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Catamounts Sweep Giant Slalom in Day One of NCAA Ski Championship

For complete results please visit the UVM Athletics web site at
http://www.uvmathletics.com and click on the NCAA Ski Championship button on
the left margin

STOWE, Vt. - The University of Vermont swept the men's and women's giant slalom
races to take a 30 point lead over Colby College on the first day of
competition at the 2005 NCAA Ski Championship at Stowe Mountain Resort in
Stowe, Vermont.


The Catamounts took advantage of skiing on their home hill and poor weather
conditions, which included wind gusts of over 50 miles and hour and below zero
temperatures.


In the women's giant slalom, Vermont junior Jamie Kingsbury (Waitsfield, Vt.)
won her second national chaionship in three years. Kingsbury, who also earned
her third All-American citation, won the race by two seconds, posting a time of
1:55.03. Kingsbury is the first Catamount to win two national championships in
the women's giant slalom and just the fourth athlete in the history of the
program.


Abbi Lathrop of Colby College finished second with a time of 1:57.53 and
Dartmouth's Courtney Calise was third (1:57.53). Florence Roujas and April
Mancuso of Denver finished 4-5, with times of 1:57.94 and 1:58.00,
respectively.


Overall, the Catamounts went 1-6-8 in the event as freshman Jilyne McDonald
(Bellevue, Wash.) and junior Amy Cochran (Keene, N.H.) finished sixth and
eighth to earn All-America honors in their first NCAA appearances.


“It's nice to be in the winners circle for sure,” said Kingsbury. “It was hard
snow and I like the hard snow. I had a good lead so for the second run I just
wanted to make it down without any major mistakes.”


In his first NCAA appearance, Vermont freshman Greg Hardy (Stratton, Vt.) won
his first race of the year with a time of 1:45.49 to earn a national
championship in the men's giant slalom. Hardy was second after the first run of
the day (52.21) and used a solid second run (53.28) to take over first place.
Hardy is the third Catamount since 2000 to win the national championship in the
men's giant slalom.


Warner Nickerson of Colby College finished second by two-tenths of a second
(1:45.51) and Charles Christianson of Williams College was third (1:46.02).
Lars Loeseth Sunde of the defending national champion New Mexico squad was the
top skier from the West in the event. He finished fifth overall with a time of
1:46.09. Vermont's Paul Epstein (Carlisle, Mass.) finished 10th to earn
All-America honors, posting a time of 1:46.94.


Kingsbury and Hardy are the second duo two sweep the giant slalom event at the
NCAA's in Vermont history. Former standouts John Minahan and current assistant
coach Erica MacConnell swept the giant slalom in 2001.


The 2005 NCAA Ski Championship continues on Thursday, March 10 with the men's
10K classical (9:30am) and the women's 5K classical (11:30am) at the Trapp
Family Lodge.

Vermont Athletic Communications