Scheduled to be held from March 22 to 24, the event will be in conjunction with U.S. Biathlon National Championships.

"This has become an important initiative for us as we aim to give credibility to those institutions who recruit biathletes as Nordic ski racers and support their desire to juggle both sports, while also giving credibility to those biathletes who may not be competing for a collegiate institution in skiing, but are committed to working towards a degree while training and competing in biathlon," U.S. Biathlon director of sport development John Farra said.

The National Federation hopes the inaugural event will help recognise biathlon athletes at collegiate level.

A Collegiate Advisory Working Group is responsible for ensuring the eligibility criteria is in line with that of the International University Sports Federation (FISU).

The sprint race at the event will also allow athletes to compete for the national title.

The United States currently has more than 30 collegiate biathletes at 13 colleges and universities.

The top three athletes per gender will be recognised by the governing body.

The top two athletes' scores will be used to select the best collegiate team.

"Having the opportunity to race internationally in biathlon, collegiately in cross-country skiing, and complete an undergraduate degree is something I hope more biathletes can experience," said Bjorn Westervelt, national team and University of Vermont Nordic Ski Team member.

"I've been very fortunate to have great coaches with U.S. Biathlon that support my desire to do it all.

"And I hope the new efforts by U.S. Biathlon shows other young biathletes that you can be both a successful student and athlete."