The men's and women's alpine ski teams began pursuit of their seventh straight Northwest Collegiate Ski Conference (NCSC) titles with a pair of giant slalom victories at Brundage Mountain near McCall, Idaho.
The women rolled to a big victory, sweeping the top four individual places and finishing a full 17 seconds ahead of their nearest competitor in the team scoring. The men won their event, which was limited to one run down the hill because of heavy fog, by nearly five seconds.
"Both teams did very well today considering the fact we've only had about 12 days on snow," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "We've had four days of training, this gives us four days of competition, and we probably had another four days of free skiing."
Whitman's Eva Cardova (Banska Bysterica, Slovakia / Gould Academy, Bethel ME) recovered her skis just in time to win the women's event with a total time of 113.68 seconds for her two runs. Cardova returned to the Whitman campus from Slovakia earlier in the week, only to find that her skis had been misplaced by the airline. The skis were located and shipped to McCall in time for Saturday's race.
Heidi Reifenstein (Auke Bay AK, Juneau-Douglas HS) initiated a new set of skis by placing second in 118.26. Ingrid Backstrom (Seattle WA, Highline HS/Burien) used a strong second run to slip into third place with a total time of 118.55. Teammate Dana Wong (Vancouver BC, York House School) was a close fourth in 118.70.
Whitman freshman Christina Post (Ketchum ID, Community School/Sun Valley) placed 11th in the field of more than 60 skiers. Her total time was 124.48.
Shanna Sweitzer, who was in second place overall after the first run, skied off course on her second run as heavy fog rolled in. "You literally couldn't see the next gate in front of you," Olson said.
The Whitman women won the women's team scoring with a total time of 350.49 seconds for its top three finishers. Albertson College took second with 367.78 seconds. Seattle University was third, the University of Puget Sound fourth, and the University of Idaho fifth. A total of 12 women's teams competed.
In the abbreviated men's event, Trevor Glaser of Eastern Oregon University won the first run -- and the event itself -- with a time of 53.17 seconds. Whitman's Doug Whitfield, who is from Australia originally, was second in 54.17 and one of his teammates, Charlie Woodruff (Steamboat Springs CO, Whiteman School), was third in 54.68.
Also placing high for the Missionaries were Matt Johanson (Harris MN, North Branch HS), fifth, 55.61; Arne Backstrom, seventh, 55.94; and Jay Brown, 10th, 56.68. Tyler Staggs placed 15th in 57.41 and Doug Ludlow was 25th in 59.62.
Whitman won the men's scoring with a total time of 164.46 for its top three racers. Albertson finished second with a time of 169.19. Eastern Oregon was third, Seattle fourth, and the University of Oregon fifth. There were a total of 13 schools competing.
Olson said race officials tried to include a second run for the men and actually ran 17 racers down the hill despite the heavy fog. But when about half of the first 17 competitors skied off course due to the poor visibility, they canceled the second run.
The women's and men's alpine ski teams solidified their early lead in the Northwest Collegiate Ski Conference standings with two more impressive giant slalom performances on Sunday. As they did Saturday, the Missionary women swept the top four individual places in dominating their Sunday competition, while the men's squad added its second comfortable victory in two days.
Eva Cardova and Heidi Reifenstein finished one-two again on Sunday. Cordova won the event with a time of 114.22 seconds for her two runs. Reifenstein was second in 116.86 seconds.
Whitman's Dana Wong and Ingrid Backstrom flip-flopped places from the day before, with Wong taking third in 117.10 and Backstrom placing fourth in 117.63. Freshman Christina Post finished in 14th place in 123.53.
After winning Sunday's first run, Whitman's Shanna Sweitzer fell on the second run and failed to finish. Sweitzer also fell on Saturday's second run.
The Missionary women won the team scoring with a time of 348.18 seconds for their top three placers. Albertson College was second with a team time of 360.00.
In the men's racing, Eastern Oregon University's Trevor Glaser chalked up his second victory in two days. His winning time for Sunday's two runs was 109.41 seconds. Albertson's Mikael Njod was second in 111.03.
Whitman's Doug Whitfield took third in 111.76, while Matt Johanson was timed in 112.73, which placed him fifth for a second straight day. Arne Backstrom placed sixth in 112.91, and Jay Brown finished ninth in 113.20. Doug Ludlow was 19th in 118.63.
Charlie Woodruff, one of Whitman's top skiers, was in second place after the first run but then fell on his second run and did not finish. Tyler Staggs also fell on his second run.
The Whitman men topped the team scoring with a total time of 337.40. The University of British Columbia took second with a time of 343.12, edging Albertson by little more than a second.
The Whitman alpine teams added two more races to their win column with a pair of slalom victories in Northwest Collegiate Ski Conference competition at Mt. Spokane Saturday. Sophomore Eva Cardova continued to dominate the women's field, winning her third consecutive conference race. Freshman Doug Whitfield won the second men's run and finished second overall.
"We weren't perfect, but overall it was another pretty successful day for Whitman skiing," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "Both teams are starting to jell very nicely, and our kids are focused and really enjoying their opportunities to race. I really think that's why they are winning."
Cardova won the women's race in 112.38 seconds, edging teammate Ingrid Backstrom, who took second in 112.52. Backstrom, a senior, was penalized for tripping the starting wand on her first run, which added time to an otherwise strong run. She responded by winning the second run by 1.5 secons.
Sophomore Dana Wong also had trouble on first run, falling and having to hike back around a gate, which dropped her into 12th place. She also responded with a good second, moving up to an eight-place finish overall.
"Because of the little bobbles that Ingrid and Dana experienced on the first run, we actually trailed Albertson College in the team scoring by about seven-tenths of a second heading into the second run," Olson said. But with Cardova steady at the top of the leaderboard and Backstrom and Wong coming on strong, the Missionaries won the final team scoring by more than six seconds.
The Whitman women won the event with a team time of 343.33 seconds for their top three finishers. Albertson was second in 349.77. Rounding out the top five in the 12-school field were Seattle University 357.15, University of Puget Sound 370.67, and the University of Idaho 389.30.
Also placing for the Whitman women were freshman Christina Post, who placed 13th in 121.56, and senior Heidi Reifenstein, who was 14th in 122.20. The Missionaries skied without two of their top racers, Shanna Sweitzer and Heidi Shelton, who stayed on campus to study.
