Ski Notes

Jan. 31, 2006

THIS WEEK:

The University of Utah alpine team will finalize the second-half of the Colorado Invitational, skiing in the both slalom and giant slalom events on Feb. 3-4. These downhill races will be held at Mount Werner and Howelsen Hill resorts.

ALPINE EVENT SCHEDULE:

Feb.  3  Women's GS (Mt. Werner; 9:30 & 12:15)Feb.  3  Men's SL (Howelsen Hill; 5:00 & 7:30)Feb.  4  Men's GS (Mt. Werner; 9:30 & 12:15)Feb.  4  Women's GS (Howelsen Hill; 5:00 & 7:30)

LAST WEEK:

Currently, the Utes are sitting in fifth place after finishing two days of cross country events. Utah needs 51 points to surpass the defending NCAA champion Denver and climb to a podium spot.

On the women's nordic side, Utah finished third overall in the 15-km freestyle and fourth in the 5-km classical. Junior Nicole Naef led the way with a third-place finish in the FS and seventh in the CL.

The men's squad had trouble in the 10-km CL, as junior Fabian Figi was unable to finish after a severe asthma attack. The team managed to finish seventh, after only having two skiers complete the race. The Ute pack made an impressive fifth-place comeback finish the following day in the 20-km FS, headlined by Figi's 11th-place performance.

COLORADO INVITATIONAL STANDINGS:

1. Colorado             3212. New Mexico           2653. Denver               2614. Alaska-Anchorage     2255. Utah                 2106. Nevada               1957. Montana State        1588. Western State        1129. Wyoming               5810. Whitman              5411. Boise State           0

QUOTING HEAD ALPINE COACH Jaka Korencan:

"For the CU Invite, I definitely have high expectations for both the women and men alpine teams. For the past two weeks we were extremely lucky with the weather and snow conditions in Park City, so we had a great block of training. I think that everyone on the team feels stronger and we are going into these races with more confidence.

"After the nordic races, we are sitting in fifth place, with a solid performance from both sides of the team. Placing three women and three men in the top 10 will give us a great chance of reaching the podium. I know that both the men and women are capable of strong performances and with a little bit of luck, we can definitely reach the podium."

SCHOOL VICTORIES IN NCAA WEST SKI INVITATIONAL:

*Utah          52.5Colorado       36Denver         19New Mexico      9*Wyoming        7.5
(*--Wyoming and Utah tied for the 1985 title at the Wyoming Invite)

SCORING REGULATIONS:

The NCAA team scoring system for skiing will be implemented: each school can designate up to six potential scorers, with the three top finishes counting toward the overall team score. First place receives 30 points, second 29, third 28, etc. If a fourth or fifth individual from one team finishes in a scoring position, the points to be awarded to that place are awarded to the next skier who is not a fourth or fifth skier from a team. In case of a tie, the tying skiers are awarded the average of the points designated for the tied position plus the points for the next place of finish.

2006 SKI RACING MAGAZINE PRESEASON RANKINGS:

1. University of Denver2. University of Colorado3. University of New Mexico4. University of Vermont5. University of Utah6. University of Alaska-Anchorage7. Middlebury College8. Northern Michigan University9. University of Nevada10. Dartmouth College11. University of Wyoming

RETURNING ALL-AMERICAN:

Senior Thornhill is the sole returning first-team All-American after skiing sixth in the GS at the 2005 NCAA Skiing Championships. The British Columbia, Canada native is a two-time NCAA GS champion after winning the event in '03 and '04.

INJURY REPORT:

Freshman alpine skier Kyle Kung will be out for the Colorado Invite after crashing during the slalom event at the Montana State Invite and injuring his shoulder. The Girdwood, Alaska native will be questionable for the duration of the 2006 season.

Junior nordic skier Casey Simons recently underwent surgery and will miss duration of the 2006 season. The Park City, Utah native competed in the NCAAs as a sophomore and will rejoin the team next year.

Senior alpine racer Andi Wieser will redshirt in '06. The Nova Gorica, Slovenia native missed the entire '05 ski season due to a knee injury and is expected to return to the squad next season.

UTE NEWCOMERS:

-Nordic Recruits:Erik GjomleFabian FigiLinda PetterssonSara Schweiger
-Alpine Recruits:Kyle KungScott VeenisErika HoganChelsea LaswellMikaela Grassl

INVITED TEAMS:

University of Alaska, Anchorage       University of Nevada RenoMontana State University              University of UtahUniversity of Colorado                Western State CollegeUniversity of Denver                  Whitman CollegeUniversity of New Mexico              Boise State UniversityUniversity of Wyoming

NEXT WEEK:

Utah will compete in the Western State Invitational, Feb. 11-12. This will be the final invite before the West Regional Championships. These events will be skied at Crested Butte, Colo. Race times are all day.

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Players Mentioned

Fabian Figi

Erik Gjomle

Mikaela Grassl

Erika Hogan

Kyle Kung

Chelsea Laswell

Linda Pettersson

Sara Schweiger

Scott Veenis

Completed Event: Skiing versus 20K Freestyle (M) on March 8, 2025 , , 1st

Completed Event: Skiing versus Giant Slalom on March 7, 2025 , , 1st

Completed Event: Skiing versus 7.5K Classic (I) on March 6, 2025 , , 3rd

Completed Event: Skiing versus Slalom on March 5, 2025 , , T-3rd

Completed Event: Skiing versus Slalom on February 22, 2025 , , 1st

Completed Event: Skiing versus 20K Freestyle (M) on February 22, 2025 , , 1st

Completed Event: Skiing versus 7.5K Classic (I) on February 21, 2025 , , 1st

Completed Event: Skiing at Slalom on February 21, 2025 , , 2nd

Completed Event: Skiing versus Giant Slalom on February 20, 2025 , , 1st