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St. Mary’s Law Online J.D. student represented U.S. in 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics

Law
April 10, 2026

Winter Olympian

Story by Catherine Deyarmond

Photo by PA Images/Alamy

The St. Mary’s University School of Law cheered on a special Team USA athlete in the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics in Italy. Online J.D. student Winter Vinecki from Gaylord, Michigan, placed sixth in the women’s freestyle skiing aerials competition in February.

Aerials is a high-flying acrobatic discipline in which athletes speed down a steep inrun, launch off a near-vertical kicker and execute multiple flips and twists up to 50 feet in the air.

Named for her parents’ favorite season in Northern Michigan, she was first introduced to aerial skiing when she was 12. At age 17, she was named to the U.S. national ski team in 2016. She made her Olympic debut at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Vinecki began the St. Mary’s Law Online J.D. Program in Fall 2023. While pursuing her professional athletic career, she has continued advancing her legal studies toward her J.D.

watch vinecki’s competition highlight
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ONLINE J.D. Program

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