Former CU Skiing Standout Austin Florian Joins US World Cup Skeleton Team

Former Clarkson University Alpine Skiing team standout Austin Florian still spends plenty of time on the slopes, but from a competitive standpoint he has turned in his skis for the skeleton bobsled as he recently landed on the US World Cup team in the latter sport.

A three-time MacConnell Division All-Star who finished 13th in the slalom at the 2015 USCSA Nationals in Bend, Oregon, Florian enjoyed a breakout season on the North American Cup tour in 2017-18, winning six medals and the circuit's overall title. During his first year in the North American Cup (2016-17), his highest finish was 14th, but he showed tremendous improvement in his second season, capturing the overall title thanks to a gold in January at Lake Placid and five more silver finishes from November to January.

TeamUSA.org - Austin Florian Bio
TeamUSA.org - Summer Series....Getting to Know Austin Florian
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Florian first got into the sport of Skeleton racing while at Clarkson, placing 13th out of 20 sliders at the US Nationals between his junior and senior campaigns with the Golden Knights. Following graduation, Florian participated in North American Cup races and at the Junior World Championships. An Olympic hopeful for 2022, Florian narrowly missed qualifying for the team in 2018, and he has started off this year with two second-place finishes and a sixth-place showing, qualifying for the World Cup Team.

A native of Southington, CT and a 2016 graduate of Clarkson University with a degree in Engineering & Management, Florian's first competition with the US World Cup team is scheduled for early December in Latvia. For those interested in following Florian's progress on this continent, the team will compete in nearby Lake Placid, NY in mid-February.

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