DENVER – University of Denver Skiing announced today that Mary Rachel (M.R.) Hostetter and Heather Mooney have joined the program as assistant coaches. Hostetter will help with the alpine squad while Mooney will assist with the Nordic team.
 
Hostetter was an alpine skier for DU from 2009-2011 and returns to the program after spending the previous three years as the head alpine ski coach for the under-19 and under-14 programs at Eldora Ski & Snowboard Club. Prior to Eldora, she was the head alpine coach at St. Olaf College (NCAA Division III) in Northfield, Minnesota, for two seasons (2016-2018), helping the school to the USCSA National Championship each year and winning two President's Cups.
 
"I started my college career here at Denver, and I'm thrilled to be back and contributing to this program in a different capacity," said Hostetter. "I'm looking forward to working with our amazing student-athletes and the great Alpine and Nordic staff we have here as we begin this new era of DU Skiing. I'm here for the long haul, and I'm excited to help bring more national championships to the program's legacy."
 
The Steamboat Springs, Colorado, native began her collegiate career at DU and helped the Pioneers win the 2010 NCAA National Championship before transferring to the University of New Mexico. She skied for the Lobos from 2011-2013, earning the school's Scholar-Athlete and Mountain West Scholar-Athlete awards in both 2012 and 2013. Hostetter was also named to the Capital One All America Third-Team and the Capital One Academic All-District VII First-Team in 2013, was an honoree for the United States Collegiate Ski Coaches Association All-Academic Ski Team and earned NCAA All-Academic and Academic All-American accolades in both 2012 and 2013.
 
Hostetter, 30, graduated from New Mexico in 2013 with bachelor's degrees in psychology and business management. She earned her master's in physical education and sports management from UNM in 2015.
 
She currently resides in Broomfield with her husband, Joonas.
 
Mooney joins the Pioneers after spending last year as a post-grad coach at the Bridger Ski Foundation in Bozeman, Montana. In that role, she primarily worked with athletes taking a gap year after high school, developing their skills in preparation for competing at the collegiate level. Mooney also worked closely with the pro team on a daily basis and coached BSF's collegiate summer training group.
 
"I'm thrilled to join the DU team and to be back on the college circuit," said Mooney. "College skiing is a special time and a wonderful opportunity to begin to learn the life balances that make each one of us tick on and off the race course. I'm honored to get to be part of this DU team."
 
Mooney, 27, skied collegiately for Middlebury College in Vermont where she qualified for the NCAA National Championships three times and picked up seven wins in the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association in her senior year.
 
Following college, she joined the professional ranks for four years, earning four top-10 finishes at the U.S. National Championships throughout her career (2011, 2013, twice in 2015). A two-time Junior World Championship qualifier, Mooney also made Team USA's World Championship Under-23 Team twice and represented the United States at the 2012 Youth Olympics where her team won a bronze medal in the mixed relay.
 
The Peru, Vermont, native earned her bachelor's degree in architecture from Middlebury in 2015, while also picking up minors in environmental studies and geology. She is currently working on her Master of Design Studies degree in design for human health through the Boston Architectural College and is expected to graduate next year.
 
Mooney currently resides in Denver and has two younger siblings. Her sister Brooke competed at the Tokyo Olympics this past summer and finished fourth with Team USA in women's eight rowing. Mooney owes her start to full-time coaching to her brother Scott, who encouraged her to co-coach a college summer training group with him in 2020.
 
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