In recognition of her incredible four years at Dartmouth, cross-country skier Jasmine Drolet ’25 was nominated for the National Collegiate Athletic Association Women of the Year award. The award was established in 1991 to honor the top senior female student-athletes in the country. Each NCAA member school can nominate up to two athletes who best represent academic and athletic excellence, as well as community service and leadership.
Drolet’s illustrious career for the Big Green included five All-American first team appearances, winning the 20K classic at the NCAA championships and winning two Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association races in her senior season. Drolet has raced for the Canadian national team since she was 16 and won gold in the 2024 U23 Nordic Junior World Ski Championships in the mixed relay event.
Congratulations on receiving this award! How do you feel?
JD: It’s an honor. It was super exciting to feel recognized after four years of being on the ski team at Dartmouth as someone who was a good skier and teammate. It was just really fun and exciting.
On top of athletic and academic achievement, the Women of the Year award recognizes community service and leadership. What do those aspects of the award mean to you?
JD: I like to give back to my community at home by spending time with the younger generation of skiers. Coming from a small town where everyone knows everyone, every time I go home all the young kids at my ski club are really excited because I go skiing with them. Even just that small act of going skiing with the younger kids and getting to talk to them, play with them and meet them is so cool, and it is a privilege to be a person that young kids look up to. I want to keep working hard and be a good role model for them, because that is really important for me.
How has your definition of success changed throughout your four years at Dartmouth?
JD: At the beginning, I was more results-oriented and would search for those first places or podiums. As I’ve gone through my Dartmouth years, I’ve realized there’s more to success than your personal results. Having a good environment, training with friends in the team and seeing your teammates do well is a huge success too.
How did the culture like on the Dartmouth ski team contribute to your journey as an athlete?
JD: Since I came from a really small club where I didn’t have many teammates, I was often training by myself, and racing was always an individual event. At Dartmouth, I was training with my team and I wanted these people to succeed beside me, too. My freshman year, I had really good seniors to look up to who made us feel like we were part of the team. Since our team gets scored together at carnivals, we want everyone to do really well to get a good team score. That’s a cool and special aspect to college skiing: it feels like a team sport, even though you’re racing on your own.
What were the highlights of your time on the ski team at Dartmouth?
JD: There’s a lot, so it’s hard to choose from! One memory that stands out was in my freshman year when our team dyed our hair pink. We all had hot pink hair walking around campus and the memories that were made during the dying process and after were really special. Another one is in my sophomore year, I had mononucleosis and couldn’t race, so I was a cheerleader. I would come to the races, carry around the sound box and cheer on the team, and I had a lot of fun doing that.
How did the time off the slopes during your sophomore year contribute to your growth as a student-athlete?
JD: When I got mono, another teammate on the team also had it which was nice because we were in it together and had each other to lean on. My coach, Cami Thompson, told me that ‘every athlete struggles in their life once.’ In that moment, I was like, ‘I need to stop being down about this and work to get through it.’ It ended up being one of the best seasons of my life, even if I didn’t get to race as much as I wanted to, because I got to be a really good teammate and it was a big moment of growth for me. It taught me how important it is to be a supportive teammate and how great it feels to have that support from your team.
What will you miss the most about racing for Dartmouth?
JD: The atmosphere is completely different at Dartmouth races compared to national ones. I am really going to miss how fun and lighthearted the carnivals were. From driving to the venue in the van, blasting songs, to putting tattoos and glitter on our faces, it was really fun to be with my teammates at every race. Racing for Canada is a little bit more serious and stressful, so I want to bring that lighthearted, fun atmosphere to everything with Canada.
What are your plans athletically for the foreseeable future?
JD: Since graduation, I’ve been living in Quebec and training with the Canadian national team here. I would like to hopefully race in the World Cup and potentially qualify for the Olympics, which would be amazing. This year, I’ll be focusing mainly on skiing, and I’ll see where life takes me after that.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Sid Singh ’27 is a sports editor and reporter. He is from Bethesda, Md. and Singapore and is majoring in Economics and Quantitative Social Science. Sid is also an engagement manager for Consult Your Community and a member of the Raaz dance team.
