … Earned silver with France in the mixed 4x5K relay at the 2022 FIS U23 World Championships in Lygna, Norway … Also competed at the U23 Championships in 2024 in Planica, Slovenia … Owns several podiums in French Cup races.

Personal: Daughter of Cyrille Duchaufour and Agathe Ballard … Has an older brother, Melchior … Previous took college classes at Université Grenoble Alpes … Attended high school at Victor Berard Morez … Would like to work in sports materials design after college … Also enjoys reading, listening to music and playing the violin.

Why DU: "Studying in the United States is something many people dream of. Learning a new language, living in one of the world's most influential countries, and to be able to do this while being part of one of the best American university cross country ski teams is a great opportunity."

Joe Graziadei | Men's Nordic | Lincoln, Vermont
5-10 | Green Mountain Valley School | Green Mountain Valley School

Before Denver: Recorded four junior podiums at U.S. Super Tour events in 2024 while competing for Green Mountain Valley School … Placed fourth among juniors in freestyle sprints at the 2024 U.S. Cross Country National Championships in January … Came in fourth in the 15K freestyle and eighth in freestyle sprints at the 2024 U.S. National Junior Championships on March 13-15 … Finished third in a 10K freestyle in a FIS race in Craftsbury, Vermont, on Dec. 10, 2023 … 2024 Mike Gallagher Award winner and Eastern Cup Overall winner … Ranked fifth in the U.S. sprint among 2004 birth years in 2024.

Personal: Son of Elizabeth Graziadei … Has a brother, James … Graduated from Green Mountain Valley School in 2023 … Majoring in kinesiology at DU … Enjoys cooking, reading and playing golf … Favorite place to ski is Silverstar Resort in British Columbia … Participates as a Protect Our Winter community member … Has volunteered by making meals at a local homeless shelter, picking up trash from the Long Trail and fixing local bike trails in Vermont … Favorite TV show is "Tour de France, Unchained" … Also participated in lacrosse, baseball, soccer, basketball and mountain biking as a kid.

Why DU: "The University of Denver offers a competitive and productive environment for me to chase my academic and athletic goals."

Anna Stewart | Women's Nordic | Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
5-10 | Hammarskjold High School | Alberta World Cup Academy

Before Denver: Member of the Canadian National Team (2020, 2022, 2024) and also competed for the Alberta World Cup Academy … Won four Canadian National Championships in her career, including taking first in the 20K classic at the 2023 National Junior Championships … Was second overall in freestyle sprints and fourth overall in the 10K freestyle at the 2023 Canadian National Championships, finishing tops among all U20 athletes in each race to take the junior title… Also won the U16 freestyle sprints championship in Canada in 2019 … Placed fourth and fifth in the two 10K freestyle races and came in third in classic sprints at the 2024 Canadian Championships … Made her FIS World Cup debut in winter 2024 with races in Canmore, Alberta, on Feb. 9-13 and in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Feb. 17-18 … Placed 34th in the 20K classic mass start at the World Cup in Canmore on Feb. 11 … Represented Canada at the 2023 Junior World Championships in Whistler, British Columbia.

Personal: Full name is Sophie Anna Stewart … Daughter of Jay and Jen … Has an older sister Heidi and a younger sister Sally … Graduated from Hammarskjold High School in 2021 … Majoring in psychology at DU … Career goals include competing at the FIS U23 World Championships and upcoming Olympics … Started skiing at age 2 … Favorite place to ski is Sovereign Lake Nordic Center in British Columbia … Enjoys making jewelry in her spare time and also hanging out with friends … Favorite music artists are Taylor Swift, Doja Cat, Billie Eilish and Tate McRae … Favorite TV show is "Greys Anatomy" … Previously ran track in high school, including at the 100, 200 and 400-meter distances.

Why DU: "I chose DU to be able to focus on school and skiing equally at the same time. I want to be high-achieving in the sport and university at the same time, and DU allows me to pursue that."

