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The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Ski Team Ready to Reload
6/30/1999 12:00 AM | Skiing
June 30, 1999
SALT LAKE CITY -The University of Utah ski team has won nine national championships in the last 18 years. Within that same time span, the Utes have also placed second nine times and third on four occasions. Even though success has come often for the Utes, it has not come easy; maintaining such a high standard of performance over the course of time requires fierce determination and focus year round.
Being a contender for the NCAA championship is not just a yearly goal for the Utah ski team, but rather an expectation upheld by the coaches, team members and fans alike. With Utah's perennial domination on the slopes serving as the backdrop, last season's fourth-place finish at the national championships may appear to be a disappointment; however, it is still a tremendous accomplishment in itself. To put it in perspective, fourth place was the best finish by any U. team in national competition in 1998-99.
"Obviously, I don't think we met all of our expectations, but we still had a very good year," says program director Pat Miller. "I have to commend all of our coaches and athletes for all the effort they put in. We're just not used to taking fourth." In fact, in the 16 years since the NCAA combined the men's and women's championships, Utah hasn't had worse than a podium finish.
The Ute ski team is so accustomed to competing and finishing at the highest level, nobody panicked when it did not win a single regular season meet throughout the year. "It didn't really concern me because we were always consistent," says alpine coach Mike Elvidge. "Every week we had someone ski exceptionally well and qualify (for nationals) on a regular basis. I thought if we could bring it together at the championships, we'd be fine."
But that was last year. With that fourth-place finish behind them to serve as motivation, the ski program is already gearing up for 2000, a season which will welcome 13 new members to a 20 person team. "It's the biggest turnover we have had since I've been here," says Miller, who has been at Utah since 1974.
The coaches are anxiously rebuilding the program, which attracts the best skiers from around the globe. "The team needs a transfusion," says Miller. "We've done some intense recruiting, so we do have some new blood coming in."
However, the coaches also realize that bringing athletes together from different corners of the world and simply adorning them in Crimson and White doesn't instantly make them a team. "We will have some work to do as far as team chemistry goes and trying to get the team to mold together," says Elvidge. "The talent we are bringing in looks quite promising. Hopefully, we will be able to grow very quickly."
It is hard to look past two key losses for Utah in twin brothers Frode and Rune Kollerud. "The Kolleruds dominated the national cross country skiing scene for the three years they competed here. We can't just replace people like that," Miller says. "They definitely were key contributors to the team."
Even with a only handful of the members returning from last year's squad and the memory of a fourth-place finish still lingering, confidence is abundant and domination continues to be the mentality of the Utah ski team. "I don't have any doubt that we'll be back among the nation's best next year," says Elvidge.
1998-99 University of Utah Ski Team Accomplishments
Western Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete Awards:
Alain Britt-Cote Sr. Economics Pat Casey So. Environmental Studies Ryan Forsyth Jr. Business/Finance Markus Leunig Jr. Business/Finance Tina Kavcic Sr. Physical Therapy Sandra Kuehni Sr. Architecture/Urban Planning Sabrina Lawrence So. Communications Hailey Wappett Sr. Civil EngineeringAcademic All-Americans:
Alain Britt-Cote Economics Ryan Forsyth Business/Finance Marcus Leunig Business/Finance Tina Kavcic Physical Therapy Sandra Kuehni Architecture/Urban Planning Lene Pedersen Parks, Recreation And Tourism Hailey Wappett Civil Engineering
GTE District Academic All-American:
Markus Leunig
All-Conference Awards:
Designated to the top 10 competitors within the conference through the accumulation of points in each discipline throughout the competitive season.
Scott Woodland First team - Alpine men Markus Leunig Second team - Alpine men Sabrina Lawrence Second team - Alpine women Tina Kavcic Second team - Alpine women Frode Kollerud First team - Cross country men Rune Kollerud First team - Cross county menAll-America Awards:
Designated to the top 10 national competitors in each discipline from the results of the NCAA Championships.
Ryan Forsyth Second team - Alpine men
Scott Woodland Second team - Alpine men
Liz Sherry First team - Alpine women
Sabrina Lawrence Second team - Alpine women
Frode Kollerud First team - Cross country men
Rune Kollerud First team - Cross country men
1998-99 Ski Team Awards
Alf Engen Sportsmanship Award: Markus Leunig
David Novelle Outstanding Skier Award: Frode Kollerud, Rune Kollerud
Toril Forland Outstanding Skier Award: Liz Sherry, Sabrina Lawrence
C.D. Reddish Award: Tina Kavcic
By Jen Milner
U. Sports Information Student Assistant
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