Whitman sophomore Lucia Paciotti placed a season-best 24th in the women's slalom on Saturday as the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association's West Region Championships completed its two-day run at Bridger Bowl near Bozeman, Mont.
Paciotti's time for her two runs was 1:39.99, which placed her just 1.38 seconds out of the 20th spot.
"Lucia and the women's team finished strong, which is what we were hoping for," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "This helps lay the foundation for a better season next year."
First-year skier Liza Allen and sophomore Emily Baker rounded out Whitman's team score, placing 32nd and 33rd, respectively, with times of 1:44.48 and 1:45.43. Sophomore Allison Rood took a nasty tumble after straddling a gate on her first run. "Allison tweaked her knee a little bit, but we're hoping it's nothing more than a sprain or bruise," Olson said.
Neither of Whitman's freshmen men completed the men's slalom. "Tim Bak had a good first run and was somewhere in the mid-20s," Olson said. "On his second run he was skiing as well as I've seen him ski all season when he straddled a gate near the end and wasn't able to finish. That was unfortunate because he was probably headed for his best finish of the season."
John David Davidson dropped from the competition after straddling a gate on his first run.
In the women's team scoring, Whitman placed eighth among nine schools with 26 points, finishing just 11 points behind seventh-place Montana State. The universities of Colorado and Denver tied for first with 69 points apiece. Utah and Alaska-Anchorage was close behind with 66 points each.
The University of New Mexico was first in the men's team scoring with 71 points. Utah and Alaska-Anchorage tied for second with 66 points.
As they did in men's giant slalom on Friday, Nevada's Gregory Berger (France) and New Mexico's Tor Fodnesbergene (Norway) finished one-two in the Saturday's slalom. Colorado's Lucie Zikova (Czech Republic), the runner-up Friday in the women's giant slalom, was first among the women in Saturday's slalom.
It was a good day on the slopes for the young Whitman women's alpine ski team at the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association's West Region Championships Friday at Bridger Bowl near Bozeman, Mont.
Two Missionary women posted their best giant slalom finishes of the season, and two others either matched or came close to their season-best efforts. Sophomore Lucia Paciotti led the way, placing 27th in 1:53.52, finishing about one second out of the 18th spot. One of her first-year teammates, Liza Allen, was 30th in 1:54.95.
"We had two of our young skiers in the top 30, which is a good accomplishment against such a talented and experienced field," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said.
Sophomore Emily Baker finished 34th in 1:57.71, missing her season-best giant slalom finish by one spot. Sophomore Allison Rood matched her season-best finish, placing 38th in 2:01.70. "I think all of our women are happy with their results today," Olson said. "I know I'm pleased."
In the men's giant slalom Friday, Whitman freshman Tim Bak slipped to 40th (1:58.12) after having placed a season-best 27th in a Thursday qualifying race. John David Davidson, another Missionary freshman, was 41st on Friday in 1:58.99.
"Both of our guys were not as consistent today as they have been, but part of that comes with being young and relatively inexperienced," Olson said. "With first- and second-year skiers on both our men's and women's teams, we've known all along that this was going to be a growing year -- a chance for us to get acclimated to elite college skiing. We're competing against a lot of older skiers with World Cup experience."
France's Gregory Berger, skiing for the University of Nevada-Reno, won the men's race Friday in 1:48.72, edging the University of New Mexico's Tor Fodnesbergene (Norway) by .08 of a second. In the women's event, it was the University of Denver's Jenny Lathrop (North Conway, N.H.) taking first in 1:47.41, about six-tenths of a second in front of the runner-up, Lucie Zikova (Czech Republic) of the University of Colorado.
In the women's team scoring, Whitman finished eighth in the nine-school field with 29 points. The University of Alaska-Anchorage was first with 73 points, followed by New Mexico with 64 and Nevada and Denver with 63.
Whitman was ninth in the men's team scoring with 11 points. Utah was first with 73 points and New Mexico second with 67.
"We're looking forward to Saturday's final slalom races of the regular season," Olson added. "Both our women and men have had some success the past two days, and the slalom is probably our best event at this point. The race and snow conditions have also been excellent here in Montana. For one of the few times this season, we're not working against powder up to our waist. We couldn't ask for better race conditions than we've had so far."
Whitman's Tim Bak and Lucia Paciotti posted their best-ever college finishes in the giant slalom Thursday as the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA) hosted an additional qualifying event for the NCAA national championships.
