Westminster University created four teams for the Mountain Sports Initiative, following the creation of the Free Ski team.
“This year to complement [the snowboarding teams] we launched Free Ski, and in fall 2025 we are bringing on Men’s and Women’s Climbing and Mountain Biking,” said Shay Wyatt, Westminster’s Athletic Director.
As team rosters begin to fill up, there will be new opportunities for students to earn scholarships.
“We’ll do some talent awards for these sports. We’re excited about that to help out with recruitment,” Wyatt said.
The University held a Mountain Sports meet and greet to introduce the new teams on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. The event had a large turnout, and the buzz around campus for the new teams was palpable.
President Beth Dobkin spoke at the event alongside other speakers discussing the addition of the new sports.
“[Mountain Sports is] natural for us, not just because of the amazing talent we’ve had and will continue to have, but because we are the kind of place where everyone can participate,” Dobkin said.
Shortly after President Dobkin spoke, they introduced the university’s inaugural Mountain Biking Head Coach, Nic Sims.
“How often do you get to start a program from scratch?” Sims said.
Sims joins the Griffins from the Park City High School mountain biking team and couldn’t be more excited.
“Normally you inherit something. I get to take it with my vision, and my vision for cycling is that it needs to be fun. It needs to be exciting, and something you can take on when you graduate,” Sims said.
Sims is originally from England, where he was working for Specialized UK, a cycling company.
Both mountain biking and climbing will compete under their respective USA collegiate associations. They’ll be in “competitive varsity programs, just not NCAA programs” according to Shay Wyatt, Westminster Athletic Director.
“Everyone should learn the value of being outdoors, of being challenged, of working in teams, of relying on your own resilience, and that’s what Westminster does,” Dobkin said.
