Upcoming Event: Skiing at 10K Classic (I) on January 4, 2026
Skiing
at 10K Classic (I)
The University of Utah Athletics
Skiers Head to NCAA Championships
6/21/1999 12:00 AM | Skiing
March 4, 1999
THIS WEEK:
The Utes will travel to compete in the NCAA Championships in Sunday, River, Maine from Mar. 10-13. Qualifiers from both east and west regions will meet to determine which team is the 1999 NCAA Champion. Bates College is the host for the week filled with meetings, ceremonies, and receptions to celebrate the annual event. The schedule for the competition is as follows.
CROSS COUNTRY Thursday, Mar. 11 Nordic Freestyle Races 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Saturday, Mar. 13 Nordic Classical Races 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.Results will be available immediately following the award ceremony which takes place at 1:00, on Saturday, Mar. 13.
ALPINE Wednesday, Mar. 10 Giant Slalom Races 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Friday, Mar. 12 Slalom Races 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
QUALIFIERS:
Utah was able to qualify a full team of skiers in each discipline. Here is a closer look of the individual qualifiers.
MEN'S ALPINE
Ryan Forsyth, Junior, Nanaimo, B.C., Canada
Forsyth earned All-America and all-conference honors in '97, and '98. In last year's NCAA Championship, he took sixth in the giant slalom. This year, Forsyth has been consistent for the Utes finishing in the top ten four times in the giant slalom, and twice in the slalom. His best Invitational of the year was the Western Regionals where he placed sixth in the slalom, and eighth in the giant slalom.
Markus Leunig, Junior, Wallerau, Switzerland
Last year, Leunig received both All-America and all-conference honors.
He came to Utah as a member of the Swiss National Ski Team as well as the National Developmental Team. This year, Leunig has been vital to the Utes in the slalom taking two top five finishes. He has also been consistent in the giant slalom earning four top ten finishes in '99.
Scott Woodland, Freshman, Anchorage, Alaska
Woodland was regarded as one of the top available American skiers out of last year's high school class. In his first year at the U., Woodland has exploded onto the collegiate scene. In all of the races he has finished, not once has he placed lower than eighth in either the slalom, or the giant slalom. He has taken three second place finishes, and only twice has he been outside of the top five finishers.
WOMEN'S ALPINE
Tina Kavcic, Senior, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Kavcic has been a three-time all-conference honoree, as well as earning All-America honors two times. In '98, she received the C.D. Reddish Memorial Award which is given for outstanding results. This year, Kavcic only has one finish outside of the top ten in both the slalom and giant slalom. Her best Invitational was at the Western Regional where she took fifth in the giant slalom, and sixth in the slalom.
Sabrina Lawrence, Sophomore, Olympic Valley, Calif.
As a freshman, Lawrence was very impressive earning both All-America and all-conference awards. She represented the Utes last year at the NCAA Championships, finishing sixth in the slalom, and seventh in the giant slalom. This year, Lawrence has two second place finishes in the slalom, and one third place finish in the giant slalom.
Liz Sherry, Freshman, New London, N.H.
In her first year of competition as a Ute, Sherry turned in four top five finishes. She also represented the University of Utah by competing in the World University Games earlier this year in Slovakia.
Sherry's best invitational this year was at Park City, where she took two third place finishes in the slalom and giant slalom respectively.
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Patrick Casey, Sophomore, Sun Valley, Idaho
This is Casey's second time in two years to qualify for the NCAA Championship. He was named as both an All-American and an all-conference skier as a freshman. Casey had the best race of his career on Feb. 20, at the Utah Invitational where he earned a second place finish in the freestyle cross country event.
Frode Kollerud, Junior, Drammen, Norway
Kollerud earned both All-American and all-conference honors as a freshman and a sophomore at Utah. In '98, he received the David Novell Outstanding Skier Award which is given to Utah's top male skier. Along with his brother Rune, he was named Utah Daily Chronicle Freshman Athlete of the Year in '97. This year has been as spectacular as the rest winning two races, and never finishing below seventh place.
Rune Kollerud, Junior, Drammen, Norway
Kollerud was named as All-American and all-conference in both of his first two years at Utah. In last year's NCAA Championships, Kollerud took third place in the classic cross country race, and second in the cross country skate. This year, Kollerud has his best results at the Western State Invitational where he took third in the freestyle cross country, and tied for second in the classic cross country with his brother, Frode.
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Kristina Joder, Sophomore, Landgrove, Vt.
Joder was a NCAA qualifier as a freshman, and returns for her second trip the championships this year as a sophomore. Before coming to Utah, she skied as a member of the U.S. Developmental Team, the U.S. Junior World team, and at the U.S. Junior Olympics. In '99, her best results were attained at the Utah Invitational where she placed twelth in the classic cross country, and tenth in the freestyle country skate.
Lene Pedersen, Freshman, Borg, Norway
Pedersen, in her first year at the U., is one of three freshman qualifiers for the NCAA Championships. Her best results came at the year's first competition at the Montana State Invitational. Pedersen took seventeenth in the classic cross country, and seventh in the freestyle cross country.
Hailey Wappett, Senior, Fairbanks, Alaska
Wappett received all-conference honors in both '97, and '98. As a junior, she received the Toril Forland Outstanding Skier Award, for the outstanding female skier. Last year, Wappett took fifth place in the freestyle skate at the NCAA Championships. She has four top ten finishes in the freestyle skate, including two fifth place marks.
COACHES QUOTES
Utah Ski Director Pat Miller:
"We haven't had a clean meet at all during our regular season. Consistency of results, as well as sickness have been major factors this year. We need to be at our best to even consider a podium result. Our team has risen to the challenge before, and I have hopes the tradition will continue. The first two days of events are our strongest disciplines. How we do early will definitely set the stage for the last four events."
Cross Country Coach Kevin Sweeney:
"It's been frustrating for everybody that we haven't been able to put it together to show our real potential. It has been hard that way. There is no question in my mind, and I know from experience, that anything can happen. I'm really excited about the NCAA being the place to put it all together. Its going to be an extremely interesting championship. It has been very tight all year long in the Western Region. We can't forget last year and how close it was. That will definitely be on everyone's mind. We have an advantage in having veterans who have skied in the east before. It will be interesting to see how it all unfolds."
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