Hannes Zirknitzer placed ninth in the men's slalom and Rachel Walker finished 28th in the women's giant slalom to give the Whitman alpine ski teams their top performances as the Western Tech Series opened Wednesday at two sites in Utah.
Zirknitzer, a sophomore from Bright, Australia, finished his two slalom runs in 1:34.39, little more than one second out of fifth place. Brad Hogan won the event, taking place at Snowbasin Resort near Ogden, with a time of 1:32.41, edging Norway's Brede Halsnes by three one-hundredths of a second. Hogan, a seven-year veteran of the U.S. Ski Team, now competes as a sophomore for the University of Colorado.
Whitman's Nate Johnson, a sophomore from Mukilteo, Wash., was the only Missionary other than Zirknitzer to finish the men's event. His time was 1:48.02, placing him 57th. More than 120 skiers started the event, but 40 failed to finish. Two Whitman freshmen, Greg Phillips (Sandy, Utah) and Chris McCullough (W. Vancouver, B.C.), made it through their first runs but not their second.
In the women's giant slalom, held Wednesday at the Park City Mountain Resort, Rachel Walker (Whistler, B.C.) posted a time of 2:25.23 in placing 28th in a field of 63 finishers. Julia Babilis, a Whitman senior from nearby Ogden, Utah, had Whitman's next best finish, placing 36th in 2:25.23.
Also completing two runs for the Whitman women's alpine squad were sophomore Amy Sharp (Denver, Colo.), who placed 51st in 2:29.16, and first-year skier Renee Thibodeau (Fort Kent, Maine), who was 52nd in 2:29.18.
Whitman's Maria Corcorran, a first-year competitor from Bellevue, Wash., failed to finish her first run. Jamie Hinderliter, a sophomore from Bountiful, Utah, fell on her second run.
Sweden's Lina Johansson, a senior at University of Utah, won the women's event with a time of 2:13.41. One six Europeans to place in the top 12, Johansson was a dominating force at last year's NCAA national championships, winning the slalom and placing second in the giant slalom.
The men's event Wednesday was plagued by more than four hours of delays due to heavy snowfall, Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "There is so much snow at Snowbasin, more snow than anyone here can remember since as far back as 1969. All the new snow is very soft, which makes it very difficult to stage a race."
Conditions were somewhat better for the women, primarily because Park City hosted World Cup races in late November. "The base was hard from the World Cup, and the event organizers were able to get down to that base," Olson said.
The Western Tech Series continues Thursday through Saturday. The Whitman alpine teams are using the competition as a tune-up for the start of their NCAA season, which begins this Sunday and Monday at the University of Utah Invitational.
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With Hannes Zirknitzer placing fifth in the slalom, the Whitman men's alpine ski team posted a strong showing Thursday as the Western Tech Series continued in Utah.
Zirknitzer, a sophomore from Bright, Australia, was in second place after Thursday's first run at Snowbasin. Despite slipping a bit on his second run, he finished fifth overall in 1:42.20. Martin Stocker, an Austrian, won the event in 1:39.95.
In the women's giant slalom Thursday at Park City, Whitman's Rachel Walker, a first-year skier from Whistler, B.C., led the Missionaries with a 48th place showing.
Zirknitzer, who placed ninth in Wednesday's first slalom, wasn't the only member of the Whitman men's team who improved his placing on Thursday. Nate Johnson, a sophomore from Mukilteo, Wash., finished in 1:53.12, good enough for 32nd place -- 25 spots better than his Wednesday result.
Two Whitman freshmen, Greg Phillips (Sandy, Utah) and Chris McCullough (W. Vancouver, B.C.), failed to finish their second runs Wednesday. In Thursday's event, Phillips placed 33rd in 1:53.25. McCullough was 45th in 1:57.27.
Sweden's Lina Johansson, a senior at University of Utah, won the women's event Thursday, giving her two victories in two days. Her time was 2:11.31, three-tenths of a second in front of Alexandra Shaffer, a U.S. skier.
Walker's time was 2:21.23. "Rachel placed 22nd among the college racers, but she didn't gave a good day," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "She struggled a little bit on her first run and then fell further back on her second run. She will continue to improve, as will all of our skiers as they get more time on snow."
Julia Babilis, a Whitman senior from Ogden, Utah, placed 53rd Thursday in 2:22.88. First-year skiers Renee Thibodeau (Fort Kent, Maine) and Maria Corcorran (Bellevue, Wash.) placed 80th and 94th, respectively, in times of 2:28.95 and 2:37.67.
Whitman's Amy Sharp, a sophomore Denver, Colo., failed to finish her second run.
Friday's competition will see the men competing in the giant slalom at Park City, while a women's slalom is planned for Sunbasin.
The Western Tech Series continues on Saturday, although the Whitman alpine teams plan to take that day off. The season's first NCAA alpine races are Sunday and Monday at Park City.
"We've been making a little progress every day this week," Olson said. "We're primarily a young team, and we're still adjusting to what college skiing is all about."
On a day when Europeans swept five of the top eight places, Whitman sophomore Hannes Zirknitzer finished 25th in a men's giant slalom race held Friday at Park City, Utah, as part of the Western Tech Series. Meanwhile, in the women's slalom event at nearby Snowbasin, first-year skier Renee Thibodeau paced the Missionaries with a 35th-place showing.
