Ski Notes

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March 6, 2006

THIS WEEK:

The University of Utah ski team will challenge for its 12th National Team title at the 2006 NCAA National Skiing Championships, March 8-11. The championships will be hosted by the University of Colorado, Boulder. Racing venues are set for Howelsen Hill (XC) and Mt. Werner (AL) in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

For more information pertaining to the NCAA Skiing Championships, log on to www.cubuffs.com

NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE:

March 8 -- Men's and Women's Giant Slalom, Mt. WernerMarch 9 -- Men's and Women's 5/10-km Classical, Howelsen HillMarch 10 -- Men's and Women's Slalom, Mt. WernerMarch 11 -- Men's and Women's 15/20-km Freestyle, Howelsen Hill

NCAA ALPINE TEAM:

Men               WomenScott Veenis      Kim StephensGaspar Perricone  Erika HoganWill McDonald     Mikaela Grassl
*alternates: Ben Thornhill, Chelsea Laswell and Lauren Lattimer

NCAA NORDIC TEAM:

Men               WomenFabian Figi       Nicole NaefErik Gjomle       Ashley McQueenJess Kiesel       Sara Schweiger
*alternates: Anna Sprague and Linda Pettersson

NCAA TV COVERAGE:

This year's NCAA Skiing Championships will have highlights shown on CBS at 1 p.m. (ET), Saturday, April 22. CBS Sports Presents Championships of the NCAA will feature highlights of 17 different NCAA championships; each taking place during the winter season.

LAST WEEK:

After competing in this year's Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Skiing Association (RMISA) championships, the Ute skiers garnered a fifth-place overall team finish after the two day event. Utah amassed a total of 373 points, with Colorado (577) and New Mexico (547) claiming the top two podium finishes.

Highlighting the RMISA Championships/NCAA West Regionals was the announcement of freshman Scott Veenis as this season's men's alpine MVP honoree. The Massanutten, Virginia native has recorded five podium finishes and eight top-10 performances this season, while being ranked No. 1 in the giant slalom and No. 2 in the slalom according to the RMISA. Senior Will McDonald skied fifth in the GS, marking his fourth top-10 finish this season. Senior All-American Erika Hogan blazed her way to a season-best fourth-place performance in the SL, while teammate Mikaela Grassl qualified for the third slot on the NCAA roster with her seventh-place finish in the SL.

Junior Nicole Naef spearheaded the women's cross country team, placing third in the 15-km skate event. With four years of collegiate racing experience, senior Ashley McQueen made the three skier cut for this year's NCAAs and contributed an 11th-place performance in the skate.

The men's nordic squad battled with its limited roster, headlined by junior Fabian Figi's results in the 10-km classical. The Betschwanden, Switzerland native took 16th, while teammate Erik Gjomle rallied to 22nd.

RMISA CHAMPIONSHIPS/NCAA WEST REGIONAL STANDINGS:

1. Colorado                 5772. New Mexico               5473. Denver                   5334. Alaska-Anchorage         465.55. Utah                     3736. Montana State            3457. Nevada                   336.58. Western State            226.59. Whitman                  21610. Boise State              66

2006 RMISA SEASON MVP:

Alpine Men - Scott Veenis UUAlpine Women - Lucie Zikova CU
Nordic Men - Rene Reisshauer DUNordic Women - Maria Grevsgard CU

QUOTING HEAD COACH Eli Brown:

"The team is very excited about the upcoming championships in Steamboat, Colo. Last weekend, we were able to qualify a full team for the NCAA National Championships. There are only three teams in the West that were able to accomplish this: Utah, Denver, and New Mexico. There are also only three teams in the East that have full teams as well: Middlebury, Dartmouth, and Vermont."

"We are going into the NCAAs with a clean slate. It's different when all the extra skiers are taken out and each team just gets three skiers per team or less. Its a whole new ball game and if everything goes right, we will be on that podium!"

