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SALT LAKE CITY — As Olympic athletes begin to arrive in Sochi, one Utah school already has achieved an Olympic accomplishment by sending more athletes to the games than any other U.S. college or university.
Westminster College in Salt Lake City sent the most U.S. Olympians to compete in the 2014 Winter Games.
Jessica Jerome is a 10-time national ski jumping champion who made history by winning the U.S. Olympic team trials for the inaugural women's ski jumping Olympic team. She is also an economics major at Westminster College.
Snowboard cross Olympian Lindsey Jacobellis won silver in the 2006 Vancouver Olympics and also currently attends Westminster. In all, 23 Westminster students will represent the U.S. in Sochi.
"Everyone is so excited," said Westminster public and media relations assistant Arikka Von. "We were thrilled to have 23 students qualify. Everyone is talking about it."
Westminster College has around 3,000 students enrolled — only a fraction compared to the almost 40,000 students who attend the University of Southern California. USC is typically a powerhouse for sending athletes to the Summer Games, but in winter sports, Westminster takes the gold.
"Given that we are a small college, we can actually do a lot more with a student," said Westminster College Start Center representative Deb Vickery. "We can actually do a lot more with a student. So instead of being just a number out of thousands and tens of thousands, they are a name to me."
Vickery said part of the school's success in attracting athletes is the college's location.
"Given that we're so close to the training facility, and we are right here in Salt Lake, skiing and snowboarding is one of the catches and one of the draws for some students to come from out of state."
Since 2005, Westminster College also has partnered with the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association to offer free tuition to qualifying USSA athletes. That partnership allows athletes like brothers and Olympic hopefuls Bryan and Taylor Fletcher a chance to excel in their sport and their schooling.