Bak, a freshman, placed 27th in the men's event while Paciotti, a sophomore was 28th on the women's side.
Thursday's events were held in part to compensate for giant slalom races held in poor weather conditions earlier this month at the Western State Invitational in Colorado. "It made sense to have make-up races today since all of the teams are here anyway, training for the regional championships on Friday and Saturday," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said.
No team scores were kept, but an additional day of competition was "especially helpful for the young skiers on our team," Olson said. "Our skiers aren't in a position to qualify for nationals, but both Tim and Lucia lowered their U.S. Ski Association point profiles, which helps lower their start positions in later races."
Paciotti in particular dropped her point profile. "She came into the race with an 88 point profile, but her results today were 63," Olson said. "That's a signicant drop for Lucia. Tim went from 60 to 51, which isn't quite as significant, but it's good anytime you can lower your points."
Bak, who finished his two runs in 1:42.74, missed breaking into the top 20 by about one second. Paciotti's time in the women's event was 1:41.43.
First-year skier Liza Allen and sophomore Emily Baker were next in line for the Whitman women, placing 33rd and 34th, respectively, with times of 1:45.25 and 1:47.09. Sophomore Allison Rood was 38th in 1:52.92.
Freshman John David Davidson, the only other competitor for the Whitman men, finished 38th in 1:57.40.
Winners of the two events were the University of Nevada-Reno's Katie Lyons, who posted a time of 1:36.74, and the University of Denver's Seppi Stiegler, who was first for the men in 1:39.31.
This weekend's alpine regional championships, which start with giant slalom races Friday, mark the end of the RMISA regular season. Montana State is hosting the events.
Whitman freshman Tim Bak had his best day as a collegian, placing 25th in the men's slalom at the University of New Mexico Invitational Saturday at New Mexico's Taos Ski Valley. Meanwhile, in the women's slalom, sophomore Lucia Paciotti paced Whitman by placing 31st, matching her season-best finish at last weekend's slalom race at Crested Butte, Colo.
"Tim is only a freshman, but that's an awesome finish for anyone," Whitman coach Tom Olson said. "Lucia also skied really well. She's coming on strong late in the season and has been a good leader for us."
Bak completed his two runs in 1:51.58. His previous best slalom finish this season came early in January at Steamboat Springs, Colo., where he placed 31st. Paciotti's time was 1:56.78.
John David Davidson, also a freshman, was the only competitor for the Whitman men. He also posted his season-best effort, recovering from a nasty crash to finish 34th in 2:36.28. "John David picked himself, put his ski back on and finished the race, which is always good to see," Olson said.
Also racing for the Whitman women were first-year skier Liza Allen, who was 33rd in 1:59.88, and sophomore Allison Rood, who was 39th in 2:33.24. "Allie is getting more consistent as we get into the season, and Liza continues to make good progress," Olson said. "We're such a young team, but it's good to see them come together."
Whitman was eighth in the women's team scoring with 25 points, finishing eight points behind Montana State. The Missionary men were ninth with 13 points.
The University of Colorado, led by first-place finisher Lucie Zikova (1:43.20), was first in the women's scoring with 81 points. The University of Denver was second with 71 points while the University of Utah was third with 66 points.
utah's Tague Thorson won the men's event in 1:37.28, but Denver skiers filled the next three spots. Denver finished with 84 team points, easily beating Utah (68) and New Mexico (65).
"The weather was great today, sunny and warm, maybe in the low 30s," Olson said. "It made for a good ending to the weekend."
Sophomore Lucia Paciotti and freshman John David Davidson were the top finishers for the Whitman alpine ski teams in giant slalom races at the University of New Mexico Invitational Friday at Taos Ski Valley.
Paciotti was 38th in the women's event, finishing her two runs in 1:57.84. Davidson was 41st in the men's race with a time of 2:04.99.
Liza Allen, a first-year skier, was next for the Whitman women, placing 40th in 2:01.07. Sophomore Allison Rood was 42nd in 2:04.19.
"The weather was decent today and the racing conditions good," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "Our women made a decent showing and continue to improve, but the talent in the women's field keeps getting stronger every year."
Freshman Tim Bak, the only other Whitman skier in the men's race, failed to finish his first run. "Tim got caught in some soft snow at one point and slid off the course," Olson said. "John David had a few rough spots in his second run, but he also had moments of awesome skiing in that second run."