Zirknitzer, who placed fifth and ninth in slalom events earlier in the week, was clocked in 2:06.03 for his two runs down the giant slalom course. A native of Bright, Australia, Zirknitzer finished just one second out of 13th place. He also 15th among the collegiate racers.
Finland's Tommi Viirret won Friday's giant slalom in 2:00.72, finishing more than a second ahead of the runner-up, Petter Roering of Norway.
Two freshmen also placed for Whitman. Chris McCullough (W. Vancouver, B.C.) was 63rd in 2:14.13, while Greg Phillips (Sandy, Utah) was 86th in 2:18.86. McCullough was 23rd among the collegians, while Phillips was 24th.
Whitman sophomore Nate Johnson (Mukilteo, Wash.) fell on his first run and did not finish. The event attracted about 140 skiers, 101 of whom finished both runs.
In the women's slalom Thursday, Whitman's Thibodeau posted a time of 1:53.80 for her two runs. Heidi Hillenbrad, a U.S. skier, won the race event in 1:44.95, edging Sweden's Lina Johansson by one one-hundredth of a second.
Also placing for the Whitman women were sophomore Amy Sharp (Denver, Colo.), who was 72nd in 2:06.98, and first-year skier Mria Corcorran (Bellevue, Wash.), who was 77th in 2:09.94.
Two more Whitman competitors, senior Julia Babilis (Ogden, Utah) and first-year skier Rachel Walker (Whistler, B.C.), did not finish the event, straddling gates on either the first or second run.
The Whitman alpine teams get a one-day rest on Saturday before competing in their first NCAA races of the season. The University of Utah Invitational is set for Sunday (giant slalom) and Monday (slalom) at Park City.
Rachel Walker and Hannes Zirknitzer were Whitman's top finishers as the NCAA season got underway Sunday with the University of Utah Invitational at Park City, Utah.
Walker, a first-year skier from Whistler, British Columbia, was 19th in the women's slalom with a two-run time of 1:37.60. Zirknitzer, a sophomore from Bright, Australia, placed 21st in the men's giant slalom, finishing his two runs in 1:59.40.
Petter Roering and Lars Loeseth-Sunde, two University of New Mexico freshmen from Oslo, Norway, finished one-two in the men's race. Roering was first in 1:54.17, edging Loeseth-Sunde and his time of 1:54.30. Finland's Tommi Viirret was third in 1:54.45.
Erika Hogan, a sophomore from Holmes, N.Y., who skies for the University of Colorado, won the women's race in 1:30.60. Two year-year competitors, the University of Denver's Pia Rivelsrud (Norway) and Boise State's Spela Bertoncelj (Slovenia), tied for second-place with times of 1:30.95.
Whitman's next-best finish was logged by Renee Thibodeau, a first-year skier from Fort Kent, Maine, who placed 25th in the women's slalom in 1:41.68. Amy Sharp, a sophomore from Denver, Colo., was 32nd in 1:46.40, while Maria Corcorran, a first-year skier from Bellevue, Wash., was 36th in 1:49.82. Julia Babilis, a Whitman senior from Ogden, Utah, did not finish her first run.
In the men's giant slalom, Whitman sophomore Nate Johnson (Mukilteo, Wash.) placed 50th in 2:05.59. Two Missionary freshmen, Greg Phillips (Sandy, Utah) and Chris McCullough (W. Vancouver, B.C.), failed to finish one of their two runs.
A total of 86 skiers started the men's giant slalom with 59 finishing both runs. In the women's slalom, 58 of 80 starters finished.
"All in all, it was somewhat of a rough day for Whitman," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "We're a very young team, and not to make excuses, but the conditions weren't very good. The snow was soft, there were a lot of ruts and the courses were difficult."
"We've got a lot of work to do, but I'm confident we'll get stronger and faster as the season goes on."
In the team scoring, the Whitman women finished ninth among 10 schools. The Missionary men were ninth among nine teams. In the combined scoring, Whitman was in tenth place with 50 points, but just 17 points out of sixth place.
"If a few more of our skiers had finished, our standing in the team scoring would have been a few spots higher," Olson said. "It isn't easy for us to compete in a conference dominated by Division I schools, but we think we can finish in the middle of the pack. We can ski right with some of these schools."
The University of Utah Invitational continues Monday with the men's slalom and women's giant slalom. Whitman is the only Division III school competing in the NCAA's Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association.
It was a disappointing day on the ski slopes Monday as the Whitman alpine teams slipped and slid to a tenth-place finish at the University of Utah Invitational at Park City, Utah.
"We've made enough mistakes the past few days to last us the entire season," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "We hope this gets the mistakes out of our system so that we can start skiing more to our potential."
Hannes Zirknitzer, a Whitman sophomore, was in ninth place after Monday's first run in the men's slalom, his strongest event. Midway through his second run, however, Zirknitzer slid around a gate and was forced to backtrack. "Hannes was skiing pretty well up to that point," Olson said. "All he needed was a clean second run and he would have probably made the top five."
As it was, with his second run taking more than eight seconds longer than his first, Zirknitzer finished in 23rd place with a combined time of 1:53.36.
Nate Johnson, also a sophomore and Whitman's No. 2 skier, blew out of his ski bindings on his first run to drop from the competition. Sophomore Chris McCullough and freshman Greg Phillips sailed through clean second runs, but trouble on their first runs dropped both skiers back in the pack. McCullough finished 29th in 2:03.85, one spot of Phillips and his time of 2:03.95.
