Bates Bobcast Episode 184: Catching up with two-time Olympian Nancy Ingersoll Fiddler ’78

Nancy Ingersoll Fiddler '78 was a pioneer in more ways than one during her time as a Bobcat. She joined the field hockey team as a first-year in 1974. Then that spring, she led the charge to start a women’s lacrosse program at Bates. As a sophomore, she joined a young Bates women’s Nordic skiing program despite having no experience with the sport. But she immediately started winning every race, eventually becoming Bates’ first female All-American in 1978. Before she was done at Bates, Ingersoll Fiddler led the way in starting a women’s cross country club, which earned varsity status soon-after. 10 years after she graduated, Ingersoll-Fiddler qualified for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Nordic skiing. She followed that up by qualifying again in 1992. A 14-time United States national champion, Ingersoll-Fiddler was one of the top 20 Nordic skiers in the world for many years. Her daughter, Laurel Fiddler, also competed for the Bates Nordic team, graduating in 2017. A 2016 inductee into the Maine Ski Hall of Fame, Ingersoll-Fiddler joins the Bobcast to reflect on her remarkable career.