3.4 - [RELEASE] USCSA 2015 National Championships Day 2 Recap

Apr 18
4 min read

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Laura Sullivan

BEND, Oregon. – MARCH 4rd, 2015. The U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) moved into day two of its 5-day long annual Collegiate National Championship today with a men’s Giant Slalom, a Nordic Sprint race, and Snowboard and Freeski Slopestyle. Mt Bachelor is serving as host for all events over the five days of exciting competition.

A record breaking 513 Collegiate athletes representing 70 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, Snowboard Cross 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 .

Competition continued on the Thunderbird trail with two runs of men’s Giant Slalom. Sierra Nevada College won the day yet again, taking home both the team and individual victories after Finlay Neeson skied the fastest second run in dramatic fashion. Rocky Mountain College came in a strong second followed by Clarkson University in third. “The race ran well with fantastic weather. Having my entire team return this year, they were really fired up to improve upon their performance from last year. Even though we took second today I’m excited for two days of slalom and hope our performance in those events can lead us to a championship,” said Jerry Wolf, head coach of Rocky Mountain College’s Alpine Team. “We’ve had two outstanding days of high quality Giant Slalom racing. The weather has been fantastic and the course conditions have been equally as good. I’m looking forward to finishing out the week with the men’s and women’s Slalom races as well as the Dual Slalom race Saturday,” said John Schiemer, Executive Director for the Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation who is serving as Chief of Race for the Alpine events.

At the Nordic venue athletes from around the country competed in a Freestyle Sprint. St. Olaf’s women won the team competition, while the University of Wyoming’s men took home their second championship of the week. Kyle Bochanski from the University of Wyoming and Nora Gilbertson from St. Olaf were the individual champions. “I thought my team skied very well tactically today. They played things smart and controlled what happened in their heats. They're all good sprinters, but also well-rounded skiers. I’m super proud of them,” said St. Olaf’s head coach Tom Jorgenson regarding his team’s performance today.

In Slopestyle, Sierra Nevada’s men’s and women’s Freeski, as well as their men’s Snowboard team, claimed victory. Westminster College women’s Snowboard also team took home a championship. “We have a great women’s team this year. We recruited hard and everyone is making each other better just by riding together. We are really excited about where the team is going. They are absolutely killing it and have their eyes on the overall championship,” Sara Beaudry, Program Director for Westminster’s Snowboard team, said. Allison Perotti and Jamie Melton, both of Sierra Nevada, were the individual Freeski champions, with Frederick McCarthy of Sierra Nevada and Haille Soderholm of Westminster winning individual Snowboarding championships. “Another great day with great performances by our athletes. Mt. Bachelor provided a unique course with features many of our athletes had never had the chance to demonstrate their abilities on before” said Doug Grayson, Coordinator for the USCSA Southeast Conference.

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.

“Mt Bachelor has risen above our expectations and has helped us to create this premier event. Being able to host 24 events across three venues has proven Mt Bachelor to be one of the premier event venues in the world,“ said USCSA Executive Director Laura Sullivan. “The teams that are here have shown they are indeed the best collegiate snowsport teams in the world. Teamwork and excellent coaching are keys to success in USCSA, and I’m proud we have the best of our organization represented here.” Competitions continue tomorrow with women’s Alpine Slalom, as well as Freeski and Snowboard Skier/Boarder Cross.

As the events unfold over next week at Mt Bachelor, 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 178 colleges from coast to coast, fielding over 5,000 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