"Today's race was a real confidence builder for the women," Olson said. "To win with less than a full team is a huge mental boost. It shows that the women's team is strong and deep."
Even though each school can only designate five skiers for scoring purposes, Olson took nine men to give several of his freshman the "chance to see what is what." Of his top five, however, only three managed clean trips down the hill on their first run, which meant all three had to do the same on their second trip to give the Missionaries a shot at the team victory. "It put some pressure on those three guys, but all three came through with no problem," Olson noted.
Whitfield, an experienced skier from Australia in his season of collegiate competition, was in fourth place after his first run. He won the second run and took second place overall in 93.18 seconds. Albertson's Mikael Njod, a Swede, won the event in 92.57.
Whitman senior Charlie Woodruff, in second place after the first run, placed third overall in 93.30. Matt Johanson, a Missionary sophomore, finished in fourth with a time a 94.11.
In the men's team scoring, Whitman was a big winner with a time of 280.59 seconds for its top three. Albertson was a distant second in 294.72, followed by Seattle University, University of Oregon and Eastern Oregon University.
Whitman freshman Jay Brown opened some eyes, placing 15th on his first run even though the course was well worn by the time his turn came around (he was the 75th competitor down the course). With a much better starting spot on his next trip, Brown placed third on the second run and placed 11th overall in 97.62. "We're obviously seeing good things from Jay," Olson said. "He's making his mark in terms of trying to move into our top five."
Others placing for the Whitman men were junior Doug Ludlow, 17th, 102.31; Aaron Stiassny, 21st, 103.31; freshman Arne Backstrom, 21st, 103.31; junior Matt Rarity, 34th, 111.29; and freshman Ari Stiassny, 40th, 116.88.
It was a great day for Ingrid Backstrom and the Whitman women's alpine team, but the Missionary men stumbled and fell Sunday afternoon during Northwest Collegiate Ski Conference (NCSC) slalom races at Mt. Spokane.
Backstrom, a senior, won her first collegiate race, completing her two runs in 102.02 seconds. As a team, the Missionary women won their fourth event in four tries with a time of 309.74 seconds for their top three finishers.
"It was great to see Ingrid rewarded for the all of the hard work she has invested in the ski team," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "She's been a great leader on this team, and her skiing has improved tremendously over the years. We're very proud of her."
Meanwhile, the Whitman men held a comfortable six-second lead over their closest competitor following Sunday's first run. The course for the men's second run, however, was inadvertently set with what Olson called a "horrific" level of difficulty, which led to numerous disqualifications as skiers skidded off course. "It was just a joke," Olson said. "The course that was set for the men was horrendous, and we must have lost half the field. In the process, Whitman lost just about all of its skiers."
Of the the 89 men who started the race, in fact, only 39 finished. Of the 14 schools involved, only five teams had three skiers finish the race and post a complete team score. There schools had no finishers at all.
"It's kind of embarrassing when something like that happens," Olson said. "The course that was set for the second run just didn't match the conditions and the type of hill that we had. Some of the skiers made it, but a lot of them didn't."
The Whitman men, who had won the first three conference events, finished in 10th place. The University of British Columbia took first place with a team score of 305.62 seconds, followed by the University of Puget Sound in second with 319.39 seconds and the University of Idaho in third with 324.89 seconds. Oregon State was fourth and Seattle University fifth.
At the end of the NCSC season, each school is allowed to discard results from one of the eight conference events. "For the Whitman men, this is the event we'll throw out. It's always best to make these kinds of mistakes early in the season when we can still learn from them in time for regionals and nationals, when it really counts."
UBC's Dave McLorie won the men's race in 95.27 seconds for his two runs. One of his teammates, Andrew Lord, was second in 95.27 seconds.
At the end of Sunday's first run, Whitman had a six-second lead in the team scoring with Charlie Woodruff, Doug Whitfield, Matt Johanson and Doug Ludlow also placing among the top 12. On the second run, however, Woodruff and Ludlow both fell, Whitfield sailed completely off course, and Johanson was disqualified, wrongfully so as video tape later showed. "It was a bad call by the race referee and technical delegate," Olson said. "That's something that happens in skiing, just like it does in basketball or football."
The top three finishers for the Whitman men were all freshmen: Jay Brown, who placed seventh in 99.13 seconds, and twin brothers Aaron Stiassny and Ari Stiassny, who placed eighth and tenth, respectively, in times of 99.73 and 101.73. Ludlow, who hiked back around a gate on his second run, placed in 23rd overall 116.35 seconds. Another freshman, Arne Backstrom, failed to finish his second run after a ski binding popped loose.
In other women's results on Sunday, Whitman sophomore Eva Cardova placed second in a time of 103.43 seconds. Albertson's Emily Thurber was third in 104.17, while Whitman sophomore Dana Wong was fourth in 104.29. Senior Heidi Reifenstein placed 11th for the Missionaries in 109.48, and freshman Christina Post was 16th in 114.46.
In Sunday's team scoring, the Albertson women placed second with a time of 319.01 seconds, more than nine seconds behind Whitman. Seattle University was third, Puget Sound fourth and the University of Idaho fifth.
The Whitman men's and women's alpine teams took one more step toward their seventh consecutive Northwest Collegiate Ski Conference championships by winning giant slalom events Saturday at Oregon's Mt. Hood Meadows.
"Everyone stepped up and skied well today," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "It was a good individual as well as team showing."
For the Whitman women, Saturday's triumph was their fifth victory in as many conference events. They clinch a conference title by winning Sunday's giant slalom at Mt. Hood. The men's squad can clinch by winning Sunday and taking at least one of two slalom events next weekend at Sweitzer Mountain in Idaho. "Both teams are very close to bringing home the conference championships," Olson said.
Shana Sweitzer (Hood River OR, Mountain View HS/Bend OR, Rocky Mountain College/Billings MT) led the women to victory Saturday by placing first in a time of 1:24.22. Teammate Dana Wong (Vancouver BC, York House School) was second in 1:25.46. Not far behind in fourth place was Ingrid Backstrom (Seattle WA, Highline HS/Burien WA) with a time of 1:27.68. Placing 10th was Heidi Shelton (Ketchum ID, Wood River HS/Hailey ID) in 129.33, while Whitman freshman Christina Post (Ketchum ID, Community School/Sun Valley ID) was 17th in 1:33.40.
