Anchorage Daily News

UAA ski coach Trond Flagstad announced Monday the signing of three international athletes who signed National Letters of Intent to compete for the Seawolves this winter.

German standouts Laura Rombach and Steffi Hiemer along with Norway's Nils Kristen Sandtroen signed to ski for the Seawolves. Rombach will also run cross country, while Sandtroen will also compete in cross country and track.

The trio joins Anchorage standouts Amy Glen and Lex Treinen and Sadie Bjornsen of Winthrop, Wash., in UAA's 2008 recruiting class that Flagstad considers the best haul of his eight years with the program.

"On paper, we're looking really good," Flagstad said in a press release. "Our women's team should have a lot of depth and have a chance to qualify a whole team."

Rombach has been a member of the German Junior National team for a year, while Hiemer has been on the team for two years. Both competed in the 2007 World Junior Championships and have skied at the German Junior National and Europa cup levels.

Sandtroen hasn't competed much as a nordic skier but has two top-10 results at the Norwegian Junior National Biathlon Championships.

"Biathlon skiers are some of the best in the world," Flagstad said. "Nils is solid because he's a good runner with a solid engine. Right now he's probably a better runner than he is a skier. I'm looking at him as an investment. But he wants to ski and he has been skiing."

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