3.9 - [RELEASE] 2016 USCSA National Championships Day 2 Recap

LAKE PLACID, New York. – MARCH 9th, 2016.  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 7.5k Nordic Sprint race, and Snowboard and Freeski Slopestyle. 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, 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.

Day two of Alpine racing featured two runs of men’s Giant Slalom down the Draper Drop trail at Whiteface. For the second straight day, Rocky Mountain College won the team National Championship^TM with three strong results, while Ivo Ricou took home his first individual National Championships^TM after an exciting second run. “I'm happy with my performance today, I put down two solid runs,” said Ivo Ricou after his winning second run. “Unfortunately we didn't do the same in team classification, but we still have Slalom on Friday to redeem ourselves. We are all hoping Finlay Neeson will be back on Friday after dislocating his shoulder today just before second run.”

In the park, Sierra Nevada College won the National Championships^TM in men’s and women’s Freeski Slopestyle and mens Snowboard Slopestyle. Westminster College, however, continued their dominance in women’s Snowboard, taking home the National Championship^TM for women’s Snowboard Slopestyle. “Today’s slopestyle continued the trend of high quality competition athletes and fans have come to expect with USCSA Snowboard and Freeski events. Temperatures were warm, but nothing diminished high level of athlete comradery and team spirit shown by all competitors,” Patrick Wilcox, USCSA Vice President for Snowboard and Freeski, said of today’s Slopestyle events. “I’m excited to see the athletes compete head to head in the SkierCross and BoarderCross events tomorrow.”  

Competitions continued at the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex with a men’s and women’s Nordic 7.5k Sprint. Once again the University of Wyoming men’s and women’s teams both captured National Championships^TM. The margin between first and second place for the women was razor thin though, as a tiebreaker had to be used to determine final team placement. “I was impressed by all the athletes' determination and courage on the course today. They really pushed through the tough ski conditions and showed us that USCSA racers are fighters,” said Sierra Jeck, USCSA Nordic Student Representative and an athlete for the University of Wyoming.

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