FAIRBANKS - The Intercollegiate Ski Coaches Association (ISCA) has announced its 2026 Coaches of the Year. Alaska's Ben Buck was named a co-recipient of the Nordic Coach of the Year award, earning the honor alongside Alaska Anchorage's Trond Flagstad. Montana State's Kris Shampeny earned the Alpine Coach of the Year award. 

The awards are determined through a combination of peer voting and team improvement at the NCAA Skiing Championships compared to the previous season. Each institution receives one vote per discipline, with championship performance and peer recognition both factoring into the final selection.

"Any award like this comes as the result of a team effort," said head coach Ben Buck. "What we accomplished this year was only made possible by many individuals taking many small actions that supported and advanced our goals as a team. I want to thank all the parents of current and former athletes who supported us on the road this season, sharing their homes, meals, and voices with us. I also want to thank my coaching staff for providing stability and consistency during my transition into the head coach role, and for offering new and creative ideas that challenge all of us to continue to learn and grow. And of course, I want to thank the athletes for placing their trust in me to lead the team forward while weathering one of the most challenging winters in recent memory and coming out stronger on the other end."

Buck earned national recognition in just his first season as the Nanooks' head coach after stepping into the interim role and eventually the full-time role this season following his time as the Nanooks assistant coach. Under Buck's leadership, the Nanooks improved from 176 points in the Nordic standings at the NCAA Skiing Championships in 2025 to 205.5 points in 2026, a 29.5-point gain. Alongside the team's overall increase in points, the Nanooks earned their 12th-overall top-10 finish at the NCAA Championships. Overall, they placed 10th, but in Nordic, they finished third, with the men's team finishing third in men's standings and the women's team placing fifth. 

Alaska won two individual national championships and earned four All-American finishes at the 2026 Championships as well. Rosie Fordham swept the women's races, winning both the women's 7.5k classic and the 20k freestyle. She became the first Nanooks racer to win both events in the same year since Sigrid Aas in 2004. Her two national champion finishes and First Team All-American honors were accompanied by Ben Dohlby and Philipp Moosmayer on the men's side. Dohlby earned a First Team All-American finish in the men's 20k freestyle, placing fifth. Philipp Moosmayer followed close behind Dohlby, placing seventh in the same event and earning Second Team All-American honors. These placements were instrumental in the Nanooks' jump from 2025 to 2026. Their top-tier performances did not stop at the collegiate level as the Nanooks saw plenty of success on the international circuit, including five current and former skiers participating in the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games, all of whom were coached by Buck: Rosie Fordham (Australia), Kendall Kramer (United States), Mariel Pulles (Estonia), Mike Ophoff (Czechia), and Joe Davies (Great Britain). 

"I'd also be remiss not to congratulate Trond Flagstad for the work he's doing down at UAA," added Buck. "To share the Coach of the Year title with him speaks volumes about the quality of our programs here in Alaska and the talent that we are attracting to come ski at the highest level in the nation. I look forward to facing off again at the Alaska Nordic Cup next November here at UAF!"

The ISCA Coaches of the Year awards are presented annually to recognize coaches whose teams demonstrated both competitive success and measurable improvement throughout the collegiate season.

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