The College of St. Scholastica will get a shot in the arm in its second
season, bringing on board Sara Kylander-Johnson as the women's assistant
coach. Kylander-Johnson is currently a member of the Trek-VW Midwest
Regional Pro Mountain Bike team, but comes to St. Scholastica with
extensive experience in Nordic ski racing.
“Sara will be a huge asset,” said Saints Head Coach, Chad Salmela, in
his second year at the helm. “I had Sara as my prime candidate for
quite some time, but I had to see if the numbers of skiers out for the
team would warrant the hiring, and more importantly, if Sara felt she
had the time. I'm glad she is excited to come aboard.” With 29 skiers
on the roster going into the team's second season, Salmela felt he
needed to bring on some extra help. “This city is just chock full of
great ex-ski racers, and Sara is one of the best, most caring, and
nurturing of all. We want this program to not only be competitive, but
to be a place where kids learn and improve at all levels,” said Salmela.
“Sara's experience and personality will help to that end, and she will
be working extensively with our development team skiers while getting
familiar with our varsity program.”
Kylander-Johnson joins Salmela and 2nd-year assistant coach, Brad
Nelson. Nelson and Kylander-Johnson were teammates at Northern Michigan
University in the early 1990s, where Kylander-Johnson was both an NCSA
All-American (1991) and NCAA All-American (1992), as well as a member of
the U.S. Ski Team Junior World Championship Team in 1992. She works at
The College of St. Scholastica as a Physical Therapy Instructor.
