Olympic medalist Andrew Weibrecht helps restart program at Paul Smith’s College

Olympic silver and bronze medalist Andrew Weibrecht has been picked to guide the relaunch of the Alpine skiing program at Paul Smith’s College, a small school in the Adirondacks Mountains.

Weibrecht is a three-time Olympian who won medals in super G at Sochi and Vancouver. He will bring 16 years of national and international experience with the U.S. ski team to the school. 

Weibrecht, 34, retired from skiing two years ago. He will assume a lead role in creating a new Alpine program. Members of the men’s and women’s teams will be able to train and compete at nearby Whiteface Mountain, which hosted Alpine skiing at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.

“The Division I world has gotten crazy competitive, both admissions into these colleges and getting slots on the team, which often go hand in hand,” he said. “If you’re being recruited by the team, it does help you get into the school itself.”

Paul Smith’s, the only four-year college in the Adirondacks, is committed to bringing more sports to its campus. The addition of Alpine skiing for 2021-22 comes after the school added Nordic skiing, biathlon, hockey, trap shooting and esports, giving the school 27 varsity sports programs.