"We've had some good results already this year at Steamboat, Colo. (CU Invite) and we are confident about the hill and trails there. It should be a good week for Utah!"

QUOTING ALPINE HEAD COACH Jaka Korencan:

"I'm excited about the team we qualified for the NCAA Championships. They are all healthy and ready to fight. We have a lot of potential and I believe we can surprise many people in Steamboat, Colo. All three guys are capable of winning individual championship titles in both events. All three women going to NCAAs have proven themselves in the last couple of weeks and they have the potential to be on the top of the podium. Our team is strong this season and with a little bit of luck we can do extremely well as a team."

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.

INVITED TEAMS:

Below is the list of schools and number of skiers in each discipline that count in the final scoring of the NCAA Championships:

Institution       M. AL    W. AL    M. XC    W. XC    TotalAlaska Anchorage    1        3        3        2        9Alaska Fairbanks    0        0        3        2        5Bates               2        3        2        1        8Boise State         0        1        0        0        1Colby               2        1        0        0        3Colorado            2        3        3        3       11Dartmouth           3        3        3        3       12Denver              3        3        3        3       12Gustavus Adolphus   0        0        0        1        1Michigan Tech       0        0        1        1        2Middlebury          3        3        3        3       12Montana State       1        1        2        2        6Nevada              3        1        1        3        8New Hampshire       3        3        0        1        7New Mexico          3        3        3        3       12Northern Michigan   0        0        1        2        3St. Lawrence        0        0        1        0        1St. Olaf            0        0        1        0        1Utah                3        3        3        3       12Vermont             3        3        3        3       12Western State       1        0        3        1        5Whitman             0        0        0        1        1Williams            2        1        0        0        3Wisconsin-Green Bay 0        0        0        1        1

NCAA RANKED UTE SKIERS:

Men's Alpine Team          GS       SLScott Veenis               2        3Gaspar Perricone           19       8Will McDonald              8        17Ben Thornhill              15       20
Women's Alpine Team:       GS       SLErika Hogan                21       7Kim Stephens               9        22Mikaela Grassl             22       13Chelsea Laswell            15       21Lauren Lattimer            23       29
Men's Nordic Team:         FS       CLFabian Figi                13       13Erik Gjomle                17       14Jess Kiesel                19       18
Women's Nordic Team:       FS       CLNicole Naef                5        11Sara Schweiger             19       8Ashley McQueen             11       22Linda Pettersson           29       15Anna Sprague               23       25

SKIER OF THE WEEK:

Veenis was honored Skier of the Week after the Alaska-Anchorage Invite (Jan. 11-12), where the newcomer won the GS event and grabbed third in the SL.

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 season after crashing during the SL event at the Montana State Invite and re-injuring his left shoulder. The Girdwood, Alaska native is hopeful to rejoin the team next 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

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)

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

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Players Mentioned

Fabian Figi

Fabian Figi

Erik Gjomle

Mikaela Grassl

Mikaela Grassl

Erika Hogan

Jess Kiesel

Kyle Kung

Chelsea Laswell

Chelsea Laswell

Lauren Lattimer

Will McDonald

Ashley McQueen

Nicole Naef

Gaspar Perricone

Linda Pettersson

Sara Schweiger

Sara Schweiger

Anna Sprague

Kim Stephens

Ben Thornhill

Scott Veenis

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

Ski Notes

Players Mentioned

Fabian Figi

Fabian Figi

Erik Gjomle

Mikaela Grassl

Mikaela Grassl

Erika Hogan

Jess Kiesel

Kyle Kung

Chelsea Laswell

Chelsea Laswell

Lauren Lattimer

Will McDonald

Ashley McQueen

Nicole Naef

Gaspar Perricone

Linda Pettersson

Sara Schweiger

Sara Schweiger

Anna Sprague

Kim Stephens

Ben Thornhill

Scott Veenis

Scott Veenis

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