The Whitman women took the team scoring by nearly 10 seconds. The Missionaries were first with a time of 375.38 seconds for its top three finishers. Albertson was second in 385.19, and Seattle University was third in 386.18.
Showing their tremendous depth, the Missionaries won easily without any contribution from two of their top skiers. Falling on a notoriously tricky part of the course called "Showoff," Whitman's Eva Cardova (Banska Bystrica, Slovakia/Gould Academy, Bethel ME) did not finish her first run. Heidi Reifenstein (Auke Bay AK, Juneau-Douglas HS/Juneau AK) did not compete, staying home to nurse a knee injury sustained in practice earlier in the week. "Even without Cardova and Reifenstein the women were able to step up and put forth a very strong win," Olson said.
Three talented freshman keyed the Whitman men's victory, which was their fourth in fifth conference events. Doug Whitfield (Manhattan Beach, CA) won the second run as well as the race with a time of 1:16.53 for his two trips down the hill. Exactly one second behind Whitfield in second place was another Whitman freshman, Arne Backstrom (Seattle WA, Highline HS/Burien WA). The third Missioinary freshman, Jay Brown (Ketchum ID, Community School/Sun Valley ID), placed fifth overall in 1:20.52.
Tyler Staggs (Scottsdale AZ, Sandpoint ID HS) finished 16th for Whitman in 1:25.57. Matt Johanson (Harris MN, North Branch HS) recovered from a fall on his first run to place 23rd in 1:28.83. Despite starting his second run well back in the pack, Johanson posted the seventh best time for run number two.
Two of Whitman's top men, Charlie Woodruff (Steamboat Springs CO, Whiteman School) and Doug Ludlow (Bellevue WA, Interlake HS), did not finish after encountering the same problems on "Showoff" bump that cut Cardova's afternoon short in the women's competition.
As a team, the Whitman guys won by more than seven seconds with a time of 354.58 seconds. The University of British Columbia was second in 361.90. Oregon State University took third in 379.75.
While the Whitman women were clinching their seventh consecutive Northwest Collegiate Ski Conference title during giant slalom races Sunday at Mt. Hood Meadows, the Missionary men enjoyed one of their strongest races of the season and moved closer to their seventh straight title. "It was a fun weekend for Whitman," alpine coach Tom Olson said. "Some of our seniors, Charlie Woodruff and Ingrid Backstrom in particular, continued to ski well and show great leadership, and we had first-year skiers like Arne Backstrom and Jay Brown continue to show great promise for the future."
Despite all of Whitman's success, no one had a better day Sunday than the Backstrom family. Arne Backstrom, a freshman, won the men's event, while older sister Ingrid Backstrom had the best showing for the Missionary women, placing third in the women's race.
The men's team, even though it lost freshman Doug Whitfield (Manhattan Beach, CA) to a first-run fall, dominated its competition, placing four skiers in the top five. Backstrom (Seattle WA, Highline HS/Burien WA) won the event in a time of 114.77 seconds for his two runs down the hill. Charlie Woodruff (Steamboat Springs CO, Whiteman School) took second place in 114.81.
Close behind were sophomore Matt Johanson (Harris MN, North Branch HS), who was fourth in 117.20, and Jay Brown (Ketchum ID, Community School/Sun Valley ID), who was fifth in 117.75. Also competing for Whitman was juniors Tyler Staggs (Scottsdale AZ, Sandpoint ID HS), who placed 16th in 120.08, and Doug Ludlow (Bellevue WA, Interlake HS), who crashed on his first run and suffered a badly sprained ankle.
The times posted by Backstrom and Brown were especially noteworthy since they were among the last skiers to start the first run. That means the course is well worn by the time their turn rolls around.
"We have a handful of guys who are skiing tremendously well right now," Olson said. "Any of them can win a race on any given day."
In the team scoring, the Whitman placed first for the fifth time in six conference events. The winning time for the top three Missionary finishers was 346.78 seconds, well ahead of second-place University of British Columbia (UBC) and its 360.16 time. The University of Oregon was third in the 14-school field, with Seattle University placing fourth and the University of Idaho taking fifth.
In the men's conference standings, Whitman leads with 131 points. In second with 105 points is UBC, the only school with a mathematical chance of catching the Missionaries in the final two races next weekend. "If the UBC men win both events next weekend and we falter, they could still win the title," Olson said. "We should be able to clinch next weekend, but it's not a done deal."
In the women's giant slalom Sunday, Whitman won its sixth straight conference event despite getting no contributions from its three most experienced skiers. Shana Sweitzer (Hood River OR, Mountain View HS/Bend OR) won the first run but then fell on her second run, Eva Cardova (Banska Bystrica, Slovakia/Gould Academy, Bethel ME) also fell and did not finish, and Heidi Reifenstein (Auke Bay AK, Juneau-Douglas HS/Juneau AK) did not compete at all because of a knee injury.
The Missionary women still placed three skiers in the top seven. Ingrid Backstrom (Seattle WA, Highline HS/Burien WA) finished in third place in 124.24 seconds. Sophomore Heidi Shelton (Ketchum ID, Wood River HS/Hailey ID) was fifth in 124.9, while sophomore Dana Wong (Vancouver BC, York House School) took seventh in 126.02. Freshman Christina Post (Ketchum ID, Community School/Sun Valley ID) placed 14th in 130.39.
In the women's team scoring, Whitman finished on top with a time of 375.22 seconds for its top three skiers. Albertson was a close second with a time of 376.30 seconds. Seattle University was third, followed by the University of Puget Sound in fourth and the University of Idaho in fifth.
Whitman freshman Doug Whitfield edged the University of Oregon's Colby Gates to win Saturday's Northwest Collegiate Ski Conference slalom race and help the Missionary men's squad clinch its seventh consecutive conference title. It gave the men's team six victories in seven conference events heading into Sunday's regular season finale, another slalom race at Schweitzer Mountain near Sandpoint, Idaho.
Meanwhile, the Whitman women skied with just four women Saturday and won their seventh straight race. They had clinched their seventh straight conference crown the previous weekened.
