3.7 - [RELEASE] USCSA 2015 National Championships Day 5 Recap

Apr 18
3 min read

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Laura Sullivan

BEND, Oregon. – MARCH 7th, 2015. The U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) moved finished its 5-day long annual Collegiate National Championship today with a Men’s and Women’s Alpine Dual Slalom, a Men’s and Women’s Snowboard GS, and a Men’s and Women’s Nordic Team Sprint. Mt Bachelor is served as host for all events over the five days of exciting competition.

A record breaking 513 Collegiate athletes representing 70 universities across 6 regions competed 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 .

Alpine teams closed out action on the Thunderbird trail with an exciting team Dual Slalom. For the first time, every team competed head to head in an elimination bracket; teams were seeded based on their Slalom finish. After several nail-biting heats, St Olaf College’s women and Rocky Mountain College’s men finished the day as national champions. “The head to head aspect of the dual race exemplifies the competitive nature and team spirit of collegiate skiing. The St Olaf women are not only a group of talented skiers, but are also members of a tight-knit community. The Ole women have an incredible amount of respect for each other, the competition, and the sport they love. They are incredibly proud to end the week on top of the podium racing against such a stacked field of competitors. Congratulations to all the teams who qualified this year and a big shout out to all the volunteers who make this event happen,” said Jacob Olsen, head coach for St. Olaf’s Alpine team. Boss Hogg, USCSA announcer for Alpine events, added, “Today is the culmination of everything the USCSA represents: camaraderie, competition, and memories that last a lifetime.”

In Snowboard Giant Slalom, Westminster College won the men’s event with Sierra Nevada College’s women taking the championship. Brad Jay, the USCSA broadcast announcer for all Snowboard and Freeski events, said, “An amazing venue, great snow conditions and top notch college athletes showcasing their skills, that's what USCSA is all about!”

At the Nordic venue, the University of Wyoming men and St Olaf College’s women each took home championships. “Nordic skiers, coaches and families found blue skies and consistent snow for a week of great racing. It was a pleasure to see the effort, commitment and sportsmanship all week,” said Bert Hinkley, USCSA broadcast announcer for Nordic.

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. Results from all events can be found at www.uscsa.com, and archives of the live video and audio broadcasts can be found 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