The DU club figure skating team qualified for nationals after compiling enough points to lock up 1st place in the Pacific Coast Section.

The Pacific Coast Section is one of three sections in collegiate club skating. Many of the teams in this section reside in California and Colorado, including Colorado College, Colorado State, UCLA and California-Berkeley.

With the largest team in the Pacific Coast Section, the Pioneers have used their roster size to their advantage by winning medals in multiple categories. They are ranked 1st in the Pacific Section and will be competing for the national title in Colorado Springs in mid-April.

“We have so many great and talented girls that have allowed us to do very well this season,” said president and skater Taryn Brandt. “We have a lot of talent on the team this year, and I am proud of the way we have performed so far.”

Brandt pointed out that the team’s success is a direct result of the team’s dedication, hard work and commitment to improving.

“We have practice every weekday morning for two hours. There are a few girls that can only come on certain days due to conflicting school schedules, but oftentimes there are girls there everyday working to get better,” said Brandt. “It is awesome to have 10 hours of ice time per week, and it allows us to improve on all levels of skating.”

On Feb. 5, the Pioneers competed at Colorado State University and tallied 86 points; the 2nd place finisher recorded only 33 points. In addition, the Pioneers walked away with two 1st place trophies for team maneuvers.

“We had an awesome showing up at CSU. We had 18 girls competing, and we walked away with 23 medals. Each of us competed individually, and we also performed as a team, which was very successful,” said Brandt. “We have a low team, an intermediate team, and a high team. All three of our teams won medals, and the low and intermediate teams placed first. Winning a competition like that will give us a lot of momentum going forward.”

Victories at competitions such as the CSU Ram Classic have made major impacts on the team.

“When we come home from a lot of success, it brings us closer as a team. We support and cheer for each other, and when we have such great success, we feel proud of  ourselves and each other,” said Brandt.

This year’s team appears to be especially talented, as the talent level ranges from senior members to freshmen.

“Our team has a lot of talent this year,” said Brandt. “We have seven or eight freshmen that are very talented, and their talent mixed with the existing talent from the older skaters makes our team stronger. The past two years, we have finished 5th at nationals, but this year we are really making a run for the podium.”

Over the past weekend, the Pioneers took first in the 2012 Pioneer Open at Joy Burns Arena, defeating such teams as CSU, UCLA and California-Berkeley. They will look to prepare for April’s national championships with practices every weekday until they depart for Colorado Springs.