5'4"
30
Brookfield, CT
Clarkson University (BS), University of Washington (PhD)
Classification: LW11.5
Nicole Zaino suffered a stroke at age 8 that resulted in paralysis on the left side of her body. Despite this challenge, she remained active throughout her childhood, playing piano and clarinet and taking up dancing like her sisters.
After graduating from Clarkson University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Biomedical Engineering, Zaino moved to Seattle to pursue graduate studies at the University of Washington. While working toward her PhD in Mechanical Engineering, she sought an adaptive sports program to join and was introduced to sled hockey in 2019. She spent four years as a member of the Seattle Kraken sled hockey team, developing the propelling motion and upper-body strength that would later translate to sit skiing. While she enjoyed the camaraderie of sled hockey, Zaino wasn't fond of the physical contact inherent in the sport and began considering other adaptive athletic pursuits.
In February 2022, Zaino tried sit skiing for the first time and immediately fell in love with the sport. Zaino competed in her first para Nordic skiing race at the U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing Sit Ski Nationals at Soldier Hollow in January 2023.
After earning her doctorate, Zaino relocated to Bozeman, Montana, where U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing is based at Crosscut Mountain Sports Center. The move allowed her to train full-time alongside other sit skiers, including development team members Ty Wiberg and Michael Kneeland. Zaino credits training with teammates as crucial to her development, learning technique and race strategy by watching other sit skiers and discussing their approaches to maneuvering and line selection. She also trained regularly with Paralympic champion Oksana Masters during the summer of 2023, mountainboarding together on a weekly basis when their training schedules aligned.
Zaino's first full season training in Bozeman during 2023-24 produced remarkable results. In late February 2024, she received the news that she had qualified for the World Cup season finale in Prince George, British Columbia. Despite initial nerves, Zaino competed in three races over four days, finishing fourth in the middle-distance biathlon, sixth in the middle-distance cross-country race, and fifth in the cross-country sprint.
During the 2024-25 season, Zaino earned a spot on the U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing development team roster. She continued to demonstrate steady improvement throughout the season, competing at the U.S. Cross-Country Ski Championships at Soldier Hollow where she advanced to the finals of the sit ski sprint alongside Paralympic gold medalists Oksana Masters, Kendall Gretsch, Dan Cnossen, Josh Sweeney, and Aaron Pike.
Zaino represented the United States at the 2025 IBU Para Biathlon World Championships in Pokljuka, Slovenia, her first world championships appearance. Competing against the world's top sit skiers, she finished eighth in the sprint, sixth in the individual race and posted competitive results across multiple disciplines. She also competed at the Paralympic test event in Val di Fiemme, Italy, where she placed in the top 10 in multiple events.
Throughout the 2025-26 season, Zaino continued her upward trajectory with strong performances at world cup events in Canmore, Finsterau, Notschrei, and Jakuszyce. Her consistent results and demonstrated improvement earned her selection to the 12-athlete U.S. team for the Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. Zaino trains year-round, focusing on poling technique, climbing, and building endurance during the offseason while using roller skis and mountainboards to maintain her conditioning on local roads with significant elevation gain. Zaino also brings her analytical mind to her athletic training, applying principles of biomechanics to understand how to propel herself across the snow more efficiently.
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