In the women's giant slalom Monday, first-year skier Rachel Walker placed 27th in 2:15.17. "Rachel is struggling a little bit with her confidence at this point," Olson said. "She's a much better skier than this. With time she'll get back on track."
Sophomore Amy Sharp finished 35th for the Missionaries in 2:19.49, while one of Whitman's top skiers, senior Julia Babilis, missed a gate that added several seconds to her first-run time. Babilis wound up in 38th place with a total time of 2:20.62.
Two first-year skiers, Renee Thibodeau and Maria Corcorran, also placed for Whitman. Thibodeau was 39th in 2:20.74 while Corcorran was 41st in 2:24.26.
"As a team, we're not skiing very well at this point," Olson said. "Most of our skiers our very young. What we need is more training under the clock. We need to know how much we can push ourselves without falling."
Winning Monday's two races were Dominik Schweiger, an Austrian who skies for the University of Denver, and Megan McJames, a junior racer. There's 85 competitors in the men's event. The women's race drew nearly 80 entries.
In the team scoring, the University of New Mexico finished the alpine portion of the Utah Invitational in first place with 283 points. Denver was second with 275 points, followed by Utah with 268 points. Whitman was in tenth place with 93 points.
The nordic portion of the Utah Invitational is slated for Jan. 23-24 at Soldier Hollow, Utah.
Meanwhile, Whitman's alpine teams head to the University of Nevada-Reno Invitatational, which is set for this Thursday and Friday, Jan. 15-16, at the Sugar Bowl Resort near Donner Summit, Calif. Whitman's nordic teams will compete the same two days at the nearby Auburn Ski Club, in the nordic portion of the Nevada Invitational.
Led by Rachel Walker and Hannes Zirknitzer, Whitman's young ski teams showed definite signs of improvement as the alpine portion of the University of Nevada Invitational got underway Thursday with giant slalom races at the Sugar Bowl Resort near Donner Summit, Calif.
Walker, a first-year skier from Whistler, B.C., finished 19th in the women's event with a time of 2:07.53 for her two runs down the hill. Zirknitzer, a sophomore from Bright, Australia, was 20th in the men's race in 1:59.33.
"We're not yet skiing as well as we can, either individually or as a team, but both Rachel and Hannes had solid races," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "We definitely skied better today than we did at our first NCAA races in Utah. We're making progress."
The progess was evident in the women's team scoring. Whitman placed seventh among 10 schools with 28 points. "That's much better than our first invitational, even though we can and should do better," Olson said. "Our women should have finished today in sixth place, ahead of Nevada."
Meanwhile, the Whitman men's team place finished eighth among nine schools with 24 points. The Missionaries placed lower than expected, Olson noted, because senior Russ Crandall (Park City, Utah) is missing his second straight invitational due to academic conflicts, and because sophomore Nate Johnson (Mukilteo, Wash.) failed to finish his second consecutive race due to equipment problems. "We know Hannes will ski faster, and once we get Russ back with the team and get Nate to finish his races, we know the men's team will score more points," Olson said.
In the alpine combined scoring (men & women), Whitman finished day one in ninth place with 52 points. The University of Denver was first with 161 points, followed by the University of New Mexico with 128 and the University of Utah with 120. The universities of Colorado and Nevada rounded out the top five with 108 and 107 points. Montana State with 84, University of Alaska with 82, and Western State College with 61 finished just ahead of Whitman.
The alpine portion of the Nevada invitational continues Friday with men's and women's slalom races.
With his teams in only their second season as members of the NCAA's Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association, Olson was "somewhat amazed" Thursday by the rising level of talent among the alpine skiers. "It's incredible to see how much stronger this ski conference has become in just one year," Olson said.
The strength is due in large part to the many European and Canadian skiers competing for RMISA schools, Olson said. Of the top 15 skiers in the men's event Thursday, only two are from the United States.
Norway's Lars Kjos, a freshman at Denver, won the men's race in 1:55.42, beating junior teammate David Lamb (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) by four-tenths of a second. Finland's Tommi Viirret, skiing for Nevada, was third. "David Lamb was someone we recruited a few years ago, and he was admitted, but he chose to go to Denver instead," Olson said.
Chris McCullough, a Whitman sophomore from W. Vancouver, B.C., placed 36th in the men's event in 2:08.98. Greg Phillips, a freshman from Sandy, Utah, was 37th in 2:14.99. "Both Chris and Greg and trouble on one of their two runs," Olson said. "Both would have placed higher in the pack, had they made two clean runs."
Whitman's Johnson failed to finish his second run after a ski popped loose from the binding. "It's just something that happens when you hit a rut and tweak it just right," Olson said. "It's too bad because Nate had a great first run. He was right there with Hannes."
Two Denver skiers, Pia Rivelsrud of Norway and Sophie Ormond of Great Britain, finished one-two in the women's race with times of 2:03.45 and 2:04.07. Australia's Rowena Bright, skiing for Utah, was third in 2:04.17.
Others finishing for the Whitman women were senior Julia Babilis (Ogden, Utah), who had trouble on her second run to place 29th in 2:12.44; first-year skier Renee Thibodeau (Fort Kent, Maine), who was 32nd in 2:13.45; and first-year skier Maria Corcorran (Bellevue, Wash.), who placed 37th in 2:15.80.
Whitman's Amy Sharp, a sophomore from Denver, Colo., fell on her first run. "It was a bad spill," Olson said. "Amy has a mild concussion but she still wants to race tomorrow. We'll see how she's doing. She's one of the toughest young ladies I've ever known."