In the women's team scoring, Whitman tied for eighth with Western State with 20 points. The universities of Colorado and Denver were first and second, respectively, with 85.5 and 77 points. Colorado's Katie Hartman won the race in 1:49.64, edging teammate Lucie Zikova by five one-hundredths of a second.
The University of Nevada was first in the men's scoring with 74 points. New Mexico was the runner-up with 72.5 points. Davidson scored six points for the Whitman men.
Nevada's Shane Collins won the men's race in 1:52.63. He beat Denver's John Buchar by six one-hundredths of a second.
The alpine competition continues Saturday with slalom races.
Whitman's Tim Bak placed 37th and teammate John David Davidson was 43rd in a make-up giant slalom race held Thursday at New Mexico's Taos Ski Valley.
Held on the eve of the University of New Mexico Invitational, Thursday's event replaces a race that was canceled last weekend due to blizzard conditions at the Western State Invitational in Crested Butte, Colo.
"We got to race in the sunshine today, so the guys could actually see the course," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said.
Improving by one-half second from his first to his second run, Bak finished with a total time of 2:08.43. "Tim is only freshman and he's up against some of the best skiers in the world, but he's making real progress and starting to figure things out," Olson said. "He had a good day."
Davidson finished his two runs in 2:43.97. "John David had trouble on his first run," Olson said. "He hit soft snow on one side of the course and was thrown off course."
The University of Denver's John Buchar won the race in 1:58.11. The University of Nevada's Cameron Barnes was second in 1:58.47, and Denver's Francesco Ghedina was third in 1:58.89.
Weather conditions in the Colorado high country were anything but ideal, but six Whitman skiers were among the survivors who managed to finish both slalom runs at Saturday's Western State Invitational at Crested Butte Mountain Resort.
"We must have lost half the field to the rough conditions," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "The visibility was so poor for the women's second run that we had to use dye and pine boughs to help mark the course. With all of the new snow -- and they measure it here in feet rather than in inches -- the ruts on the course made it tough to finish, and a lot of skiers didn't."
With temperatures in the single digits, first-year skier Liza Allen had Whitman's best performance, placing 30th in the women's slalom in 1:34.31. Sophomore Lucia Paciotti was 31st in 1:35.97, and two more sophomores, Emily Baker and Allison Rood, overcame problems on the course to finish 36th and 39th, respectively, in 1:52.39 and 1:54.25.
"It was a respectable day for the women, given the conditions," Olson said. "Both Liza and Lucia did a good job skiing strong and skiing the ruts."
In the men's slalom, Whitman freshmen Tim Bak and John David Davidson placed 35th and 36th, respectively, with times of 1:37.14 and 1:43.30. "Tim was solid on both runs, and John David had a decent second run after losing a pole on his first run. Having both freshmen place in the top 40 under these conditions was good. I know they aren't thrilled with where they placed, but we can build on this for the last two events of the season, and for next year."
The University of Utah's Tague Thorson, a sophomore from Mahtomedi, Minn., won the men's event in 1:22.87. The University of Nevada-Reno's Greg Berger-Sabbatel, a freshman from Saint Maurice, France, was second in 1:24.45.
Utah's Eva Huckova, a first-year skier from Banska Bystricka, Slovakia, was in the women's slalom in 1:22.39. The University of Denver's Jenny Lathrop, a freshman from North Conway, N.H., was second in 1:22.89.
Colorado was first in the women's team scoring with 80 points, 12 points ahead of second-place University of Alaska-Anchorage. Other team scores were Denver 67, Utah 56, New Mexico 49, Nevada-Reno 49, Montana State 45, Western State 23, and Whitman 22.
On the men's side, Utah tallied 82 points to take the top spot, beating runner-up Denver by five points. Other scores were Colorado 54, New Mexico 51, Nevada 50, Alaska-Anchorage 46, Montana State 43, Western State 39, and Whitman 13.
The Western State men's giant slalom, which was canceled Friday because of blizzard conditions, has been re-scheduled for Thursday afternoon in Taos, N.M., where the University of New Mexico Invitational is slated for Friday and Saturday.
A driving snowstrom delayed, disrupted and then wiped out most of the alpine competition as the Western State Invitational got underway Friday at the Crested Butte (Colo.) Mountain Resort.
