Two UND distance learners excel as athletes on world stage

Olympic hopefuls Paige Jones and Michelle DiCicco praise UND program’s support and flexibility

Editor’s note: In the UND LEADS Strategic Plan, the Equity core value calls on the University to “ensure equity in our online learning environment by increasing support for online, hybrid and blended learning.” This story reports on two UND students who are making the most of the online learning opportunities that they’re finding at UND. 

This story originally appeared in UND Today on Feb. 27.

####

For scholars and elite athletes alike, optimizing performance requires high levels of discipline and dedication to one’s craft.

UND students Michelle DiCicco and Paige Jones epitomize this commitment, both in the classroom and on the athletic field. The pair — both distance learners majoring in Biomedical Engineering — compete on the world stage in figure skating and ski jumping, respectively.

A delicate dance

A native of Connecticut, DiCicco competes for Argentina — her mother’s birth country. She previously studied mechanical engineering at Central Connecticut State University before transferring to UND’s accelerated bachelor’s and master’s degree program in Biomedical Engineering.

In January, DiCicco competed at the FISU World University Games in Turin, Italy. The biennial event brings together more than 2,500 student-athletes representing 50 countries and competing in 11 winter sports.

DiCicco, who competed in the women’s short program, was Argentina’s national champion in 2022. Then, the following March, she had major back surgery that kept her off her skates for over a year.

“I spent a year completely debilitated,” she said. “I had two inches of my disc removed from my spine, then had sciatica. I just started skating again in June.”

DiCicco said that although her hiatus from skating proved difficult, she used the time to stay on top of her studies.

“I’m a very meticulous person — I like to keep my brain working,” she said. “Even when I’m on break, I read medical journals, because I can’t be doing nothing. When I took a medical leave from school in spring of 2024, I was pretty much going insane, emailing my previous professors just to keep myself occupied.”

Despite competing for Argentina, DiCicco has skated there only a handful of times. The country has just one outdoor ice rink, and it’s found in Ushuaia, a Grand Forks-sized city that sits near the southern tip of South America.

As the rink is only open for a few months during Ushuaia’s winter — which is summer in the Northern Hemisphere — DiCicco found humor at the uniqueness of the situation.

“I remember taking an online exam at the end of August and sending my professor a picture of the rink, when it was snowing out,” she joked.

DiCicco also said she has taken advantage of some downtime at the games, traveling to the Italian alpine village of Bardonecchia to attend alpine skiing events.

Soaring to great heights

To many, the thought of flying long distances through the air on skis induces extreme anxiety. For Jones, however, it’s just another Monday (or any other day).

A native of Park City, Utah — host of the ski jumping, bobsled, luge and skeleton events during the 2002 Winter Olympics — Jones was introduced to the sport at a young age through a school program.

“I’ve been on downhill skis basically since I could walk and started ski jumping at the age of 9,” Jones said. “Park City has this program called ‘Get Out and Play,’ where they take elementary-aged children up to the Utah Olympic Park to try all these sports. I was drawn to it because when you’re young, there are a lot of opportunities to advance quickly. You start at a 5-meter jump, then advance to the 10, 20 and 40 meters. It was exciting to move up and jump farther and farther.”

After a successful junior career, Jones joined the U.S. Ski Team, making her first start on the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) World Cup circuit at 16. The FIS is the governing body for all the Olympic skiing disciplines, including alpine and cross-country skiing, ski jumping, freestyle skiing and snowboarding.

The FIS Ski Jumping World Cup is a grueling four-monthlong schedule, with stops in nine countries — primarily in Europe. Athletes compete on both a normal and large hill, measured by the hill’s “K-point,” or target landing zone. The normal hill’s K-point is set at 90 meters, while the large hill is 120.

Jones’ ultimate goal is to qualify for Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics, set to be held in the cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. She said that by scoring in the top 30 in World Cup events, she accumulates qualification points — with the team being announced about a month before the games.

“Having a spot at the Olympics is looking pretty promising,” she said. “I missed out on the 2022 games due to a pretty serious ankle injury, so it’s nice to have a second go at it.”

Jones also expressed excitement at competing in her first World Cup event on U.S. soil, when the circuit in February made a stop in Lake Placid, N.Y., host of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympic Games.

Balancing academics and athletics

Both DiCicco and Jones speak highly of UND’s learning environment, stating that it accommodates their often-hectic schedules.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had such a supportive academic group,” DiCicco said. “They really give me a lot of time and accommodation when I need it. The important thing is that I have an open line of communication, and the professors are very responsive.”

Still, DiCicco said, there are challenges to balancing academics and athletics. Advance communication with her instructors and time management is essential, as she spends a total of about six months each year traveling for competition and training.

“Forgetting I have a time difference is probably my biggest struggle,” DiCicco said. “But again, UND’s online program has been my saving grace. I’ve met other people through the program who are stationed throughout the world. It’s nice to have such a diverse community that supports each other and understands that life happens.”

Jones agreed and said that the program’s asynchronous format affords her some needed flexibility. That wasn’t the case at her previous university, where she had studied for three years before transferring to UND.

That school “won’t accommodate athletes who aren’t competing at the NCAA level,” Jones said. “I couldn’t advance any further in my degree there. What drew me to UND the most was how excited the department seemed to have me in their program.”

Despite living thousands of miles away from Grand Forks — as she spends part of the year in Lillehammer, Norway — Jones said she still feels connected to her classmates.

“I’m in sync with all of the students who are in person,” she said. “The online students aren’t separate from what’s happening in the physical classroom.”

Like DiCicco, Jones’ demanding travel, training and competition schedule requires meticulous time management.

“It takes a bit of planning ahead,” she said. “During the World Cup season, I’m generally traveling every Monday and Thursday, which means all my meetings must be done on Tuesday or Wednesday. I also must be willing to work whenever and wherever I have the time — whether that’s on an airplane, or in the back of a van.”

####

>> Questions or comments about the UND LEADS Strategic Plan? Your thoughts are welcome! Please contact Mike Wozniak, coordinator of Leadership & Programming, and/or Ryan Zerr, associate vice president for Strategy & Implementation, the co-chairs of the UND LEADS Implementation Committee. You also may offer your thoughts by visiting the UND LEADS Strategic Plan home page and clicking on the “Provide your feedback” link.

Thank you for your support of the UND LEADS Strategic Plan!