"It was a very good day for Whitman skiing, a very dominant day," Whitman coach Tom Olson said. "Everyone skied well despite, and despite the injuries we've had and the academic pressures that a lot of the skiers are feeling, we were able to put on a good showing for Whitman."
Whitfield won the men's slalom Saturday in a time of 72.79 seconds for his two runs, beating Gates by almost a second. Whitman's Charlie Woodruff was third in 74.52 seconds, while freshman Arne Backstrom placed fifth in 76.49. Next in line were three more Missionary freshmen - Ari Stiassny, 7th, 77.43; Jay Brown, 8th, 77.59; and Aaron Stiassny, 11th, 78.68.
Tyler Staggs placed 11th in a field of 90 skiers in 80.76. Matt Johanson, in fourth place after the first run, was wowing race fans with a fast second run when he skidded off course. After hiking back around a gate, he still managed to finish 15th overall in a total time of 81.94. "We had eight guys in the top 15, which is pretty incredible," Olson said.
The Whitman men placed first in the 15-school field with a time 223.80 seconds for their top three. That was a whopping 24 seconds in front of second-place University of Oregon. Albertson was third, Seattle University fourth and the University of Washington fifth.
Eva Cardova led Whitman to a sweep of the top three places in the women's slalom Saturday. She won both runs and finished with a time of 82.26 seconds. Dana Wong was second in 83.47 while Ingrid Backstrom took third in 83.51. Freshman Christina Post placed 10th in the 71-skier field in 91.25.
In the team scoring, the Missionary women were easy winners, taking first with a time of 249.24 seconds. Albertson was second in 268.87. Seattle took third, the University of Puget Sound fourth and the University of Washington fifth.
Sophomore Matt Johanson won his first collegiate race while Eva Cardova captured her fifth victory in eight events as the the Whitman alpine ski teams wrapped up the Northwest Collegiate Ski Conference season Sunday with a pair of slalom events at Schweitzer Mountain near Sandpoint, Idaho.
Johanson, who fell on his second run in Saturday's slalom, was in second place after his first run Sunday, trailing teammate Charlie Woodruff. Johanson won the second run, however, and captured the event with an overall time of 78.40 seconds. He edged out another of his teammates, Doug Whitfield, who finished in 78.43 seconds to take second. Woodruff placed third overall in 78.60.
As a team, the Whitman men won their seventh conference event in eight tries with a total time of 235.49 seconds. Albertson College was second and the University of British Columbia third.
Also placing for Whitman Sunday were Arne Backstrom, 7th, 80.09; Jay Brown, 9th, 80.94; Ari Stiassny, 11th, 82.11; and Aaron Stiassny, 13th, 82.76. Tyler Staggs, who was 16th after his first run, fell on his second run and did not finish.
By winning their slalom Sunday, the Whitman women wrapped up their second straight undefeated conference season. This season was slightly more successful, however, in that the Missionary women won eight consecutive events. Because one of last season's events was canceled by a severe winter storm, they only won seven events a year ago.
Cardova won both runs Sunday to lead a sweep of the top three places. Her winning time was 76.79 seconds. Dana Wong was second in 79.52 seconds, while Ingrid Backstrom took third in 80.39 seconds. Christina Post placed 11th in 85.04.
In the team scoring, Whitman was first with a time of 236.70 seconds for its top three. Albertson was second in 247.74 seconds, while Seattle University was third in 255.26. The University of Puget Sound was fourth and the University of Idaho fifth in the 13-school field.
In the women's final conference standings, Whitman was first with 150 points. Albertson was second with 120 points and Seattle University third with 90 points. Rounding out the top eight, all of which sends their teams to the regional championships, were Puge Sound, University of Idaho, University of Washington, University of Oregon, and Pacific Lutheran.
In the women's final individual standings, based on World Cup points earned during the eight conference races, Whitman skiers filled the top three spots. Cardova claimed conference champion honors with 145 points. Ingrid Backstrom was the runner-up with 129 points. Dana Wong took third place with 116 points.
The Whitman men with 150 team points also were clear-cut winners in the final conference standings. The University of British Columbia was second with 110 points, 10 points ahead of third-place Albertson. Rounding out the men's top eight, all headed to regionals, were the University of Oregon, Seattle, Puget Sound, Eastern Oregon University, and the University of Idaho.
Matching Cardova's World Cup point total, Whitfield piled up 145 points during the conference season to claim the men's individual title. Arne Backstrom took second place with 84 points. Charlie Woodruff placed fourth with 80 points, while Matt Johanson was fifth with 74 points. Jay Brown earned 62 points to place eighth.
With junior Shana Sweitzer winning the giant slalom for a second consecutive year, the Whitman women's alpine team captured its second straight team title as the U.S. Collegiate Snowsport Association (USCSA) West Region championships got underway Wednesday at Winter Park, Colorado.
In second place after the first run, Sweitzer won the second run and placed first overall in one minute, 53.26 seconds. "Shana was amazing," Whitman coach Tom Olson said. "She really had not been on snow for a couple of weeks, and then she comes here and wins the race."
One of Sweitzer's teammates, sophomore Eva Cardova, won the first run but then skidded off course on her second trip down the hill and did not finish. "Eva had an awesome second going, but then she didn't quite make one of the turns at the bottom of a steep section. The course for the second run was set very straight, very fast and very challenging, and it threw a lot of people."
Senior Ingrid Backstrom, in eighth place after the first run, had the second-best time on the second run and finished second overall in 1:55.95. "That was a tremendous second run for Ingrid," Olson said. "It was probably her strongest giant slalom race ever."
Another Whitman senior, Heidi Reifenstein, also had a strong second run, clocking the fourth-best time to move from 14th to ninth overall. Her total time was 1:58.00. "Heidi's performance was awesome," Olson said. "She has a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in one of her knees, but she had it in a brace and had her doctor's permssion to ski. It's frustrating for her because she knows she could ski faster if she was healthy. But she has one good leg and one bad leg that she's holding together with a brace, and she's going to do the best she can."
Whitman's fifth competitor was sophomore Dana Wong, who moved from 16th on her first run to a 12-place finish overall. Her total time was 2:00.21.
The Whitman women won the team scoring with a total time of 347.21 seconds for their top three finishers. Albertson College was second in 358.68, while the University of Colorado was third in 364.31. Montana State was fourth and Rocky Mountain College fifth. The field included 16 schools.