After getting through the first run of the women's giant slalom, race officials started the first run of the men's event. But with racers flying off the course, coaches soon decided that deterioating visibility had made the course too dangerous to continue.
Coaches also decided that the women's first run would stand as that event's final result, giving the individual victory to the University of New Mexico's Marin Hemmingsson. She finished her run in 1:11.15, more than a full second in front of runner-up Eva Huckova of the University of Utah.
Four Whitman skiers were among the athletes who completed the first run. Sophomore Lucia Paciotti led the way, placing 42nd in 1:18.40. First-year teammate Liza Allen was next, finishing 45th in 1:19.41. Sophomores Allison Rood and Emily Baker were 49th and 50th, respectively, with times of 1:22.59 and 1:22.75.
"The race was restricted by limited visibility and heavy snow," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "The course was fast and had a very narrow track, which led to some very nervous athletes." While some coaches and skiers decided not to race, Olson said, his skiers were "excited to race and bummed they only got one run."
Given the conditions, Olson added, the day's races should have been canceled at 10 a.m. and never started, but "we gave it the old college try and you see what we got."
The University of Colorado was first in the team scoring with 78 points, five points ahead of Utah. Other team scores were University of Denver 68, New Mexico 64, Nevada 58, Alaska-Anchorage 49, Montana State 39, Western State 22, and Whitman 18.
The men's event will be made up at a later date, in conjunction with one of two invitationals remaining.
The alpine portion of the Western State Invitational will continue on Saturday, weather permitting, with slalom races.
Emily Baker was 35th and Tim Bak 36th for the Whitman alpine teams as the University of Utah Invitational wrapped up a two-day run Saturday at the Park City (Utah) Mountain Resort.
"It wasn't the best of days, but we're all freshmen and sophomores, and we're learning," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "Our focus right now is the regional championships, where we hope our alpine and Nordic teams can place in the middle of the pack."
Whitman's younger skiers also had relatively late starts in both events, long after the soft courses were rutted, Olson said.
Baker, a sophomore, finished her two giant slalom runs in 2:23.67. Teammate Liza Allen, a first-year skier, was right behind in 36th in 2:23.95. Missionary sophomores Lucia Paciotti and Allison Rood fell and finished their second runs. A third sophomore, Lauren Parsons, injured an ankle in a bad fall on her first run.
Bak's time in the men's slalom was 2:06.54. John David Davidson, also a freshman, had trouble on both runs but finished in 2:18.02.
Slovakia's Eva Huckoa, skiing for Utah, won the women's giant slalom in 2:01.25. Norway's Tor Henn Fodnesbergene gave the University of New Mexico a win in the men's slalom, clocking a 1:41.92 for his two runs.
Utah took the grand prize for its invitational, piling up 585.5 points in the team scoring for all eight men's and women's events in the alpine and Nordic competitions. The University of Denver was second with 550 points followed by the University of Colorado in third with 543 points. Whitman finished eighth among 10 schools with 171 points.
Whitman's alpine teams take the new few weeks. They return to action Feb. 1-2 at the Western State Invitational at Crested Butte, Colo.
First-year skier Liza Allen fought off a nasty cold to give the Whitman alpine ski teams a 31st-place finish Friday afternoon in the women's slalom in the University of Utah Invitational at the Park City (Utah) Mountain Resort.
John David Davidson, also a Whitman freshman, placed 40th for Whitman's best showing in the men's giant slalom.
Competing under a constant snowfall with ruts developing quickly, Allen finished her two giant slalom runs in 1:51.41. "That was a great effort by Liza, given the circumstances," Whitman alpine coach Tom Olson said. "She's been fighting this cold for a little while now, and she's been our top finisher on the women's side in all three of the races we've had so far."
Three Whitman sophomores finished farther back, after falling or missing gates. "Give them credit, though, because they got back on the course and finished," Olson said. "That helped with our overall team score."
Counting points from Friday's alpine and Nordic races, Whitman was in eighth place in the invitational's team scoring. Whitman heads to Saturday's final day of competition with 89 points. Western State College was ninth with 83 points and the University of Wyoming 10th with 30. The universities of Utah and Denver were first and second, respectively, with 297 and 282 points. Other teams scores were Colorado 264, Alaska-Anchorage 235, Nevada 196, Montana State 193, and New Mexico 171.
