3.10 - [RELEASE] 2016 USCSA National Championships Day 3 Recap

LAKE PLACID, New York. – MARCH 10th, 2016.  The U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) wrapped up the third day of competition at its 5-day long annual Collegiate National Championship today with a women’s Slalom, men’s Skiercross, and men’s Snowboardcross. The Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) is serving as host for all events over the five days of exciting competition at both Whiteface Mountain and the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex.

A record breaking 536 Collegiate athletes representing 67 universities across 6 regions will compete in 24 events within a 5-day period. This championship represents the best collegiate athletes from around the country. USCSA has member schools in every geographic region of the United States. Events include Giant Slalom, Slalom, Cross-Country Sprints, Cross-Country Relays, Cross-Country Distance, Slopestyle, Skiercross, Snowboardcross and a Rail Jam.  For a complete schedule of events, news, results, and list of schools, please go to the official USCSA website at www.uscsa.com.

The light rain couldn’t slow down Sierra Nevada College, as their Alpine team took home a National Championship^TM in the women’s Slalom event with their top athlete, Francesca Curtolo, winning the individual Slalom National Championship^TM. “I'm very happy for my first championship title and that I was able to redeem myself for the team after not having my best performance in Giant Slalom,” said Curtolo. Brown University also had a great day of Slalom racing, coming in second place as a team and second overall combined for the week. “It was a fantastic end of season experience for the Brown Bears at USCSA nationals this week,” said Brown University head coach Michael LeBlanc. “The 'Sleuth' (technical term for group of Bears) was up to the task matching a program history best with a second place overall at the USCSA's. In particular, I think we are proud of the personal sacrifice our athletes made in terms of skiing conservatively for team score rather than going for individual glory. With so many competitive programs at the race, we were extremely pleased to be on the podium this week.”

On the Wolf trail, Rocky Mountain College continued their dominance in the Skiercross event with yet another National Championship^TM. Sierra Nevada also added to their collection, winning a National Championship^TM in men’s Snowboardcross. “Skiercross is like motocross with gravity.  Pure adrenaline, many variables, anything can go wrong,” said Rocky Mountain College head coach Jerry Wolf. “Things hardly ever go right but it feels great to defend our national title. This is a great event and I’m glad to see it in the Olympics.” Other teams, such and the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, were glad to have the opportunity to compete at an event alongside other talented athletes. "It was a great event and a really fun course,” said Avery Barr, University of Chappell Hill Ski and Snowboard Team. “The course maintenance was also great considering the tough weather conditions. We didn’t do as well as we were hoping, but we had a great time and we showed up!”

Teams begin their quest to qualify for the U.S. Collegiate Skiing and Snowboarding National Championship^TM in their local conference competitions – held across 11 conferences spanning the nation. Top teams from each conference attend one of 6 regional championships, which decide who ultimately qualifies to participate in events held this week.  

As the events unfold over next week in Lake Placid, please join the USCSA athletes, families and friends in celebrating this pinnacle of collegiate competition by following athlete performance either in person or online at www.uscsa.com. Team and Individual results will be posted daily online at the USCSA website. Check in daily for Live Video and Audio Feeds online at http://broadcast.uscsa.com

The USCSA is the sports federation for collegiate team ski racing and Snowboarding in America. The USCSA believes that student-athletes of all levels and abilities should have access to quality and exciting venues of competition. Team performance is emphasized within the USCSA, a departure from the typical individual or world cup scoring format often found in skiing. USCSA athletes agree that this team orientation fosters a team approach across their collegiate athletic and academic careers, and often the mentality proves indispensable in their adult lives and careers. The organization includes 180 colleges from coast to coast, fielding over 4,700 male and female, Alpine, Freeski, cross-country, Snowboarding and Nordic ski jumping athletes in over 300 events annually.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Laura Sullivan at laurasullivan@uscsa.com

Photo Information:

All pictures credited to Sarah Jean Photography - sarahjeanphotographymn.com 

Each picture file name includes the athlete name and school