The women's portion of the West Region championships will conclude Friday with the slalom. The top five women's teams, based on combined giant slalom and slalom results, will advance to the USCSA national championships in March.
The men's competition follows the same format with five national championship berths at stake. The men's giant slalom is Thursday with the slalom to follow on Friday.
The Whitman men's team was hit with a major setback Wednesday when senior Charlie Woodruff was hurt during training. Woodruff, who placed third in the giant slalom at last year's regional championship, fell and suffered two deep bone bruises in his thigh. "At first we thought he had broken his femur," Olson said. "We're lucky it wasn't that bad, but there is no way he can race Thursday.
Freshman Jay Brown also is questionable for Thursday's race. "He's been sick the past two days. We're hoping he can pull it together by Friday, but if not, we're fortunate that we brought two back-ups with us."
Senior Brett Macfarlane, who missed most of the season due to an injury of his own, will take Woodruff's spot in the line-up. Junior Tyler Staggs will fill the void if Brown is unable to race.
Others on hand for the Whitman men include freshman Doug Whitfield, the team's best skier this season. Sophomore Matt Johanson and freshman Arne Backstrom round out the Missionary contingent.
"The injuries have been something this season," Olson said. "We lost Jan Hegewald and Brett to injuries early the season, then we lost Doug Ludlow to a severe ankle sprain, and Heidi is just barely holding on with her knee."
With one senior sidelined by injury and another senior skiing in a shoulder brace, the Whitman men's alpine team needed a strong performance from its younger skiers Thursday as 16 schools competed in the giant slalom event at the U.S. Collegiate Snowsport Association's West Region championships.
And a strong performance is exactly what the Missionaries got from two freshmen and a sophomore. The trio of collegiate youngsters placed first, fifth and seventh individually, leading the Missionaries to a decisive victory in the team scoring. It was the second straight regional giant slalom title for the Whitman men.
"Our new guys had some outstanding races today," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "You couldn't ask for anything more."
Skiing as Whitman's No. 4 seed, freshman Arne Backstrom came roaring from the back of the pack to win the second run and the race itself. His time for both runs was one minute, 51.08 seconds -- just fractions of a second ahead of second-place Jonathan Mika of the University of Colorado and third-place Kris Dausz of Montana State.
Matt Johanson, a Whitman sophomore, took fifth with a time of 1:52.25 -- one one-hundredth of a second out of fourth place. A second Whitman freshman, Doug Whitfield, was in third place after the first run, but a slower second trip down the hill dropped him to a seventh-place finish overall with a time of 1:52.29.
Whitman senior Brett Macfarlane, skiing his first race since dislocating a shoulder a month ago, finished in 14th place in 1:53.95. "Brett's shoulder brace was falling off on his second run, so that slowed him down a bit," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "We're hoping that Brett is closer to top speed by the time nationals get here."
Whitman's fifth skier, freshman Jay Brown, finished 16th in 1:55.29, competing despite having been sick the previous two days with symptoms of altitude sickness. "We're skiing from 12,000 to 10,000 feet, and we're staying at about 9,300 feet," Olson said. "Jay is dehydrated, tired and just worn out. But he's a heck of a competitor. He's mad at himself because he didn't ski faster."
Whitman won the team scoring with a total time of 335.62 seconds for its top three finishers. Ft. Lewis College was second with a time of 342.20 seconds. The University of British Columbia was third, Montana State fourth and the University of Colorado fifth. A total of 16 teams competed.
As Whitman's No. 4 seed, Backstrom was the 61st skier to head down the course on the first run. Skiers starting at the back of the pack normally face a rutted course and slower times. "But because we had such soft conditions to start with, the track actually got a little faster as the second run continued," Olson said. "Still, Arne was the only skier who came from the back to finish among the leaders."
In ninth place after the first run, Backstrom had the second run's best time and was the only skier to break 54 seconds in the afternoon. "Arne is such a strong skier," Olson said. "He's really starting to turn some heads. Arne suffered a severe leg injury a year ago, and I think he's just now starting to regain his strength and confidence."
Johanson got off to a rocky start start in the morning and was in 12th place after the first run. He hit his stride in the afternoon, however, placing third on the second run to pull himself into a fifth-place finish overall.
After a strong first run, Whitfield wasn't as sharp in the afternoon while slipping to seventh place. "Doug was hit and knocked into a building by another skier as he was skiing to the starting gate for the first run," Olson said. "It banged up his shoulder quite a bit, and as the day wore on, it was getting more and more stiff. We hope he's going to be okay for tomorrow's slalom race."
Whitman skied without senior Charlie Woodruff, who injured a leg in a training run fall on Wednesday. "Charlie probably won't ski in the slalom Friday, but there's a good chance he could be ready again for nationals," Olson said.
Five men's teams and five women's teams will advance to nationals after Friday's slalom events. The top teams are chosen based on combined results from the giant slalom and salom races. The Whitman women won their giant slalom event on Wednesday.
"If we can win again in the slalom, that's great, but all we really need Friday is to place in the top five," Olson said. "The main thing, now, is to just qualify for nationals."
Freshman Arne Backstrom completed a fairy tale performance at the U.S. Collegiate Snowsport Association's West Region Championships on Friday, adding a slalom victory to the giant slalom title he won the day before.
With Backstrom placing first and freshman Doug Whitfield taking second, the Whitman men rallied to win Friday's slalom team scoring. Coupled with their team victory in Thursday's giant slalom, the Missionaries claimed the west region title with two place points, well ahead of Montana State and its six points. Rounding out the top five men's teams, each of which advances to the USCSA national championships next month, were Ft. Lewis College and the universities of Colorado and British Columbia.
After winning their giant slalom event on Wednesday, the Whitman women placed a close second in Friday's slalom to finish with three place points and a West Region title all their own. Montana State was second with five points, just ahead of the University of Colorado and Albertson College, two schools that tied for third with six points. Seattle University claimed the fifth and final women's ticket to nationals.
In the men's slalom Friday, the first run ended with Whitfield in third place and Backstrom in fourth. As a team, the Missionaries were in third place behind Colorado and Montana State.
