CARRABASSETT VALLEY – Two years ago, as Carrabassett Valley Academy sophomores, Kristin Waddle, Katie Houser and Emma Coffin were entrusted with the privileged task of forerunners at the U.S. Alpine Championships.

Three wide-eyed girls milled around the hill for a week, having helmets autographed and dreams fulfilled.

Hey, that’s Bode Miller. Look over there, it’s Kirsten Clark. No way, I just walked past Ted Ligety and Julia Mancuso.

“We were young to be on the same course and in the same atmosphere as those people,” said Houser, a native of Falmouth Foreside whose family now lives in Marblehead, Mass. “It seemed like such a big deal just to forerun back then. It’s kind of crazy to think about that now that we’re racing.”

Following the wide, world-class tracks left behind by CVA pioneers Miller and Clark, four students will navigate Narrow Gauge with that same, admittedly star-struck look but a far greater intensity when the national championships return to Sugarloaf/USA next weekend.

Waddle, Houser and Coffin each qualified for the women’s nationals by earning the only three available qualifying spots at the T.D. Banknorth Eastern Cup Championships at the ‘Loaf earlier this month.

“It’s definitely a surprise for me,” said Coffin, originally from Cumberland. “Getting autographs might be a little odd this time.”

Ben Morse, still only a sophomore at CVA, scored an invitation to the men’s championship with this third-place slalom finish last week in the J2 Nationals at Aspen, Colo. Morse also finished eighth in giant slalom and in the top 20 of both speed events.

“I remember two years ago watching, and I remember dreaming that in five or 10 years it would happen,” Morse said of winning a spot on the national stage. “Everything is rolling really quickly now.”

Waddle won the overall Eastern Cup title, with Houser and Coffin also in the top four.

The only other girl in the lead quartet was already a qualifier for nationals, giving CVA a clean sweep of the last-minute invitations.

“It’s very overwhelming, very exciting that I actually get to compete and race against the best,” said Waddle, of Harpswell. “I wanted to pursue my passion in racing, but I never actually thought I’d make it this far.”

Exceeding expectations is nothing new for the senior classmates.

None of the girls flying the CVA banner arrived at nationals with the fanfare that often accompanied their most famous female predecessor at the school in the Alpine realm, Olympian and World Cup mainstay Clark.

“It’s a special moment for them. They were never really expected to make these results and qualify for nationals,” CVA women’s Alpine coach Martin Gray said in a school news release. “Many times we have athletes that are expected to be there. With these girls, it’s a real accomplishment for them.”

Headlines are nothing new for Morse, who has backed up a brilliant freshman campaign in which he captured the title at the K2 Canadian Championships.

Morse’s aspirations to begin this climb took shape during a trip with his father to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

“We drove out there, just he and I. I was probably about 10 years old,” said Morse. “Seeing Bode and Kirsten and all those team members, that was really cool. You’re able to see the fruit on the other end of all the hard work here.”

Sugarloaf’s status as a player on the international scene — hosting the nationals for the second time in three years and such pivotal events as the Eastern Cup — isn’t lost on the CVA students.

The women’s competitors recognize the mountain’s role in both this watershed moment and in preparing them for the next segment of their skiing careers.

“It seems as we get older, more and more races seem to be coming to Sugarloaf,” Coffin said. “It’s good to have it for training as well as the home hill in the various events, to have that advantage.”