Jan. 19, 2006
Vermont Ski Team Starts Season at Colby Carnival This Weekend
VERMONT SKIING NOTEBOOK
The Vermont ski team starts its season this weekend at the Colby
Carnival at Sugarloaf in Carrabassett Valley, Maine, on Friday, Jan 20.
Last season the Catamounts won five of six regular season carnivals
before winning the EISA Championships and finishing second at the NCAA
Championships in Stowe, Vt.
SCHEDULE CHANGE … This weekend’s alpine events have been postponed for
Friday because high winds knocked out power that affects the timing
system and the communications from the start and finish lines. The
nordic events will stay on schedule with racing Friday and Saturday.
The nordic teams will compete in the classic sprint on Friday starting
at 9am. The alpine racing now begins on Saturday with the giant slalom
and the nordic skiers will finish up their competition with the
freestyle mass start (20K for men, 15K for women). The slalom racing
for the alpine skiers has been moved to Sunday. Dartmouth, New
Hampshire, Middlebury, Williams, Bowdoin, Bates, St. Lawrence, and St.
Michael's will all be competing along with Vermont this weekend.
ALPINE TEAM AT TD BANKNORTH EASTERN CUP … The Vermont alpine ski team
recently tuned up for the 2006 season at the TD Banknorth Eastern Cup
in Waterville Valley, N.H., (women’s team) and Stowe, Vt. (men’s team).
The TD Banknorth Eastern Cup is the premier race series in the eastern
United States. On Sunday, Jan. 8, in Waterville Valley, N.H., the
Catamounts took the top three spots in the slalom. Senior tri-captain
Hilary McCloy (Sunapee, N.H.) won the race, while fellow senior Jaime
Kingsbury (Waitsfield, Vt.), the defending women’s national champion in
the GS, finished second and sophomore Jilyne McDonald (Bellevue, Wash.)
was third. Senior Amy Cochran (Keene, N.H.) was also in the top-10
finishing sixth. On Tuesday, Jan. 10, Vermont again took the top three
spots at the Eastern Cup, this time in the giant slalom. McDonald
finished first, while McCloy was second and Cochran third. Sophomore
Ashley Spina (Guildhall, Vt.) picked up a ninth-place finish. On the
men’s side in Stowe, Vt., on Sunday, Jan. 8, four Catamounts had top-10
finishes in the slalom. Senior tri-captain Paul Epstein (Carlisle,
Mass.) led the way with a fourth-place finish. Freshman Brede Halsnes
(Sauda, Norway) finished in fifth-place, freshman Craig Leaman
(Waterville Valley, N.H.) was seventh and sophomore Brian Baritot
(Orchard Park, N.Y.) was ninth. The following day in the giant slalom
Epstein was the top Catamount with a fifth-place finish. In the third
and final day of competition, sophomore Greg Hardy (Stratton, Vt.), the
defending men’s national champion in the giant slalom, picked up a
second-place finish in the GS and Epstein finished fifth to earn his
third top-five finish of the week.
NORDIC TEAM AT TD BANKNORTH EASTERN CUP … The Vermont Nordic ski team
competed in the TD Banknorth Eastern Cup at the Trapp Family Lodge in
Stowe, Vt., on Dec. 17 and 18. The TD Banknorth Eastern Cup is the
premier race series in the eastern United States. On Saturday, Dec. 17
freshman Marion Solbjorg (Lillehammer, Norway) won the sprint
competition on day one of the Eastern Cup while senior Molly Gray
(Newbury, Vt.) finished fourth. In the men’s sprint competition on
Saturday freshman Juergen Uhl (Muhlenbach, Germany) took home top
honors and senior Ryan Foster (Weston, Vt.) finished third. On Sunday
Dec. 18 in the Senior Women 10K Freestyle Mass Start five different
Catamounts finished in the top 10: senior Emilia DeMarchis (Burlington
Vt.) finished third, junior Katrina Hamel (Southampton, Mass.) was
fifth, senior Kate Crawford (Hawley, Mass.) was seventh, senior Anja
Jokela (Shelburne, Vt.) was eighth and Solbjorg finished ninth. The
Senior Men 10K Freestyle Mass Start was also held on Sunday. Three
different Catamounts finished in the top 10: senior Anders Osthus
(Duluth, Minn.) finished fourth, Foster was fifth and Uhl finished
seventh.
ALL-AMERICANS … Last season the Catamounts had seven All-Americans:
Lowell Bailey ’05 (nordic), Amy Cochran (alpine), Paul Epstein
(alpine), Ethan Foster ‘05 (nordic), Greg Hardy (alpine), Jilyne
McDonald (alpine) and Jamie Kingsbury (alpine). Vermont has had a total
of 278 All-Americans in its ski history.
HEAD OF THE CLASS … The Vermont ski team has seven student-athletes on
the 2006 roster that were named NCAA Academic All-Americans last
season: Amy Cochran, Kate Crawford, Emilia DeMarchis, Molly Gray, Anja
Jokela and Hilary McCloy all earned the honor.
VERMONT CARNIVAL … The Vermont Ski Carnival is scheduled for Friday,
Feb. 3 and Saturday, Feb. 4 in Stowe, Vt. On Saturday after a day of
skiing or cheering on the Vermont Ski Team fans, friends and family are
invited to Stoweflake for an afternoon reception and family-friendly
activities such as sleigh rides and ice skating (bring your own
skates!). Alpine coach Bill Reichelt, nordic coach Alan Serrano and the
Vermont skiers will be on hand to join in the festivities. More details
are listed below:
Saturday, February 4, 2006
4pm – 6pm
Stoweflake Resort & Conference Center
1746 Mountain Road
Stowe, Vt.
Register online at alumni.uvm.edu/wintercarnival or by calling
1-888-458-8691. There is no cost for this event.
NCAA SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS … This year’s NCAA Ski Championships are in
Steamboat, Colo. The NCAA’s were last in Steamboat in 1993 and the
Catamounts took home a second place finish that year.
UNICEL TEXT MESSAGING: All UNICEL customers, receive scores for ALL the
Vermont teams via your cell phone. E-mail skiing contact Chris Wojcik
at [log in to unmask] to sign up.
-30-
Chris Wojcik
Assistant Director of Athletic Communications
University of Vermont
Phone: 802-656-1110
Fax: 802-656-8328
[log in to unmask]
http://www.uvmathletics.com
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