But while Colorado's best skier was falling on his second trip down the hill, Backstrom was "putting together a real screamer of a second run," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "Arne won the second run and skied into his second regional title in two days." Backstrom's winning total time was one minute, 22.55 seconds.
Whitfield finished in second place overall in 1:22.99. Jonathan Mika of Colorado was third in 1:23.22.
A third Whitman freshman, Jay Brown, still weakened from a bout with altitude sickness, placed 23rd in 1:27.41. Matt Johanson, a sophomore, fell and hiked on his first run but bounced back with a strong second run to place 27th in 1:28.97. Tyler Staggs, a junior, finished in 30th place in 1:29.90.
Two Whitman seniors, Charlie Woodruff and Brett Macfarlane, missed Friday's race because of injuries.
The Whitman men won the slalom team scoring with a total time of 253 seconds for their top three finishers. Montana State was a close second with 254.4 seconds. The University of Colorado, Colorado State and Ft. Lewis rounded out the top five in a field of 16 schools.
Nolween Patrigeon, a French skier who competes for the University of Colorado, won the women's slalom Friday in a time of 1:25.53. Montana State's Briana Masche was second in 1:25.86. Shana Sweitzer, a Whitman junior who won Wednesday's giant slalom, took third in the slalom in 1:28.06.
The next two Missionary finishers were senior Ingrid Backstrom (Arne Backstrom's older sister), who was sixth in 1:29.61, and sophomore Eva Cardova, who placed seventh in 1:29.68. Also placing for Whitman were sophomore Dana Wong, 14th, 1:32.94, and freshman Christina Post, 25th, 1:38.07.
Edging Whitman by eight-tenths of a second, Montana State won the women's slalom title with a total time of 266.50 seconds for its top three. Whitman was second in 267.30. The University of Colorado was a close third, followed by Albertson College in fourth and Seattle in fifth.
"I think our women's team was a little tentative today, after what happened to them last year," Olson said. "All they wanted to do was finish in the top five today and make sure they qualified for nationals."
A year ago at regionals, the Whitman women won the giant slalom but then slipped to a seventh-place showing in the slalom when a number of skiers fell and did not finish. Because of that seventh-place finish, the Missionary women just barely qualified for nationals.
For years now, the Whitman alpine and cross country ski teams have made strong showings at the U.S. Collegiate Snowsport Association's national championships. Based on what happened Monday, at Loon Mountain, New Hampshire, Whitman's new snowboard teams will be extending that tradition of excellence into that arena as well.
Competing at nationals for the first time and quickly shaking off a case of the jitters, the Missionary snowboarders made a surprisingly strong showing Monday, placing second in the women's competition and fourth in the men's event.
The men's team survived a rocky start when freshman Spruce Schoenemann, its top snowboarder, turned an ankle less than an hour before the first run. Jay Brown, a member of the alpine team with some snowboard experience, stepped into the void and placed second in the individual standings. Brown, a freshman, finished his two runs in 1 minute, 26 seconds.
Rob Spooner, a Whitman junior, finished 10th in 1:38.97. Nick Crandall, also a junior, fell on his first run and finished in 22nd and last place.
"It's too bad Nick fell on that first run," Whitman ski coach Tom Olson said. "Otherwise, our men would have been a sure bet for second place in the team standings."
Simon Fraser University, which has had snowboard teams for years, won the men's giant slalom with a team score of 270.10 seconds for its top three finishers. The Merchant Marine Academy was second with a team time of 309.77 seconds. The University of Idaho was third in 310.02, barely edging Whitman and its 310.21 time.
Simon Fraser's Mike Kwiatkowski won the men's snowboard giant slalom in 1:16.85.
In the women's event, Whitman snowboarders placed sixth, seventh and eighth in the individual standings. They are sophomore Lindsay Bloom, sixth, 1:37.14; sophomore Amanda Compton, seventh, 1:39.27; and junior Lusana Schutz, eighth, 1:42.24.
Simon Fraser again parlayed its years of snowboarding experience into a clear-cut team victory. Simon Fraser was first with a team time of 264.43 seconds. Whitman was second in 298.70, while the University of California-Berkeley was third in 325.95.
Simon Fraser's Dawn Armstrong won the women's giant slalom in 1:26.43, two seconds ahead of one of her teammates.
"When it comes to snowboarding, there is a gap between Simon Fraser and other schools in the country," Olson said. "But I really think it's gap Whitman's student-athletes can start to close with just a little more experience." Other schools with teams in the snowboard competition include Amherst, Columbia, Marquette, Penn State, UCLA, Cal-Poly, and the universities of California at Santa Barbara and San Diego.
The USCSA included snowboarding in its national championships for the first time last season. Two members of the Whitman alpine teams, Heidi Shelton and Tyler Staggs, competed individually in the giant slalom event. Shelton placed seventh, although Staggs wasn't able to finish when the binding on his snowboard broke.
It didn't take long for a Whitman snowboard team to win its first national championship.
Competing at nationals for the first time this week, the Whitman men's snowboard team captured both a team title and an individual title in Tuesday's boardercross event, which was held at New Hampshire's Loon Mountain. Sponsored by the U.S. Collegiate Snowsport Association, the championships continue through Saturday, March 11, and also include alpine and cross country events.
Rob Spooner, a Whitman junior from Salem, Oregon, won the men's boardercross, beating Penn State's Will Fisher in the finals. Jay Brown, a Whitman freshman from Ketchum, Idaho, placed sixth, and Nick Crandall, a junior from Bristol, Vermont, finished 16th.
Whitman won the men's boardercross team title with 23 place points for its top three finishers. Penn State was second with 24 points and the University of Idaho third with 29 points. Simon Fraser University, a Canadian school, was fourth and the University of California-Berkeley fifth.
Counting their fourth-place showing in Monday's snowboard giant slalom, the Whitman men finished in a first-place tie with Simon Fraser in the snowboard combined scoring. Simon Fraser, which won Monday's giant slalom, was awarded first place in the combined scoring on a tie-breaking formula.
The Whitman men's team competed without two of its top athletes, freshman Spruce Schoenemann (Pawlet VT), who injured an ankle during a training run Monday, and junior Ben Boynton (Pasadena CA), who stayed on the Whitman campus to help the Missionary lacrosse team win a pair of games last weekend.
