Kyle Bratrud of Northern Michigan University has been named to the 2015 US Nordic World Ski Championship Team announced the US Ski Team on Monday. The World Championships will be held in Falun, Sweden between February 18th and March 1st.

NMU Head Coach Sten Fjeldheim said that Bratrud being named to the US World Championship Team is “really exciting,” adding, “the whole department is proud, the university is proud, and I’m proud. It will be a great experience for him—it’s sort of like a young kid going from the minors into the major league.” Bratrud is the lone NCAA competitor on the 2015 USA roster, a rare honor for a college skier. CCSA President Chad Salmela said that Bratrud being named to the team is “pretty special.”

Bratrud, a senior at Northern Michigan, is currently in Almaty, Kazakhstan training ahead of the U-23 World Championships held there between February 1st and 8th. Bratrud will now extend his stay overseas and travel to Sweden after the conclusion of the Under 23 Championships.

“Hopefully he will do the 15 k freestyle race [on February 25th] which will give him two weeks to prepare for the NCAA Championship,” said Fjeldheim. “We’re hoping it will be a win-win situation where he gets some good experience and comes back stronger for NCAA’s.”

“The whole CCSA is excited for him,” said Fjeldheim.