News release date: March 10, 1997

Whitman Ski Teams Raise Success Level
to New Heights with National Titles

In the biggest upset in four days of competition, the Whitman women's alpine team won the slalom event and wrested the alpine combined title away from heavily favored Sierra Nevada College, which hosted the championships.

It was the first time since 1991 that Sierra Nevada, which stocks its alpine rosters with World Cup skiers from around the globe, had failed to win the women's alpine title.

Not to be outdone, the Whitman men's cross country ski team whipped the Air Force Academy, the defending champion, in three straight events to capture the cross country combined title. Whitman also made strong showings in the men's alpine and women's cross country events, placing second in the battle for those national crowns.

All things considered, Whitman made a mockery of the men's and women's 4-way competitions, which are based on combined results from two cross country and two alpine events. The Missionary men and women easily captured their third consecutive 4-way national crowns.

As individuals, Whitman skiers brought home two dozen All-American awards. Five Missionary skiers earned Academic All-American honors. All in all, it was the best week in the history of a ski program that has enjoyed more than its share of success during the 1990s.

"It was a phenomenal week for Whitman," alpine ski coach Tom Olson said. "Every time there was an awards ceremony Whitman skiers were on the podium. We were the only school with that kind of presence."

Whitman staged its most dramatic triumph in the women's slalom. After winning the giant slalom event earlier in the week, Sierra Nevada also took a commanding lead after the first run in the slalom. When three of Sierra Nevada's top skiers fell on their second run, however, a young Whitman team had the poise to capitalize.

Ingrid Backstrom, a freshman from Seattle, Wash., led the charge, placing third on her second slalom run to finish eighth overall. Two more freshmen, Heidi Reifenstein (Juneau, Alaska) and Amy Johnson (Cheshire, Connecticut), placed 11th and 14th, respectively, in the 90-skier field. As a group, the Missionary trio scored well enough to claim the slalom title by a wide margin over second-place Boston College. "What a great Cinderella story for Whitman," Olson said. "Our women beat Sierra Nevada and its Europeans on their home hill. That had to be the most memorable day of my 17 years of coaching."

By winning the slalom and placing third in the earlier giant slalom, the Whitman women actually finished in a first-place tie with Boston College for the alpine combined title. That deadlock broke in Whitman's favor, however, based on the place points of each school's top three finishers. Reifenstein had placed fifth for Whitman in the giant slalom.

Oddly enough, the Whitman women also edged Boston College in 1988 when the Missionaries claimed the first alpine title in school history.

Peter French, a sophomore from Bend, Oregon, led the Whitman men's cross country team to its national title last week. With the Missionaries winning all three events, French placed first in the 15-kilometer classic event, finished second in the 10-kilometer freestyle, and then skied the opening leg on Whitman's victorious relay team.

That gave French a clear-cut claim to the individual cross country combined title. One of his teammates, Cory Root, a freshman from Dillon, Colo., placed fourth in both the classic and freestyle events and finished in a three-way tie for second place in the individual scoring.

"I knew we had some talent and that we were strong contenders," Whitman cross country coach Chris Hinderman said. "But our guys won all three events, and they did the job in the clutch each time. It was great. It was beyond what you could expect or dare to hope for."

Paced by Andy Olsson, a junior from Bellevue, Wash., the Whitman men's alpine team placed second in the giant slalom and third in the slalom. Sierra Nevada and its World Cup skiers won both men's events to claim their seventh straight alpine title.

Olsson, a graduate of the Whiteman School in Steamboat Springs, Colo., placed fifth in the slalom and seventh in the giant slalom. Charlie Woodruff, a Missionary freshman who also graduated from the Whiteman School, placed eighth in the giant slalom. Mike Craven, a junior from Spokane, Wash., gave Whitman an eighth-place showing in the slalom.

Earlier in the year, the Whitman men's and women's alpine teams won their fourth consecutive Northwest Conference ski titles. Olsson won five of the six men's events he entered, while Reifenstein won all four giant slalom events on the conference slate.

Two Whitman freshmen led Whitman's effort in the women's cross country events last week at nationals. Emily Nelson (Anchorage, Alaska) placed fourth in the classic event and sixth in the freestyle. Taylor Dale (Crested Butte, Colo.) was fifth in both events. Nelson and Dale teamed with Kirsten Pattinson, a senior from Portland, Oregon, to place second in the women's relay event behind the Air Force Academy.

The five Whitman skiers honored with Academic All-American recognition last week included Nelson, Dale, Craven and McMahon. Zach Vestal (Boise, Idaho), a senior and member of the men's cross country team, also was honored as an Academic All-American, although he decided against competing at nationals this season. Vestal won a national title in the freestyle event two years ago.

CONTACTS:

Tom Olson, Whitman Director of Skiing, (509) 527-5844
Email Address: olson@whitman.edu

Dave Holden, Whitman Sports Information, (509) 527-5902
Email Address: holden@whitman.edu