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The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Ski Team Heads to NCAA Champioships
3/4/2002 12:00 AM | Skiing
March 4, 2002
THIS WEEK: After wrapping up a competitive season, the University of Utah ski team is hoping for a run at its 11th national title at the NCAA ski championships in Anchorage, Alaska, Mar. 6-9. On Wednesday, competition will kick off with the men's and women's giant slalom events. Thursday's competition will feature the cross country men's 10-km and women's 5-km classical discipline. The alpine team will wrap up with the slalom on Friday, while the men's 20-km and women's 15-km freestyle will close out competition on Saturday.
PREVIEW: Utah is among the national skiing powerhouses, along with Denver, Colorado and Vermont. The NCAA Championships promise to be intense, with all four teams looking to add to their winning traditions.
After qualifying a full squad for nationals, the expectations for the Utes are high. Petra Svet and Jernej Bukovec are looking to repeat as NCAA slalom champions. Svet headlines the women's alpine team along with April Mancuso and Annik Boulva. Boulva marked a 13th-place finish at last year's championships while Mancuso finished 15th in last year's giant slalom. Mancuso has two giant slalom victories this season.
The men's alpine team relies on the returning leadership of Bukovec along with two newcomers. Pierre Olsson has two slalom victories this year and has earned a total of seven podium finishes. Josh Whitham has four top-10 showings in the giant slalom.
Petter Svendsen captains the men's cross country team and has consistently contributed top-five showings in the classic and top-10 performances in the skate. Olympian Torin Koos placed seventh in last year's classic competition, while junior Ryan Quinn will provide the Utes with depth.
A trio of first-year athletes will represent the women's cross country team. Jorunn Oye has a first-place victory and four second-place showings to her credit this season. She has been a top-10 competitor in every race of both disciplines. Sara Svendsen has earned seven top-five finishes and Jaana Kettunen has provided solid results for the Utes this season.
REVIEWING THE RMISA REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: The Utes held off a second-day charge by Denver to hold onto a second place finish behind Colorado. April Mancuso skied to victory in the women's giant slalom, while Pierre Olsson finished second in the men's. Annik Boulva, Petter Svendsen and Sara Svendsen each contributed fourth-place showings in their respective events.
QUOTING COACH KEVIN SWEENEY: "As a team, we have come together very well this season. I'm optimistic about our chances. This year's team is exciting. We have good NCAA experience and our young skiers have performed well all season. We need to put it all together and maintain our focus. I think that we are going to be very strong contenders for the title."
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