Sophomore Hannes Zirknitzer and his alpine teammates gave the Whitman ski program its best-ever finishes on Friday at the University of Nevada Invitational at the Sugar Bowl Resort near Donner Summit, Calif.
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Zirknitzer, a sophomore from Bright, Australia, placed fourth in the men's slalom to lead the Missionary men’s squad to a fourth-place finish in the slalom team standings.
Those are the highest individual and team placings for Whitman since it joined the NCAA’s Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association last season.
“The men’s team really pulled it together today,” Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. “Placing fourth in the west is a great accomplishment for the smallest school in the conference. I’m very proud of the way the guys bounced back after having a tough time at Utah last week.”
In the women’s slalom Friday, first-year skier Rachel Walker of Whistler, B.C., placed 24th to pace Whitman.
As a freshman last season, Zirknitzer placed as high as ninth in the slalom, doing it twice. In one of those instances, he led the men’s squad to a fifth-place showing in the team scoring.
Zirknitzer, who was in second place after Friday’s first run, finished with a combined time of 1:24.13 for his two trips down the hill. Norway's Lars Loeseth Sunde, skiing for the University of New Mexico, edged Zirknitzer for third place by five one-hundredths of a second. Two University of Denver skiers, Dominik Schweiger (Austria) and Todd Ligare (Park City, Utah), finished one-two in times of 1:23.06 and 1:23.74, respectively.
“Hannes showed today that he can ski with the big boys,” Olson said.
Two more sophomores, Nate Johnson (Mukilteo, Wash.) and Chris McCullough (W. Vancouver, B.C.), also contributed to the Whitman men’s team score. Johnson placed 18th in 1:32.37, one spot in front of McCullough and his 1:33.31 time. “Placing in the top 20 is always a good goal,” Olson said. “Do that on a consistent basis and you have a shot at qualifying for nationals.”
Whitman’s Greg Phillips, a freshman from Sandy, Utah, straddled a gate on his first run and failed to finish.
The University of New Mexico men was first in the men’s slalom team scoring with 75 points. Denver was second with 66 points and the University of Alaska-Anchorage third with 65. Whitman was fourth with 55 points, two points ahead of the University of Colorado. Next in line were University of Utah 43, Western State College 39, Montana State 32, and Nevada 12.
The Whitman women’s team also “showed a lot of progress” in Friday’s racing, Olson said. Walker led the way with a time of 1:31.28 in placing 24th. Close behind were teammates Julia Babilis, a senior from Ogden, Utah, who was 27th in 1:32.85, and Renee Thibodeau, a first-year skier from Fort Kent, Maine, who was 28th in 1:32.89.
Whitman’s Maria Corcorran, a first-year skier from Bellevue, Wash., was next, placing 31st in 1:38.76. Amy Sharp, a sophomore from Denver, colo., missed a gate on her first and hiked back to finish 32nd in 1:44.38.
As a team, the Missionary women tied Alaska for seventh place with 22 points, two points behind sixth-place Montana State. “It wasn’t a stellar day for the women, but we’re getting better and we’ll continue to get better,” Olson said.
Pia Rivelsrud of Norway, skiing for Denver, won the women’s race in 1:23.47. Colorado’s Erika Hogan was second in 1:23.55.
Friday’s slalom events concluded the Nevada Invitational, which also included nordic events. The University of Denver was first in the overall standings with 597 alpine and nordic points. Colorado was second with 521 points and New Mexico third with 515. Next in line were Utah 496, Alaska 424, Nevada 358, Montana State 244, Western State College 222, Whitman 195, and Boise State 73.
Making the best of a bad situation, Whitman's Rachel Walker enjoyed her strongest race of the NCAA season Friday, placing 13th in the giant slalom at the University of New Mexico Invitational at the Taos Ski Valley resort near Taos, New Mexico.
Whitman's alpine teams ran into unforeseen trouble Thursday night, after stopping for dinner en route from the Albuquerque airport to their hotel in Taos. While coach Tom Olson and team members were inside a restaurant, thieves broke into their rented van, stealing clothing and ski gear. "They took everything from uniforms to goggles to helmets and boots," Olson said. "Everything but our skis."
"We got through Friday's races, but only because our athletes were trading clothing and gear from one race to the next," Olson added.
Walker, a first-year skier from Whistler, British Columbia, finished her two runs in 2:15.81, less than one second out of eighth place, and less than two seconds behind the winner, Boise State's Mateja Gombac, a first-year skier from Slovenia. "Rachel did a great job under some tough conditions," Olson said. "This gives her a definite boost as she tries to qualify for the NCAA championships."
On the men's side, Whitman's best skier, sophomore Hannes Zirknitzer (Bright, Australia), failed to finish his first run when his ski bindings released after he hit a rut on the course. "The course and weather conditions weren't very good," Olson said. "They've had three to five feet of snow in the last 10 days, and it was bitterly cold all day. The temperature stayed right around three to five degrees below zero."
Nate Johnson, a sophomore from Mukilteo, Wash., paced the Whitman men in Friday's race, placing 33rd in 2:16.28. Nevada's Tommi Viirret of Finland won the event in 2:07.86. Also placing for Missionaries were senior Russ Crandall (Park City, Utah), who was 35th in 2:18.48, and sophomore Chris McCullough (W. Vancouver, B.C.), who was 37th in 2:19.21.
