UAF photo by Eric Engman.
Rosie Fordham, right, leads the pack of runners up the first hill of the 3-lap, 6K
women's course as ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ cross-country runners compete in
the Blue & Gold race against University of ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Anchorage the morning of Sept. 13,
2025, on the UAF Competition Trails.
By Sam Bishop
In a remarkable year for Nanook athletes, cross-country skier Rosie Fordham ’26 stood out — first with her representation of Australia at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy and then with her domination of collegiate races at home.
Fordham placed 29th in the 50-kilometer classic race in Italy, the best individual Olympic cross-country skiing finish in Australia’s history.
But another Olympic race may have better revealed Fordham’s strength. Skiing as one of four Australians in the 7.5K freestyle relay on Feb. 14, she helped the country’s team secure 14th place among 19 entrants.
Fordham completed her freestyle relay leg in 19 minutes, 16.5 seconds, more than 2 minutes faster than the fastest of her teammates. The time was also faster than many of the freestyle skiers on relay teams that finished ahead of Australia, including those on the perennially powerful Italian, Swiss, Canadian and French squads.
Returning to the U.S. after the Olympics, Fordham topped off the season by winning both the 7.5K classic and 20K freestyle races at the NCAA Skiing Championships in Utah in mid-March. Skiing in the 7.5K, she finished more than a minute ahead of rival Erica Laven of the University of Utah. She also crossed the 20K finish line alone, almost half a minute ahead of the closest competitor.
Rosie Fordham talks with a friend during the Honors College graduation ceremony on April 30, 2026, in the Murie Building auditorium.
Fordham’s wins helped the Nanooks finish third in points in the NCAA championship’s cross-country races, behind only Utah and the University of Colorado. The team beat several perennial top cross-country skiing schools, including Dartmouth College, the University of Vermont and the University of Denver.
Fordham’s fellow skiers on the men’s team were key to that third-place showing. In particular, Ben Dohlby finished fifth and Phillip Moosmayer took seventh in the 20K freestyle race. Their top-10 finishes gave UAF the most points among all teams in that race.
"Absolutely incredible day — the one we've been dreaming of all season!" said head coach Ben Buck after the 20K finishes. "The skis were fast, and the athletes were faster."
Fordham, who also was a standout cross-country runner for UAF, graduated this spring with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in statistics.
Volleyball
Head Coach Brian Scott talks with the team as the Nanooks women's volleyball team goes up against Rockhurst University in the final game of the Denali State Bank Ice Block Classic volleyball tournament on Sept. 13, 2025, in the ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Airlines Gymnasium at the Patty Center. UAF went undefeated in the tournament to win the championship.
The Nanooks volleyball team earned a Great Northwest Athletic Conference co-championship in late November 2025, the first such title in program history.
The Nanooks also set a new season record with 24 wins and six losses.
The team qualified for the 2025 NCAA West Regional Championships in San Diego, California, where it lost to the nationally ranked Point Loma Sea Lions in the second round. In that game, Mikala Henderson finished her collegiate career with an impressive 20 kills and 11 digs.
At the post-season banquet in April, UAF named Brian Scott as coach of the year in recognition of the team’s success.
Swimming
Dorka Dancsok high-fives a teammate at a meet in October 2024.
The Nanooks swimming team took fifth place in the Pacific Coast Swim and Dive Conference Championship, matching their best finish in the past 12 years.
The Nanooks were led by junior Dorka Dancsok, who won the 400-yard individual medley in the February championship. That sent her to the NCAA nationals in March, where she finished 16th in the same event.
Hockey
Lassi Lehti helps hold the Governor's Cup after the ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Nanooks won their 14th consecutive tournament against the Anchorage Seawolves at the Carlson Center on Feb. 8, 2025.
The Nanooks won the ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Airlines Governor’s Cup over the University of ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Anchorage for the 15th straight year on Feb. 28.
The team then went on to win the 2026 United Collegiate Hockey Cup in the tournament’s inaugural playing on March 7.
The tournament features the five independent NCAA hockey teams — UAF, UAA, Long Island University, Lindenwood University and Stonehill College.
The Nanooks concluded the 2025-26 season with a 15-15-3 record.
At the April post-season athletics banquet, Lassi Lehti was named the outstanding male Nanook athlete of the year. He previously earned goalie of the year honors among the independent teams.
Basketball
The men’s basketball team secured a spot in the GNAC Championships in March. Playing in Bellingham, Washington, the team battled the No. 2-seeded UAA Seawolves in double overtime before losing 87-86.
The women’s team had a hard season, with a win-loss record of 0-26. Anna Nevison, Emily Freeman, Amelia Brady and Halle Waram earned places on the GNAC’s 2025-26 women's basketball Academic All-Conference Team.
Rifle
The Nanooks placed eighth in the NCAA Rifle Championships in Columbus, Ohio, in mid-March.
Two student-athletes were named to the 2025-26 Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association’s All-American teams. Lucie Kissenberger earned honorable mention aggregate and second team smallbore honors, while Teagan Perkowski earned second team air rifle honors.
Sam Bishop is a writer and editor with UAF Advancement.