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The University of Utah Athletics
2000-2001 Season Outlook For Utah Ski Team
11/28/2000 12:00 AM | Skiing
Nov. 28, 2000
Dynasties exist in many sports and collegiate skiing is one. The home to skiing's dynasty is in Salt Lake City, where the University of Utah has produced 10 national championship teams, 40 NCAA individual champions, 19 Olympians, and 253 All-Americans.
The Utah ski team has enjoyed great success since its founding in 1957. Starting in 1983, when the sport became co-ed under NCAA jurisdiction, Utah has dominated collegiate skiing. In the ensuing 17 years, Utah has attained an unmatched eight national championships, making it an intimidating force on the American slopes and cross-country tracks.
When Kevin Sweeney came to Utah as an assistant coach in 1991, he was able to work with one of the best established ski teams in the nation. Instrumental in three NCAA championships seasons, Sweeney was named head coach last year. "This program is very rich in tradition," says Sweeney. "It's been one of the best programs in the nation and has a tremendous history of winning."
Sweeney's primary coaching responsibility is with the cross country team. He promoted Ryan Forsyth to head alpine coach this season, after a year as an assistant coach. Forsyth will oversee all the technical aspects and recruiting for the alpine team. Peter Barton and Jaka Korencan will assist in the coaching responsibilities. "We have a great coaching staff on board," says Sweeney. "We are aware of the most current fundamental technique and equipment changes. We are doing what the best national programs are doing."
The 2000 Ute squad placed fourth at nationals, but Sweeney indicates that the team had the talent to produce an even better result. "We were close and I'm proud of that," says Sweeney. "And it's really exciting to return so many great skiers. I know we have the talent to do better than fourth at the NCAA's. We have gained experience and a lot of maturity since then. I don't think that the athletes are satisfied with fourth place. We're here to win and that is what we all want to accomplish. We did have a decent year, but I think we lost sight of our overall goal as a team, which is to be standing on the podium at the NCAA nationals."
In the Western Regional Championships, Utah placed fifth as a team. The Utes took third place at the conference meet in 2000 and six athletes were named to the all-conference and All-America ski team. Utah returns five All-Americans this season, including Jernej Bukovec who finished second at the NCAA Championships in the slalom event. Scott Woodland and Kristina Joder each finished in the top five at the NCAA's, Sabrina Lawrence finished sixth, and Petter Svendsen placed seventh.
Not only did the Utes excel on the slopes, they also continued the tradition of academic excellence for which Utah has become renowned. Bukovec, Marika Engstrom, Lawrence, Lene Pedersen, Svendsen, and Petra Svet all were Academic All-American's last year. Lawrence was honored as a G.T.E. District Academic All-American. Fifteen of the student-athletes were on the Honor Roll, and four made the Dean's List.
The team also helped out in the community, dedicating six days to community service projects in the area. "Ski racing is not just our lives," says Sweeney. "We've enjoyed great success over the years on an academic level, and we have always been active in community service."
The 2001 Ute ski team is made up of some of the most talented skiers in the nation. The Utes return 17 athletes from the 2000 squad, each with valuable experience, and add seven talented newcomers bursting with potential. The skiers will train at world-caliber sites, including some that will host events at the 2002 Winter Olympics. The Utes will host the Utah Invitational, between two World Cup competitions.
Park City, which will host the Alpine World Cup opener, has reconstructed the race hill at the Eagle Arena to prepare for the Olympics. Utah's cross-country team will have the opportunity to experience the newly remodeled tracks and impressive courses when it hosts the Utah Invitational in January at Soldier Hollow. "It's going to be a racer's heaven," says Sweeney. "The courses are going to be meticulously groomed and prepared for the best skiers in the world. We're going to be able to race and train on those facilities this year and in the future."
ALPINE TEAM
"I have a really good feeling about the team. We have a cohesiveness in this group and I think that it's going to allow us to put up some good numbers this year. We have a lot of talent, depth and a positive sense of intra-squad competition," says Sweeney.
Jernej Bukovec was a first-team All-American last year, while Scott Woodland received second-team honors. "Scott has been one of our top performers over the years," compliments Sweeney. Jed Schuetze, who was injured most of last season, placed in the National Skiing Championships, and returns to the team as a sophomore, while Peter Shaffer returns for his senior year to provide leadership on the team. The returning skiers are complemented by incoming Canadian talent Kristian Guay and former Vermont state champion Robb Gushiken.
The women's team returns a solid core of competitive skiers. Sabrina Lawrence is a three-time All-American and all-conference honoree. Liz Sherry, who was named to the all-conference team, placed seventh in slalom at the U.S. Alpine National Skiing Championships last year. The team returns Petra Svet, a former member of the Slovenian national team, as well as NCAA competitor Annik Boulva and Christina Babilis. Svet suffered a compound fracture in her tibia as a result of a crash and skied much of last year in pain, but is now healed and ready to make her mark at the U. The young talent of April Mancuso and Danielle Bird are expected to make an immediate impact on this year's team.
"We have great leadership and the depth of the team is much better than it has been in the past couple of years. We are going to be able to focus on putting up good team results this year and that will help us at nationals," says Sweeney.
CROSS COUNTRY TEAM
The loss of All-American Rob Whitney puts pressure on the returning skiers. Petter Svendsen received All-America and All-Conference honors last year. Marco Stevanoni is healthy, after a lung infection plagued him early last season, and the team is looking for him to finish with solid results this season. High expectations have been set for Patrick Casey, who has the potential to be in the top tier of the NCAA ranks, and Zack Simmons returns after qualifying for the NCAA championships last year and placing in the top 10 consistently for the Utes. Torin Koos, who also runs for the track and cross country teams, competed in the World Junior Nordic Skiing Championships and the NCAA Championships last season, while NCAA qualifier, Ryan Quinn, was the Junior National Champion.
Kristina Joder will lead the women's team. Joder placed tenth at the National Skiing Championships, was named All-American and all-conference, and competed in the 2000 Winter Goodwill Games. "She had an impressive year and we are looking for her to continue that," says Sweeney. "She is one of America's hopefuls and she could very well represent the U.S. at the the Olympics in 2002." Lene Pedersen returns to the team for her senior year. With two years of NCAA championship experience, Pedersen will be looked upon to provide the Utes with leadership. Gretchen Domek has been training with former Russian gold-medalist Nikolai Anikin and will compete at the U. as a walk-on. The Utes also nabbed Norwegian phenoms Maria Lundano and Ingrid-Anne Ingvoldstad.
With the strong nucleus of returners, combined with the new talent that Utah has acquired, the Utes are looking to compete for another national championship. Sweeney expects to make a statement this season. "The people on the team are proud to be here. We are looking for results this year, so that we can all be proud to be a part of a team that is traditionally one of the best in the country."
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