Others placing for the Whitman women were senior Julia Babilis (Ogden, Utah), 28th, 2:19.60; first-year skier Renee Thibodeau (Fort Kent, Maine), 33rd, 2:22.38; and sophomore Langely McNeal (Ketchum, Idaho), 34th, 2:23.63.
"It wasn't a stellar day for us in terms of results -- not nearly as well as we had hoped to do in coming down here," Olson said. "But given what happened last night, I couldn't be more proud of the way our athletes worked together and kept each other going. They showed some great team spirit."
Both Whitman alpine teams placed eighth in the team scoring. The women finished with 30 points, ahead of both Western State and the University of Alaska, and just six points behind sixth-place University of Utah. The Missionary men were eighth among nine schools with 21 points.
Denver was first in the men's team scoring with 82 points, 12 points ahead of New Mexico. The women's scoring was close at the top, with New Mexico leading with 75 points, two better than Boise State.
While Friday's alpine events took place near Taos, the invitational's nordic events were staged near Red River, New Mexico. In the opening day's combined scoring (men/women, alpine/nordic), Whitman was in eighth place among 10 schools with 109 points. The Missionary squads were just 15 points out of sixth place heading into Saturday's second and final day of the invitational.
As they were Friday in the giant slalom races, Rachel Walker and Nate Johnson were the Whitman pace-setters in Saturday's slalom events at the University of New Mexico Invitational at the Taos Ski Valley resort near Taos, New Mexico. Walker, a first-year skier from Whistler, British Columbia, finished 20th in the women's slalom in 1:47.35, while Johnson, a sophomore from Mukilteo, Wash., was 24th in the men's race in 1:46.77.
"As individuals, Rachel and Nate had decent results, but it wasn't the best of days for us as a team," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "It was another long, late day, spinning in part off the equipment losses from a few days ago."
Some of Whitman's racing uniforms and gear were stolen from a rented van Thursday night, leaving team members to share the remaining clothing and gear from race to race.
Whitman's top skier, sophomore Hannes Zirknitzer (Bright, Victoria), was in 10th place after Saturday's first slalom run. He was forced to hike on his second run, after missing a gate, and slipped to 29th in the final standings with a time of 1:58.26.
Senior Russ Crandall (Park City, Utah) also hiked on his second run, dropping to 32nd with a time of 2:07.15. Chris McCullough, a sophomore from W. Vancouver, B.C., survived a painful mishap on his first run to place 25th in 1:49.74. "Chris took a gate to the face on his first run, and there was some blood and a swollen lip and nose," Olson said. "But he skied through his second run so he could still score some points for the team."
The Whitman men finished eighth among nine schools with 29, beating last-place Montana State and its 21 points. The University of Denver was first in the men's slalom team scoring with 81 points, five more than second-place New Mexico. The University of Nevada's Michael Rajcan (Slovakia) won the event in 1:36.64. Norway's Lars Loeseth Sunde, skiing for New Mexico, was the runner-up in 1:36.64.
Other finishers for the Whitman women were first-year skier Renee Thibodeau (Fort Kent, Maine), who was 30th in 1:54.40, and Langely McNeal, a sophomore from Ketchum, Idaho, who was 31st in 1:58.80. Senior Julia Babilis (Ogden, Utah) was disqualified after missing a gate on her first run.
The Missionary women placed 10th among 10 schools with 24 points, two points behind Montana State, four back of the University of Alaska, and six behind Western State. New Mexico was first in the women's team scoring with 83 points, while Denver was second with 76 points. New Mexico's Jennifer Delich, a senior from Fernie, Canada, won the women's event with a time of 1:42.14. Boise State's Margit Walter (Austria) took second place in 1:42.64.
"With all the stress and confusion from the lost equipment, this was just one of those weekends," Olson said. "We'll come home, shake it off and get ready for the next races in Colorado. We think we're right on the verge of getting some good things accomplished."
In the final combined scoring (alpine/nordic, men/women) for the New Mexico Invitational, Whitman placed seventh among 10 schools with 221 points. Montana State, Alaska-Anchorage and Boise State finished behind the Missionaries. Host New Mexico won the invitational with 590 points. Denver was second with 569 and Colorado third with 535.
Boosting their chances of qualifying for the NCAA national championships, Whitman's Rachel Walker and Hannes Zirknitzer both finished in the top 15 of their respective races as the alpine portion of the University of Colorado Invitational got underway Friday with giant slalom events at the Eldora (Colo.) Ski Resort.
Walker, a first-year skier from Whistler, British Columbia, placed 14th in the women's giant slalom with a total time of 2:08.13 for her two runs down the hill. She finished about one second out of sixth place. Two weeks ago, in her last giant slalom race, Walker placed 13th.
"That gives Rachel two top-15 finishes in the giant slalom," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "She definitely helped her chances today in terms of qualifying for nationals. What she needs now is a few strong finishes in the slalom."
Zirknitzer, a sophomore from Bright, Australia, placed 15th in the men's slalom on Friday. His time was 2:02.09, less than one second out of 11th place.
"That's the best giant slalom finish Hannes has had this season," Olson said. A month ago at the University of Nevada Invitational, Zirknitzer placed fourth in the slalom.
Julia Babilis, a senior, also had a good day Friday, placing 22nd in 2:11.05. Sophomore Victoria Amorello was 31st in 2:16.62, while first-year skiers Renee Thibodeau and Maria Corcorran were 32nd and 35th, respectively, in 2:17.10 and 2:18.34. Sophomore Langely McNeal failed to finish her first run.