Lea Wenaas | Women's Nordic | Oslo, Norway
5-3 | Ullern VGS | New Hampshire / Røa IL

Honors & Awards: 2x EISA All-East Second Team (2021, 2023) … EISA Skier of the Week (2024) …
4x National Collegiate All-Academic Ski Team (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) … 2x National College Athlete Honor Society (2023, 2024) … 2x CSC Academic All-District Team (2023, 2024) … 2023 UNH Women's Nordic Team MVP

2025: Joins the Pioneers as a graduate-student transfer after competing the previous four seasons with New Hampshire in the EISA … Owns two individual podiums, six top-five finishes and 22 top-10 results in 44 career collegiate races … Represented UNH at the 2023 and 2024 NCAA Championships

2024 (New Hampshire): Recorded her first two career individual podiums while earning six top-10 finishes in 12 races as a senior … Came in the top 20 in 11 events and in all 10 EISA competitions during the college campaign … Opened the season with her first career podium by placing third in classic sprints at the Vermont Carnival on Jan. 12 … Came in 17th in the 10K freestyle in Vermont on Jan. 13 … Did not race at the Colby Carnival on Jan. 19-20 … Recorded a 13th-place finish in the 15K classic on Feb. 2 at the Harvard Carnival and was 15th in the 7.5K freestyle the next day on Feb. 3 … Went on a run of six consecutive top-10 results starting by placing ninth in freestyle sprints on Feb. 9 at the Dartmouth Carnival … Came in sixth in the 15K classic at Dartmouth on Feb. 10 … Posted a career-best second-place finish in the 10K classic on Feb. 16 at the Williams Carnival … Helped her New Hampshire squad to the win in the 3x5K relay at Williams on Feb. 17 … Finished in the top 10 in both EISA Championship races, coming in ninth in the 7.5K freestyle on Feb. 23 and seventh in the 20K classic on Feb. 24 … Posted her best career freestyle result at the NCAA Championships in 25th at the 7.5K distance on March 7 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, before matching her all-time best at nationals by placing 16th in the 20K classic on March 9 … Placed second in the 10K freestyle and fourth in classic sprints at the Western Canada Cup in December 2023 … Came in sixth in the senior women's 20K freestyle at the 2024 Nordic Canada Trials.

2023 (New Hampshire): Recorded 11 top-10 finishes and picked up three top-five placements in 14 races and made her first NCAA Championships … Placed in the top 20 in 13 events, including in the top 15 in all 12 EISA meets … Opened the season with eight straight top-10 finishes … Recorded a pair of sixth-place finishes at the Bates Carnival in the 7.5K freestyle and 15K freestyle on Jan. 13-15 … Recorded two more sixth-place results at the St. Michael's Carnival in freestyle sprints on Jan. 20 and the 15K classic on Jan. 21 … Picked up her third career top-five finish and first of the season in the 5K freestyle on Jan. 27 at the New Hampshire Carnival ... Came in 10th in the 20K classic at UNH's home meet on Jan. 28 … Placed seventh in the 10K classical at the Harvard Carnival on Feb. 10 and then helped her New Hampshire relay squad to a fifth-place finish in the 3x5K classic … Came in 14th in the 10K classic on Feb. 17 before matching a career best in fourth in the 5K freestyle at the Williams Carnival … Finished eighth in both the 5K freestyle and 20K classical at the EISA Championships on Feb. 24-25 … Made her NCAA Championships debut in the 5K freestyle on March 9 in 29th place … Wrapped up the season by finishing in 16th in the 20K classical on March 11 at the NCAA Championships in Lake Placid, New York.

2022 (New Hampshire): Took part in 11 races as a sophom*ore in her first full EISA campaign … Began the season by coming in 30th in the Colby Carnival 20K freestyle on Jan. 14 … Placed 38th in the 10K freestyle and 52nd in the 5K classic at the St. Michael's Carnival on Jan. 21-22 … Placed 43rd in classic sprints on Feb. 4 and was 44th in the 10K freestyle on Feb. 5 at the Vermont Carnival … Came in 21st in the 5K classic and 29th in the 10K freestyle at the Dartmouth Carnival on Feb. 11-12 … Placed 34th in the Middlebury Carnival 5K classic on Feb. 18 … Wrapped up the season with three consecutive top-25 performances, beginning with a 22nd-palce result in the 15K freestyle at the Middlebury meet on Feb. 19 … Placed 22nd in the 15K freestyle at the EISA Championships on Feb. 25 and concluded the year with a season-best 19th-place finish in the 5K classic at the EISA meet on Feb. 26 … Finished ranked 33rd overall in the East as she was 30th in the classical and 35th in the freestyle.

