3.5 - [RELEASE] USCSA 2015 National Championships Day 3 Recap

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Laura Sullivan

LauraSullivan@uscsa.com

BEND, Oregon. – MARCH 5th, 2015.  The U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) moved into day three of its 5-day long annual Collegiate National Championship today with women’s Slalom and men’s Snowboard and Freeski boarder/skier cross. 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.

The women kicked off the slalom action on the Thunderbird trail. Sierra Nevada College made it 3 for 3 with yet another Alpine championship, this time by overcoming a first run lead by Rocky Mountain College, with three strong second runs from their top women. With the win, Sierra Nevada’s women also won the overall national championship. Branko Zagar, head coach for Sierra Nevada, said, “after the Giant Slalom we had a few teams following us really close, so I started our four senior in the Slalom. They handled the pressure very well and got overall title back.” St. Olaf College took second and Rocky Mountain College rounded out the podium in third. “We’re super excited to represent the midwest. This is the first time the St Olaf women’s team has earned 2nd place since 1990 and we’re all proud we could come together as a team and lay down two solid runs. All the women from every team skied amazing runs, and the volunteers and course workers here have been superb. We’re all excited to be a part of such a great event.” McKenna McNabb, team captain for St. Olaf’s women team said. “The success of the teams and athletes here this week is truly enhanced by Mt Bachelor, the Mt Bachelor Snowsport Education Foundation, and all of the USCSA volunteers. The level of skiing being demonstrated here by the teams has been jaw dropping. Across the board, the skill level of the athletes here is the highest I’ve seen since I began working with this organization 10 years ago. Congratulations to all of the winners and competitors here this week,” added Tony Nunnikhoven, who is serving as the International Ski Federation Technical Delegate for the Alpine events.

In Boarder Cross, Sierra Nevada College claimed victory, and also swept the individual podium with Frederick McCarthy, Austin Leal, and Ian Wieczorek taking 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, respectively. In Skier Cross, Rocky Mountain College showed that they are still the team to beat each year as they took home yet another national  championship. Rocky Mountain’s Harlan Collins also took the individual victory. The teams from the University of Nevada Reno and the College of Idaho rounded out the podium in 2nd and 3rd. “The College of Idaho men stepped up and exceeded expectations in the skier cross today. I’m really proud of them and can’t wait to see them race in the alpine slalom event tomorrow,” said Ron Bonneau, head coach for the College of Idaho. “I’m very impressed with the park staff at Mt. Bachelor: they stay relaxed under the high pressure of our events and provide great support across all aspects of competition management.” Collin Casper, USCSA Vice President for Academic Affairs, who is also serving as Chief of Calculations, said, “It’s great to see the camaraderie amongst the teams and athletes; they all want to win but more importantly they all want to see each other do well.”

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 Nordic 15k Freestyle, men’s Alpine Slalom, as well as women’s 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