Even though they were unable to compete Monday and Tuesday, Schoenemann and Boynton earned Academic All-American awards as Whitman team members. Lusana Schutz, a Whitman junior from Mount Vernon, Wash., and member of the women's team, also received Academic All-American honors.
With Schutz leading the way, the Whitman women also made a strong showing in their boardercross event Tuesday, placing second in the team scoring behind Simon Fraser. Schutz placed third in the individual standings. Also placing high for Whitman were sophomore Amanda Compton (Girdwood, Alaska), who was seventh, and sophomore Lindsay Bloom (Juneau, Alaska), who was ninth.
Simon Fraser's women won the boardercross team title with 12 place points, seven points in front of second-place Whitman. The University of California-San Diego was third, UCLA fourth and Columbia fifth.
The Whitman women also finished second to Simon Fraser in both the giant slalom, held Monday, and the snowboard combined scoring.
"This is only second year the USCSA has included snowboarding in the national championships, and it's the first year Whitman has taken teams," Whitman ski coach Tom Olson said. "It was great to see our snowboarders do so well in their first national competition. Whitman's alpine and cross country teams have won the 4-way titles for five years running, and I think we can have the same kind of success in snowboarding."
By placing in the top 15 of their events Monday and Tuesday, Whitman's six snowboarders earned a total of 11 All-American awards.
With one skier sidelined by injury and a second racer skidding off course on her first run, the Whitman women's alpine ski team was no match for powerful Sierra Nevada College in Wednesday's giant slalom event at the U.S. Snowsport Association's National Championships at Loon Mountain, New Hampshire.
Sierra Nevada, led by its roster of European World Cup skiers, swept three of the top four individual giant slalom places. The only skier to break Sierra Nevada's stranglehold on the top spots was Whitman's Eva Cardova, a native of Slovakia who edged a friend and one of her countrywomen, Maria Kvopkova, for third place.
Sierra Nevada's Celine Dole of France won the race with a time of 1 minute, 37.07 seconds for her two runs. One of her teammates, Patrizia Auer of Austria, was second in 1:38.08. Whitman's Cardova, a sophomore, was third in 1:40.34, just head of Sierra Nevada's Kvopkova and her 1:40.62 time.
A year ago at nationals, Cardova finished fifth in the giant slalom, one spot in back of Kvopkova.
"Eva had two great runs today, especially the second one," Whitman alpine Tom Olson said. "She was flying her second trip down the hill."
Whitman's other top gun, junior Shana Sweitzer, failed to finish her first run. "Shana had a great run going, but she was carrying too much speed and couldn't hold it as she went through a transitional part of the course," Olson said.
Sweitzer, a former member of the U.S. Ski Team who graduated from Mountain View High School in Bend, Oregon, finished second in the giant slalom at last year's nationals.
Sierra Nevada won the women's team scoring with a time of 296.40 seconds for its top three finishers. Whitman was more than ten seconds back with a time of 306.62 seconds. Boston College was another six seconds back in third place, followed by Plymouth State College in fourth and the University of Colorado in fifth. A total of 19 teams and about 100 skiers competed.
"Even if Shana had placed in the top three today, we wouldn't have beaten Sierra Nevada," Olson said. "We could have closed the gap some, but that's about all."
Once Sweitzer dropped from the event, pressure mounted on her teammates to do well and keep Whitman in second place in the final standings. "Losing key people has happened to us a lot this season," Olson said. "But whoever is left gets the job done, which is what happened again today. The maturity of this alpine team, both women and men, is incredible."
Whitman's Dana Wong, a sophomore from Vancouver, British Columbia, placed eighth in 1:42.83, while Ingrid Backstrom, a senior from Seattle, was 12th in 1:43.45. Heidi Shelton, a sophomore from Ketchum, Idaho, finished in 24th place in 1:46.65.
Heidi Reifenstein, a Whitman senior from Auke Bay, Alaska, wasn't able to compete after further injuring a knee during a training run on Tuesday. As she did during the regional championships in late February, Reifenstein had hoped to compete this week with a ruptured ligament supported by a brace. When she strained a second ligament in the same knee Tuesday, however, she wasn't able to continue, Olson said. "It's too bad Heidi wasn't able to race. She's been a big part of our program for four years."
The men's giant slalom will take place on Thursday.
In what could have been billed as Sweden's national championships, the Whitman men's alpine team placed fourth in the giant slalom Thursday at the U.S. Collegiate Snowsport Association's national championships at Loon Mountain, New Hampshire.
Five skiers from Sweden filled the top five spots in the individual standings. Two of those Swedes, Greg Guignier and Rune Nielsen, finished one-two and led Sierra Nevada College to the team victory. Placing second in the team standings was Green Mountain College, which had two Swedish skiers place fourth and fifth in the individual scoring.
Whitman's top finisher was Doug Whitfield, a freshman from Australia who placed eighth in a field of 107 skiers with a time of 99.51 seconds, about 2.5 seconds off Guignier's winning time. Whitfield slipped a bit on his second trip down the hill after placing sixth on his first run.
Rounding out Whitman's top three were freshman Arne Backstrom (Seattle WA), who placed 19th in 101.40 seconds, and sophomore Matt Johanson (Harris MN), who finished 36th in 103.53.
Whitman's team score for its top three finishers was 304.93 seconds, about four seconds behind third-place Plymouth State College. Sierra Nevada's winning team time was 292.84 seconds. After Whitman, the University of Massachusetts was fifth, Colby-Sawyer College sixth, Lees-McRae College seventh and St. Olaf College eighth. Two other schools from the West, Montana State and the University of Colorado, placed ninth and tenth.
"We skied pretty well but maybe a little on the tentative side," Whitman coach Tom Olson said. "One thing was certain, though, and that was the strength of the competition. This is by far the toughest, most talented alpine field, especially on the men's side, that I've seen in the past 10 years. There are definitely more Europeans skiers than we've had in recent years."
The competition between the top five schools was amazingly close at the end of the first run, Olson said. "We were in fifth place as team but only three or four seconds out of second and first. In the individual standings, there was only second separating 12th and 25th place, and only one additional second separating No. 25 from No. 41. The competition was tight, tight, tight."
