Cami Thompson - Skiing Coach - Dartmouth College Athletics

Photo by: Herb Swanson

Cami Thompson

Title:
Director of Skiing and Women’s Nordic Head Coach
Alma Mater:
St. Lawrence
Email:
cami.thompson@dartmouth.edu
Phone (603):
603-646-2787
At Dartmouth:
36th Year (1989-)

Thompson, entering her 36th season at the helm of the women’s Nordic team in 2023-24, is one of the most respected cross country skiing coaches in the country. During her tenure, Thompson has coached numerous All-Americans, including 16 skiers that have combined to win 53 All-America honors and five national individual titles in the past 22 years. No fewer than 10 of her skiers have competed in the Winter Olympics in either cross country or biathlon events, with five at both Pyeongchang in 2018 and Sochi in 2014.

The 2025 season was led by Ava Thurston who won five EISA races and earned a podium finish in another five. At the NCAA Championship, the junior earned First-Team All-America honors for a fourth place finish in the 7.5K Classic race and Second-Team All-America Honors for a seventh place finish in the 20K Freestyle. Jasmine Drolet also impressed, winning two races during the EISA circuit and landing on the podium at the NCAA Championships to earn First-Team All-America in the 7.5K race. Nina Seemann competed in her first national championship events after two podiums and five top ten finishes in EISA racing. The senior took home Second-Team All-America honors in the 7.5K race at Oak Hill.

John Steel Hagenbuch and Jasmine Drolet highlighted the Big Green's success in the 2024 season, winning individual national championships for the first time since 2019. Hagenbuch won the 7.5K Freestyle while Drolet took home the Women's 20K Classic championship. Hagenbuch also took home USCSA Men's Nordic National Skier of the Year honors. The Big Green also saw success from junior Allie Resnick who won multiple events, including the giant slalom at the NCAA Qualifier.

In the 2023 season, she mentored freshman Ava Thurston to a pair of All-America Second Team performances at the NCAA Championships and sophomore Jasmine Drolet — who had missed a large chunk of the carnival season due to an injury — to another. Thurston not only made the All-East First Team, but was also selected as the EISA Women’s Nordic Freshman of the Year, while sophomore Nina Seeman earned a spot on the All-East Second Team, and those two along with junior Garvee Tobin accounted for nine podiums at the six carnivals.

Drolet was named the 2022 EISA Women’s Nordic Rookie of the Year after taking finishing as the classical bib leader by winning four of her six races (all three classical) and reaching the podium in her other two. Molly Gellert ’23 had a pair of victories and was the freestyle bib leader entering the NCAA Championship, and no fewer than five of Thompson’s skiers made one of the two All-East teams.

Prior to losing the 2021 campaign to COVID-19, the 2020 squad was led by junior Katherine Ogden ’21, who finished first or second in all six of her carnival races, accounting for six of the nine podiums for the team. Odgen would go on to earn her fifth career All-America first-team honor, placing fourth in the 5K freestyle, before the pandemic cut the NCAA Championship short.

In 2018, Thompson enjoyed perhaps her finest season as she was named the United States Collegiate Ski Coaches Association Nordic Coach of the Year. Ogden, as a freshman, won NCAA titles in both the freestyle and classical races, becoming the first Dartmouth skier in 56 years to win two titles of any kind in one season. Ogden was named not only the EISA Female Rookie Nordic Skier of the Year, but also the USCSCA Women’s Nordic Skier of the Year for the first of two consecutive times. Thompson’s Nordic team also won eight of the 14 races throughout the season as her skiers racked up 21 podium appearances, 38 top-five spots and 52 top-10 finishes. Six of her skiers won All-East honors that year — three on the first team and three on the second.

Thompson coaxed six All-America performances out of a trio of skiers in 2012, led by future Olympian Sophie Caldwell ’12 who placed second and third in her two races. Erika Flowers ’13 and another future Olympian in Annie Hart ’14 also finished in the top 10 in both races at the NCAA Championship.

Thompson made her mark on the 2007 Dartmouth team as three of her skiers — Susan Dunklee ’08, Elsa Sargent ’08 and Sara Studebaker ’07 — earned a total of four All-America honors to help the Big Green win the NCAA title for the third time in program history and first time in 31 years.

Beginning her career as an all-around skier at Stowe High School in Stowe, Vermont, Thompson went on to ski for St. Lawrence University. Following school, she had a short stint as an athlete with the U.S. Ski Team from 1985-87. While on the team, she competed in World Cup events and at the FIS World Championships in Seefeld, Austria. Since making the transition to coaching, Thompson has coached squads from Junior National Championships to international U.S. Ski Team trips and camps.

Thompson has served as Chairman of the National Cross Country Sport Committee, was on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Board of Directors and still serves on the FIS Cross Country Committee. She has also served as Vice President of the NENSA Board of Directors and two rotations on the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Skiing Rules committee. Cami lives in Hanover with her dog, Bella.