DENVER – From Finland to Denver, freshman Eveliina Piippo did not miss a beat as she found immediate success on the University of Denver ski team.

To an outsider, the adjustment to skiing at the collegiate level may have looked seamless for Piippo but to her it was a change of life and culture.

"In Finland I trained and studied mostly independently at home, and stayed up late," Piippo said. "It took some time to get used to a full schedule with practice, classes, and a social life. It is different to ski in high altitude without powder compared to sea level."

Piippo came to Denver after an accomplished club career in Finland where she was a five-time Junior National Champion, took second in the U23 World Ski Championships and finished third in the National Championships.

Right off the bat, Piippo picked up where she left off in Finland as she earned her third top-three finish in as many races, winning the 5K freestyle at the Utah Invitational. She followed that with a fourth-place finish in the 10K classic at the same invite to be named the RMISA Skier of the Week after her second weekend in the Crimson and Gold.

For Nordic head coach Toni Roponen he knew the strong skier he was getting with Piippo but was still impressed with the immediate impact she made and her adjustment to skiing in the states.

"I knew Eveliina prior to Denver since we are both from Finland," Roponen said. "I was very impressed that she did not have any problems racing at high altitude right away. She is very hard working and a role model for the rest of the team, despite just being a freshman."

Piippo followed up her performance in Utah by sweeping the titles for the 5K freestyle and 15K classic at the RMISA Championships as she qualified for her first NCAA Championship appearance.

The Finland native earned herself First Team All-RMISA for her strong 2020 season before capping her freshman campaign off with a National Championship in the 5K freestyle and First Team All-American honors.

With her first year in the books, Piippo looks to come back in 2021 a stronger skier as she improves this offseason on what was an illustrious start to her Pioneer career.

"This offseason I am going to get in the gym and do double poling," Piippo added. "I want to get bigger, faster and stronger."

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