Other skiers for the Whitman men's team were sophomores Nate Johnson, who was 26th in 2:06.87, and Chris McCullough, who was 30th in 2:10.06.
In the team scoring, the Whitman women finished seventh among 10 schools with 69 points. The Missionary men also placed seventh with 31 points. The University of Denver was in first place for both the men and women.
The alpine portion of the Colorado Invitational concludes Saturday with the men's and women's slalom events.
Denver's Dominik Schweiger (Austria) won the men's giant slalom on Friday with a time of 1:59.26. The University of Nevada's Tommi Viirret was second in 1:59.63.
In the women's race, the University of Utah's April Mancuso (Lake Tahoe, Calif.) was the winner in 2:04.70. Denver's Pia Rivelsrud (Norway) was second in 2:05.19.
Putting the finishing touch on her best weekend of NCAA skiing, Whitman's Rachel Walker placed 12th in the women's slalom Saturday at the University of Colorado Invitational at the Eldora Ski Resort. Strengthening her bid for a berth at the NCAA national championships, Walker finished her two slalom runs in 1:40.21, just three one-hundredths of a second out of 11th place.
"This is Rachel's best slalom finish this season," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "Our hope is that she can add one more good slalom finish at next weekend's final event of the regular season."
Walker, who placed 14th in Friday's giant slalom, sparked the Missionary women to a fifth-place finish in Saturday's slalom -- their best team finish this season. Whitman was fifth in a 10-school field with 41 points, a point ahead of the University of Alaska and seven points behind fourth-place Montana State. "That was a good showing by our women," Olson said. "The teams we beat included the universities of Utah and Nevada."
In the men's slalom Saturday, Whitman sophomore Hannes Zirknitzer failed to finish his second run after skiing into eighth place on the first run. "Hannes was skiing well on his second run when he hit a spot that was flushing a lot of guys off the course. Had Hannes finished the run, he probably would have another top-five finish."
In Zirknitzer's absence, Whitman sophomores Chris McCullough and Nate Johnson placed 22nd and 24th, respectively, in times of 2:05.99 and 2:07.37. With just two individual finishers, the Missionary men's team placed ninth with 22 points.
In the women's slalom, senior Julia Babilis posted Whitman's next best finish. She was 28th in 1:46.84. First-year Renee Thibodeau was close behind in 29th with a time of 1:47.97. Sophomore Victoria Amorello was 30th in 1:49.23.
Also placing for the Missionary women were first-year skier Maria Corcorran, 33rd in 1:57.26, and sophomore Langely McNeal, 35th in 2:02.49.
Norway's Pia Rivelsrud, skiing for the University of Denver, won Saturday's slalom in 1:35.02. Rivelsrud was second in Friday's giant slalom.
Austria's Dominik Scheiger, also skiing for Denver, won the men's slalom Saturday, after having won the giant slalom one day earlier.
After finishing first in the team scoring Friday, Denver's men and women completed the sweep with two more team victories on Saturday.
In the final combined scoring (alpine/nordic, men/women) for the University of Colorado Invitational, Whitman placed ninth among 10 schools with 198 points. Denver won the invitational with a total of 583 points, 23 points in front of Colorado.
Whitman's skiers plan to stay in Colorado this week to prepare for next weekend's Western State College Invitational, to be held at Crested Butte. "We'll train in the mornings and do classwork in the afternoons and evenings," Olson said. "Crested Butte is our last opportunity to get people qualified for nationals."
Whitman's Hannes Zirknitzer and Rachel Walker moved a step closer to qualifying for the NCAA national alpine ski championships with a pair of strong performances Friday at the Western State Invitational near Crested Butte, Colo.
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Zirknitzer, a sophomore from Bright, Australia, placed eighth in the men's giant slalom with a time of 2:24.81 for his two runs down the hill. He finished less than 1.5 seconds out of first place.
"That is the best giant slalom finish Hannes has had in his two seasons at Whitman," alpine coach Tom Olson said. Zirknitzer's previous best giant slalom result this season was 15th.
"What Hannes needs now, in terms of qualifying for nationals, is another top 15 finish in Saturday's slalom," Olson said. "The slalom is his best event, and even though he's placed as high as fourth this season in the slalom, his other slalom results weren't nearly as good."
Alpine skiers in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA) qualify for the NCAA championships based on the best two results in both the slalom and giant slalom. Saturday's events conclude the RMISA season. A conference call between coaches on Monday will decide which skiers advance to nationals.
Walker, a first-year skier from Whistler, British Columbia, also strengthened her qualifying chances by placing 13th in the women's slalom on Friday. Her two-run time was 1:23.16, less than one second out of eighth place.
"This gives Rachel two top 15 finishes in both the slalom and giant slalom," Olson said. "We won't know for sure until Monday's conference call, but I'm reasonably confident that Rachel will be going to nationals."
Nate Johnson, a sophomore from Mukilteo, Wash., was Whitman's only other finisher in the men's race. Johnson placed 28th in 2:31.51. Chris McCullough, a sophomore from W. Vancouver, B.C., failed to finish his second run.
