CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Chris City, The Paul J. Finnegan Family Head Coach for Harvard Nordic Skiing, has hired Hannah Halvorsen to serve as the program's assistant coach.
"I'm so excited to have Hannah joining us, and my team was thrilled when I was able to share the news with them," said City. "As an Olympian and long-time US Ski Team skier, Hannah brings a wealth of experience competing at the highest levels of our sport. Her knowledge of training, technique, and racing will be a tremendous asset to our student-athletes as we prepare for the season ahead."
Halvorsen has competed at the highest level in cross country at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games and is a prominent member of the US National Team for the past six years. In 2019, Hannah was in a terrible accident, when she was hit by a car while crossing the street and suffered a skull fracture, bleeding and bruising in her brain, a tibia fracture, and her left MCL and PCL were torn completely and detached from the bone. City added "Her return to international competition and qualifying for the 2022 US Olympic team after suffering serious injuries from being hit by a car was incredibly inspirational for all of us who have followed her career.".
On the US Ski Team, she served as D-Team liaison. Her most recent position as a contracted writer for many major brands including Outside Magazine, Cross Country Skier, and Hoka. Halvorsen is a vocal leader in the ski community by advocating for eating disorder awareness and by partnering with Project RED-S; a global reaching organization that is working to provide resources on eating disorder in sport.
This will be Halvorsen's first coaching position at the collegiate level. Hannah said, "I am really excited to be in this position, it this a dream of mine to work at Harvard. This position will give me the opportunity to transfer all the skills and values I have learned from my experience in the sport as an athlete to now coach,". While coaching she will be continuing her education at the Harvard Extension School pursuing a degree in Organizational Psychology. One of her goals is to get a certificate in Diversity Leadership.
Halvorsen graduated from Alaska Pacific University in April 2022, and earned a dual degree in both counseling psychology and business administration.