Also competing for Whitman were senior Brett Macfarlane (Vancouver, BC), who placed 40th in 104.02, and freshman Jay Brown (Ketchum ID), who finished 50th in 106.29.
Whitman's combined alpine and cross country ski teams have won the past five national 4-way titles in both the men's and women's divisions. With two of this year's four events now complete, the Missionary women lead their 4-way race while the Whitman men are in second place.
Combining results from the giant slalom and the cross country classic race held Wednesday and Thursday, the Whitman women are in first place with 17 points. St. Olaf College is second with 32 points and Cornell University third with 58 points.
In the men's 4-way scoring, based on the same two events, St. Olaf is in front with 31 points. Whitman is second with 37 points and Clarkson University third with 49 points. Colby-Sawyer is fourth and the Air Force Academy fifth.
The men's and women's cross country freestyle races, along with the women's slalom, are set for Friday. The championships conclude Saturday with the cross country relay races and the men's slalom.
Apart from Sierra Nevada College and its roster of European World Cup skiers, the Whitman women's alpine team continued to outski everyone else Friday at the U.S. Collegiate Ski Association's national championships at Loon Mountain, New Hampshire.
As they did in Wednesday's giant slalom, the Missionary women placed second to Sierra Nevada in Friday's slalom event. Sierra Nevada took the team title with a time of 275.07 seconds for its top three finishers, well ahead of Whitman and its second-place time of 292.78 seconds. The University of Colorada was third, Boston College fourth and St. Olaf College fifth. A total of 19 schools competed.
"It was basically the same scenario as last year when our women beat everyone but Sierra Nevada," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "From the top of its roster to the bottom, Sierra Nevada has too much European World Cup experience for us to compete with."
Sierra Nevada's Celine Dole, a French skier, won the slalom in a time of 89.22 seconds, almost a second ahead of one of her collegiate teammates, Sara Toutin of Swedin. Romania's Anda Curuta, who competes for Plymouth State College, placed third.
Whitman's top finisher was Shana Sweitzer, a junior from Bend, Oregon, who placed ninth in 96.97 seconds. "Shana skied well considering this was one of her first slalom races of the season," Olson said. "She didn't ski any of the slalom events during the conference season because she stayed on campus to study."
Sweitzer, a former member of the U.S. Ski Team, seemed a little tentative, especially on her first run, Olson said. "After falling in the giant slalom on Wednesday, I think Shana was more concerned about finishing for the team than trying to win the race." Sweitzer placed second in the giant slalom at last year's national championships.
Ingrid Backstrom, a Whitman senior from Seattle, placed 12th in 97.77 seconds. Eva Cardova, a Missionary sophomore from Slovakia, had trouble on her second run and slipped out of the top 10, placing 13th in 98.04.
By placing in the top 15, Sweitzer, Backstrom and Cardova all earned All-American honors. Also placing for Whitman in the field of 95 skiers were Dana Wong, a sophomore from Vancouver, B.C., who was 22nd in 103.28, and Christina Post, a freshman from Ketchum, Idaho, who was 24th in 103.97.
The top U.S.-born skier in Thursday's race was Emily Nelson of St. Cloud, Minn., who placed sixth. Nelson, who now competes for St. Olaf College, skied for Whitman as a freshman during the 1997-98 season.
Whitman's second-place showing in the slalom moved the Missionaries into a comfortable lead in their quest for a sixth-straight 4-way national title. With three of four events complete, Whitman is in front with 26 points. St. Olaf is second with 44 points and Cornell University third with 82 points. The final event is Saturday's cross country relay race.
By placing second to Sierra Nevada in both the giant slalom and slalom, the Missionaries took second as a team in the alpine combined scoring. In the individual alpine combined scoring, Cardova placed eighth, Backstrom was 10th and Wong 12th.
It was a tough final day on the slopes for the Whitman men's alpine team Saturday as the U.S. Collegiate Association's national championships came to a close with the slalom event at Loon Mountain, New Hampshire.
With two of its top three skiers having to hike back around gates on their second run, Whitman dropped to an eighth-place finish in a highly competitive and closely bunched field of 19 schools and 110 competitors.
"We had a good first run, and a not so good second run," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "It was just a tough day for our men. It obviously didn't work out as well as we had hoped."
While the Missionaries finished lower than expected as a team, Whitman freshman Doug Whitfield was rock solid, placing fifth on both runs to finish fifth overall in the individual standings. His time was 82.33 seconds, a fraction of a second behind third-place Joachim Rasmussen of St. Olaf College, who finished in 82.19 seconds.
Greg Guignier, a Swedish skier who competes for Sierra Nevada College, won the race in 79.88, adding that victory to his triumph earlier in the week in the giant slalom. Two of Guignier's Sierra Nevada teammates placed second and third.
Sierra Nevada won the team scoring with a time of 240.03 seconds. St. Olaf College was third in 240.64 seconds and Plymouth State College was third in 260.16. Less than two seconds separated eighth-place Missionaries Whitman from third place. Whitman's team score was 262.76 seconds.
"To say that our guys placed eighth doesn't do them justice," Olson said. "It doesn't tell you just how close they were to a top-three finish. We didn't even score our second and third seeds because of the troubles they had on the second runs, and we still finished just 1.6 seconds out of third place."
The schools placing fourth through seventh, in order, were Lees-McRae College, University of Massachusetts, Colby-Sawyer College and Clarkson College.
After the first run, Whitfield sat in fifth place while two of his teammates, sophomore Matt Johanson and senior Brett Macfarlane, were in 14th and 27th place, respectively. Both Johanson and Macfarlene slipped from among the leaders on the second run, however, when they had to hike back around gates. Whitman's other two entries, freshmen Arne Backstrom and Jay Brown, were in the 42nd and 50th places after their first runs.
Both Backstrom and Brown moved up a notch in the final slalom standings. Backstrom placed 34th in 89.05 seconds, while Brown finished 43rd in 91.34 seconds. After hiking on their second runs, Johanson and Macfarlane slipped all the way to 85th and 86th, respectively.
Counting his eighth-place showing in the giant slalom, Whitfield placed fourth in the alpine combined scoring, earning All-American honors. In the team alpine combined scoring, Sierra Nevada was first and Plymouth State second. St. Olaf and the University of Massachusetts tied for third. Whitman and Colby-Sawyer were tied for the next spots.