Those placing for the Whitman women included first-year skier Renee Thibodeau (Fort Kent, Maine), who was 23rd in 1:25.76, and senior Julia Babilis, who was 27th in 1:27.09. Langely McNeal, a sophomore from Ketchum, Idaho, placed 30th in 1:31.76, while first-year skier Maria Corcorran (Bellevue, Wash.) was 32nd in 1:35.90.
In the women's slalom team scoring, the Missionaries placed seventh with 39 points, just one point behind Montana State and eight points out of fourth place. "The women had a good day," Olson said. "We're getting stronger and beating some of the NCAA Div. I, athletic scholarship schools on a regular basis."
The University of Denver was first in the women's team scoring with 81.5 points, six points ahead of the University of New Mexico. The University of Utah was third with 51 points.
With just two finishers, the Whitman men's team placed eighth in the giant slalom scoring with 31 points, nine points in back of the University of Colorado. Denver was first in the men's team scoring with 75 points, a single point ahead of the University of Alaska-Anchorage. Utah was third with 59 points.
Utah's Benjamin Thornhill, a sophomore from Whistler, B.C., won the men's giant slalom in 2:23.40. Denver's Domink Swiger (Austria) was second in 2:23.66, while Nevada's Michal Rajcan (Slovakia) was third in 2:23.94.
Denver's Pia Rivelsrud (Norway) won the women's slalom in 1:19.43. One of her teammates, Sophie Ormond (France), tied for second with New Mexico's Jennifer Delich (Fernie, Canada) with times of 1:20.88.
The alpine portion of the Western State Invitational concludes Saturday with the men's slalom and the women's giant slalom.
On a day marred by heavy snow and failures with electronic timing equipment, Whitman's Rachel Walker came within an eyelash of winning the women's giant slalom on Saturday at the Western state Invitational near Crested Butte, Colo.
Walker, a first-year skier from Whistler, British Columbia, placed second in event, finishing less than two-tenths of a second behind the winner, the University of Denver's Sophie Ormond, a senior from Thones, France.
Because of blizzard-like conditions and timing equipment problems, the women's giant slalom was reduced to one run instead of two. Ormond won with a time of 1:16.82. Walker was right behind in 1:16.96. Denver's Barbara Knor, a junior from Umhausen, Austria, was third in 1:17.00.
"Rachel rocked the world on her first run," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "She skied very well and very aggressively. She nailed it. That's higher than any of our skiers have finished in our two seasons in the NCAA."
Saturday's outcome virtually assures Walker a berth at the NCAA national championships, slated for March 10-13 at the Sugar Bowl Ski Resort near Donner Summit, Calif. A total of 20 alpine women from the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA) will advance to the national championships. "I'm almost 99.9 percent certain Rachel will go," Olson said.
Meanwhile, in the men's slalom on Saturday, Whitman's Hannes Zirknitzer hit the weather at its worst and finished 17th with a two-run time of 2:24.81. "It wasn't as high a finish as we wanted," Olson said. "As far as qualifying for nationals, Hannes is on the bubble right now. My guess is that he will go as one of the 18 alpine men from our conference, but we'll have to wait and see."
The selection process for nationals will be finalized Monday during a conference telephone call among RMISA coaches.
Zirknitzer, a sophomore from Bright, Australia, was the fifth skier down the hill in Saturday's first run. What should have been a good starting position, however, fell victim to the weather. The early skiers were slowed by blizzard conditions. "After about the first 20 skiers went down, the storm let up and the sun came out, glazing the track," Olson said. "As it turned out, the top three skiers in the first run started in the 29th, 30th and 32nd positions. Hannes and others early in the run just hit some bad weather and some tough luck."
Zirknitzer, who has finished as high as fourth in the slalom this season, finished his two runs Saturday in 1:13.05. Denver's Dominik Schweiger, a junior from Wangle, Austria, won the race in 1:11.05. The University of Nevada's Michal Rajcan, a sophomore from Slovakia, was second in 1:11.34.
The men's slalom was delayed when the electronic timing equipment failed after the first run. The delay, along with the extreme weather conditions, later resulted in the women's giant slalom being shortened to one run.
Also placing for the Whitman men Saturday were sophomore Nate Johnson, who was 33rd in 1:18.40, and sophomore Chris McCullough, who was 35th in 1:24.76.
Others placing for the Missionary women in Saturday's giant slalom were senior Julia Babilis, 24th, 1:20.34; first-year skier Renee Thibodeau, 33rd, 1:23.16; first-year skier Maria Corcorran, 37th, 1:25.65; and sophomore Langely McNeal, 40th, 1:26.77.
In the two-day combined scoring (alpine/nordic, men/women), Whitman finished ninth with 213 points. Denver was first with 562 points, followed by New Mexico with 510 in second and Utah with 460 in third.
Hannes Zirknitzer had his sights set, no doubt, on finishing higher than 25th in the giant slalom as the NCAA National Ski Championships got underway Wednesday at the Sugar Bowl Ski Area near Donner Summit, Calif.
Yet, in placing 25th, the Whitman College sophomore from Bright, Australia, is off to a much better start than a year ago at the national championships, when he slammed through a safety fence on his first giant slalom run and dislocated a shoulder.
Zirknitzer finished his two runs Wednesday in 1:56.32, about one second out of the 20th spot and about two seconds out of 15th place.
"Hannes wasn't greatly pleased with either of his two runs, but you can see how tightly the times were bunched at the
top," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "This is an incredibly talented field of skiers."
