WALLA WALLA, Wash. - The news was good for Whitman College earlier this week when the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA) announced its alpine qualifiers for the NCAA National Ski Championships.
Whitman's Rachel Walker and Hannes Zirknitzer are among the 38 alpine skiers the 10-school RMISA will send to the NCAA championships, which run March 10-13 at the Sugar Bowl Ski Resort near Donner Summit, Calif.
Walker, a first-year skier from Whistler, British Columbia, qualified as the 18th of 20 women. Zirknitzer, a sophomore from Bright, Australia, qualified as the 16th of 18 men.
The news wasn't as good for Whitman's nordic teams. Holly Brooks, a senior and the top nordic skier for the Missionaries, is listed as the third alternate for women's nordic qualifiers.
For Zirknitzer, next week's trip to nationals will be his second in two years. A year ago at nationals, in his first giant slalom run, Zirknitzer skidded off course and slammed through a safety fence, dislocating a shoulder. He bounced back to place 27th two days later in the slalom.
Skiers qualify each year for nationals based on their best two regular season results in both the slalom and giant slalom. A total of 70 alpine skiers representing the western and eastern United States will compete at nationals this year.
After a slow start to her first collegiate season, Walker turned up the speed during the month of February, placing as high as second and no worse than 14th in five of her final six races. Her best two results in the giant slalom came at the Western State Invitational (second place) and the University of New Mexico Invitational (13th). In the slalom, she placed 12th at the University of Colorado Invitational and 13th at Western State.
Zirknitzer, a slalom specialist, placed fourth in the slalom in mid-January at the University of Nevada Invitational. In his next two slalom events, Zirknitzer was in the top 10 after his first run, only to slip from contention on his second runs. He placed 17th in the season's final slalom event.
Zirknitzer's best two results in the giant slalom - 8th and 15th - came on the final two weekends of the regular season.
Walker, Zirknitzer and Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson leave for the NCAA championships this Saturday, March 6. Following registration on Sunday, athletes will go through training runs on Monday and Tuesday.
The men's and women's giant slalom is set for Wednesday, March 10. The slalom races follow on Friday.
The University of Nevada-Reno is hosting the championships this year.
Dave Holden, Whitman Sports Information
509 527-5902; holden@whitman.edu