Also placing for the Whitman women were Lauren Parsons (40th, 2:05.67), Lucia Paciotti (41st, 2:08.21) and Emily Baker (48th, 2:48.70). A fourth Missionary sophomore, Allison Rood, was unable to finish her second run.
Davidson, who had mishaps on both runs, finished in 2:56.93. Tim Bak, also a Whitman freshman, fell on his second run and was unable to finish.
Sweden's John Buchar, skiing for Denver, won his third straight college race, taking the giant slalom in 2:04.99. Canada's Scott Hume gave Nevada a second-place finish with a time of 2:05.88.
Colorado's Lucie Zikova (Prague, Czech Republic) won the women's slalom in 1:33.35. Stefanie Klocker (Dornbirn, Austria) was the runner-up for Anchorage-Alaska in 1:34.76.
Alpine races set for Saturday are the men's slalom and the women's giant slalom.
Moving up 10 spots apiece from their finishes in Saturday's giant slalom, first-year skiers Tim Bak and Liza Allen again posted the top Whitman times as the alpine portion of the University of Colorado Invitational concluded Sunday evening with slalom races at Howelsen Hill near Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Bak finished 31st in the men's slalom with a combined time of 1:28.67 for his two runs. Allen was 34th in the women's slalom with a clocking of 1:38.17.
As was the case in the women's giant slalom on Saturday, three Whitman sophomores finished close behind Allen in Sunday's event. Emily Baker was 35th in 1:39.76, Lucia Paciotti was 36th in 1:42.88, and Lauren Parsons was 38th in 1:43.84. The Missionary women scored 24 points in the slalom team scoring, finishing ninth but just eight points behind Western State College.
Whitman had one other competitor in the men's slalom. John David Davidson, a freshman, was 38th in 2:02.74. Bak and Davidson tallied 11 team points and also placed ninth.
Sweden's John Buchar, who competes for the University of Denver, won his second event in as many days, taking first in the slalom in 1:13.72. Switzerland's Thomas Zumbrunn, skiing for the University of Utah, was second in 1:13.
The University of Colorado's Lucie Zikova (Czech Republic) won the women's slalom in 1:23.48. The University of New Mexico's Malin Hemmingsson (Sweden) was the runner-up for a second straight day; her slalom time was 1:25.17.
In the invitational's combined alpine team scoring (men and women), the University of Colorado finished first with a two-day total of 278 points. Denver was second with 259 points, seven points ahead of third-place New Mexico. Whitman was in ninth place overall with 57 points.
The Nordic portion of the Colorado invitational is set for Jan. 19-20 at Snow Mountain Ranch near Winter Park, Colo. The invitational's final point totals will include the Nordic as well as the alpine results.
Tim Bak and Liza Allen, two first-year skiers from Vermont, gave the Whitman alpine teams their top finishes as the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association season got underway Saturday with giant slalom races on Mount Werner near Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Bak (Stowe, Vt.) placed 41st in the men's slalom with a combined time of 2:06.12 for his two runs. Allen (Lincoln, Vt.) was 44th in the women's event with a time of 2:06.65.
Three sophomores also placed for the Missionary women's team. Emily Baker (Boulder, Colo.) was 46th in 2:09.43, nipping teammate Lucia Paciotti (Poulsbo, Wash.) by one one-hundredth of a second. Lauren Parsons (Ketchum, Idaho) finished 50th in 2:11.91.
John David Davidson, a freshman from Ketchum, Idaho, failed to finish his first run in the men's race.
Sweden's John Buchar, who skis for the University of Denver, won the men's event with a total time of 1:52.51. The University of New Mexico's Christoffer Norell, also from Sweden, was second in 1:52.70.
Germany's Jennifer Tank, skiing for Denver, won the women's event by nearly two seconds, finishing her two runs in 1:53.46. New Mexico's Malin Hemmingsson, a Swede, was the runner-up in 1:55.31.
In the combined men's and women's team scoring, Denver was in first place with 152 points. Colorado was second with 132 points, followed by New Mexico and Utah in a third-place tie with 128 points. Whitman, the only NCAA Div. III school in the field, was in ninth place with 22 points.
The alpine portion of the Colorado invitational concludes with slalom races on Sunday. The races will start at 4 p.m. and take place under the lights at Howelsen Hill.
The Nordic portion of the invitational is set for Jan. 19-20 at Snow Mountain Ranch near Winter Park, Colo.