Meanwhile, in the women's giant slalom Wednesday, Whitmam's Rachel Walker was forced to backtrack on her first run, after sliding by a gate, and eventually placed 34th. Walker, a first-year skier from Whister, British Columbia, finished her two runs in 2:33.37.
"Rachel had trouble on a section of the course that falls away to the outside," Olson said. "Her outside ski slid out from underneath her and she missed a gate. After she hiked back around the gate, she was pretty much out of contention. It's something that just happens in ski racing, but it was disappointing that Rachel wasn't able to show her ability."
Zirknitzer and Walker combined to score a total of 21 points for Whitman, good enough for 15th place in the team standings after day one of the national championships. Two nordic events take center stage on Thursday, but Whitman does not have any nordic skiers in the competition. Some schools qualified as many 12 athletes (alpine & nordic) for the championships.
The University of Denver took the first-day lead in the team scoring with 188 points. The University of Vermont with 168 points and the University of New Mexico third with 155 points. Middlebury College (150.5 points) and the University of Utah (137) rounded out the top five.
New Mexico's Jennifer Delich, a senior from Fernie, British Columbia, won the women's giant slalom with a time of 1:59.18. The University of Colorado's Erika Hogan, a sophomore from Holmes, N.Y., was second in 1:59.67. Hilary McCloy and Jamie Kingsbury, sophomore teammates at Vermont, placed third and fourth, respectively, in times of 1:59.77 and 1:59.84. Kingsbury won the event last year.
utah's Ben Thornhill, a sophomore from Whistler, B.C., won the men's event for the second time in two years. He finished his two runs Wednesday in 1:52.24, edging New Mexico freshman Petter Roering (Norway) by four one-hundredths of a second. The University of Nevada-Reno's Michal Rajcan, a sophomore from Slovakia, was another four one-hundredths of a second back in third place, finishing in 1:52.32.
Skiers from the western U.S. dominated the men's event, sweeping the top eight spots and 10 of the top 15. "That shows what Whitman has to compete against every weekend during the regular season," Olson said.
While sunny skies gave skiers good visibility Wednesday, windy conditions "made for a challenging day," Olson said. "The wind was gusting at 40 to 50 miles per hour, blowing straight up the hill into the faces of the skiers as they came down."
The alpine portion of the championships concludes Friday with the slalom events.
Whitman's Hannes Zirknitzer placed 10th in the men's slalom -- winning NCAA All-American honors -- as the alpine portion of the NCAA Skiing Championships concluded today at the Sugar Bowl Ski Area near Donner Summit, Calif.
Zirknitzer, a sophomore from Bright, Australia, is believed to be the first Whitman athlete to win NCAA All-American honors in any sport against Division I competition. All schools involved in NCAA skiing, regardless of their size or ability to give athletic scholarships, compete in the same division. Whitman is the only NCAA Div. III (non-scholarship) school competing in NCAA skiing in the western United States.
Zirknitzer finished his two slalom runs Friday in 1:16.73, less than one second out of sixth place. Meanwhile, in the women's slalom on Friday, Whitman's Rachel Walker placed 29th. Walker, a first-year skier from Whistler, British Columbia, finished her two runs in 1:30.23.
"Hannes was very pleased with his performance today," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "This was his goal, to place in the top 10 and earn All-American honors."
Olson said Zirknitzer skied conservatively on his first run, when the course was set at a higher degree of difficulty. "Hannes then attacked the course on the second run," Olson added. "He took an approach that was both patient and intelligent."
Dartmouth's Paul McDonald, a sophomore from Bellevue, Wash., won the men's slalom in 1:14.09. It marked the third straight year that a Dartmouth skier has won the men's slalom title. Last year's winner, Roger Brown, placed fourth in Friday's race. Brown is a senior from Norwich, Vt.
The University of Nevada-Reno's Michal Rajcan, a sophomore from Slovakia, was Friday's runner-up with a time of 1:14.22. The University of New Mexico's Lars Loeseth, a freshman from Norway, was third in 1:14.29.
In placing 10th, Zirknitzer scored enough points to place Whitman 12th in the team scoring for the men's slalom. Some schools qualified as many as three male and three female athletes for the alpine events.
A year ago as a freshman at the national championships, Zirknitzer placed 27th in the slalom. That performance came with considerable effort, given the fact he had fallen two days earlier in the giant slalom, dislocating a shoulder.
The University of Denver's Pia Rivelsrud, a first-year skier from Norway, won the women's slalom Friday in 1:22.80, finishing well ahead of the runner-up, Courtney Calise of Dartmouth. Calise, a first-year skier from Littleton, N.H., was timed in 1:23.40 for her two runs. Denver's Barbara Knor, a junior from Austria, was third in 1:24.01.
Whitman's Walker, who missed a gate and placed 34th in Wednesday's giant slalom, continued to struggle in Friday's slalom. "Rachel knows she can ski much better than she showed this week," Olson said. "This week has been a growing experiences for Rachel. I'm confident she will come back with a much stronger performance in her second trip to nationals, which is what Hannes did this year."
The NCAA championships end Saturday with the final two nordic events. With the first three events complete, New Mexico is in first place with 488 points. Utah is second with 457.5 points and Denver third with 455 points. The University of Vermont is fourth with 423 points, followed by Middlebury College with 396.5 points and Dartmouth with 363.
Zirknitzer and Walker scored enough points in the alpine events to move Whitman into 18th place in the combined alpine-nordic scoring with 62 points. Whitman is five points behind Boise State University.