Witkowski Makes History, Becomes First Current Husky to Compete in World Cup
HOUGHTON, Mich. – Senior Michigan Tech Nordic Skier Adam Witkowski has qualified for the FIS World Cup in Livigno, Italy, this weekend (Jan. 21 & 22).
The Victor, New York, native punched his ticket to the FIS World Cup following his eye-opening performance at the 2023 U.S. Cross Country Ski National Championships held at Michigan Tech's very own Tech Trails. Witkowski won the skate sprint qualification in a field of over 161 athletes, clocking a time of 2:27.02.
Only four Americans were selected for the Livigno World Cup, solidifying the high-caliber class Witkowski is a part of.
"Adam is the first current student-athlete from Michigan Tech to make the World Cup, and he is so ready for this stage," head coach Tom Monahan Smith said. "He has proven himself as one of the best sprinters in the U.S., and he has shown he has the speed to compete with not only the best athletes in the U.S. but in the world."
Since the U.S. Cross Country Ski National Championships, Witkowski competed in the skate sprint in the FISU World University Games, at the home of the 2023 NCAA Skiing Championships in the second week of March, in Lake Placid, New York. He qualified in second before finishing 11th overall on the day making it to the semi finals.
At the FIS World Cup, Witkowski will be competing in the skate sprint on Saturday, with the potential to start the skate team sprint on Sunday.
"I am most looking forward to competing against the best athletes in the world," Witkowski said. "I have been lucky enough to train with some of the top skiers in the world but to be able to compete against them on snow will be an amazing experience. I can't wait to see how I compare with the best skiers in the world."
The women will race the skate sprint on Saturday at 4:45 a.m. Eastern, with the men's sprint qualifications to follow. Sunday's team sprint qualification will also showcase the women first at 5:45 a.m. Eastern, with the men competing after. A live stream of the event can be found here.
"Adam is an incredible sprint qualifier, and that is what matters most when it comes to racing in the World Cup," Monahan Smith added. "We know Adam will ski lights out as he gets to race this World Cup without pressure or performance expectations since this is his first one, and we know that will allow him to ski his fastest!"