2021 (New Hampshire): Posted five top-10 finishes in seven races in her freshman campaign at New Hampshire … Made her college debut at the EISA Nordic Carnival in Jackson, New Hampshire, on Jan. 28 and recorded a season-best performance by finishing fourth in the 7K freestyle … Placed sixth in the 10K freestyle at the UNH Carnival on Jan. 29 … Picked up a pair of top-10 results in the EISA Nordic Carnival at Quarry Road, Maine, by recording her second top five of the year in fifth in the 15K freestyle on Feb. 5 and finishing ninth in the 5K classic on Feb. 6… Placed 13th in the 5K classic at EISA Woodstock Nordic Carnival on Feb. 12 … Placed ninth in the New Hampshire Carnival's 15K freestyle on Feb. 19 … Finished the season by coming in 16th in the 10K classic at the EISA/Vermont Carnival on Feb. 26.

Before College: Previously competed for Røa IL before joining New Hampshire … Notched five top-20 results at 2019 Norwegian Cup competition, highlighted by a ninth and a 10th-place result … Participated at three Norwegian National Junior Championships (2018, 2019, 2020).

Personal: Full name is Lea Stabœk Wenaas … Daughter of Arlid Stabœk and Trude Wenaas … Has two younger siblings, brother Luca and sister Lucia … Godfather, Per Meinich is a DU alum and graduated in 1985 … Earned her bachelor's degree at UNH in Business Administration, Finance in 2024 … Working on her master's degree in marketing at DU … Graduated high school from Ullern VGS in Norway in 2020 … Wants to help DU continue to climb in the standings and represent the team at the 2025 NCAA Championships … Served as an ambassador for the "International Club" at New Hampshire … Enjoys traveling and experiencing different cultures … Enjoys pop, dance and alternative rock music and favorite artists are Imagine Dragon and Fred Again … Favorite movies are Shawshank Redemption, Your Name, and Crazy Rich Asians … Also played soccer and was a gymnast as a kid.

Why DU: "I chose Denver because of the excellent opportunity to combine academics and athletics. Denver's skiing program is one of the best in the United States, and the location of the university is perfect for someone who loves the outdoors. In addition to this, my Godfather has always talked highly of the teachers and campus, and I have heard that the Business School is exceptional."

Landon Wyatt | Men's Nordic | Bozeman, Montana
5-9 | Bozeman High School | Bridger Ski Foundation

Before Denver: Competed with the Bridger Ski Foundation in his hometown of Bozeman … Picked up three All-American honors by placing ninth in the 10K freestyle, 10th in freestyle sprints and fourth in the 7.5K classic at the 2024 U.S. Junior National Championships from March 11-15 in Lake Placid, N.Y. … Competed at the 2024 Youth Olympics in South Korea where he finished 30th in freestyle sprints and 18th in the 7.5K classic … Placed 12th among juniors in the 10K freestyle mass start at both the 2023 and 2024 U.S. Cross Country National Championships … Won U.S. Junior Nationals' 5K classic as a U16 in 2022 … Went to Finland in 2023 on a U18 Scandinavian trip, competing in FIS races in Jyvaskyla, Laajavuori … Won the Bridger Ski Foundation's Grit award in 2021 … Lettered in cross country in 2022.

Personal: Son of Jeff and Paige … Has two older siblings, brother Seth and sister Clara … Seth is a Nordic skier at New Hampshire while Clara also skis cross country for St. Michael's College … Graduated from Bozeman High School in 2024 … Majoring in business at DU … Enjoys playing pickleball in his free time and also participated in soccer, baseball, football and cross country running as a kid … Volunteered with HRDC Bozeman, a food bank that also distributes lunches to students … Enjoys hanging out with friends in his spare time … Favorite place to ski is West Yellowstone … Favorite movie is "The Hobbit."

Why DU: "I chose to go to Denver to get out of my hometown and to be in a bigger city. I also have some family around the area that I am excited to spend more time with."

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