Utah Skies Fifth At Regional Championships

Friday, February 27

Crested Butte, Colo.

TBA

University of Utah

WSC/Regional Championships (Alpine/CC)

2/27/2004 12:00 AM | Skiing

Feb. 27, 2004

CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. - The University of Utah ski team amassed a total of 221 points to place fifth halfway through the NCAA West Regional. Utah compiled scores skiing in both the men's giant slalom, women's slalom and cross country freestyle events.

Denver took the reigns of this invite once again, skiing to first-place. New Mexico snagged second and Alaska-Anchorage took a surprising third. Colorado finished fourth, while Utah skied close behind the Buffs to round out the top five.

"The alpine team skied great," said Head Coach Kevin Sweeney. "I was very pleased with the men's and women's alpine performances. The cross country squad had some very good results as well. We struggled a bit, but we are down here charging and we are looking forward to tomorrow's competition."

The Ute alpine team scorched the slopes, placing four skiers in the top 25. Junior Benjamin Thornhill led the Utes, winning the men's giant slalom event with a two-run time of 2:23.40. Sophomore Will McDonald had another great race, skiing to a 16th-place finish. Andi Weiser contributed finishing 20th, while freshman Gaspar Perricone rallied to 22nd.

"Overall, the men skied well," remarked Head Alpine Coach Aaron Atkins. "It was awesome to see Ben taking first-place in the GS. Will had another great day, but as a whole, the team did a great job."

On the women's side, junior's April Mancuso and Rowena Hyldahl both skied into the top 10 in the women's slalom event. This marked season best for both alpine skiers. Mancuso finished fifth with a time of 1:21.80, while teammate Hyldahl took a close sixth in 1:21.85.

Utah was only able to race two skiers in the women's slalom after the recent injury to freshman Lauren Lattimer. The Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, native was injured during the GS event at the Colorado Invite. This was the second blow to the women's roster, knowing teammate Elisha Stephens was also injured earlier this season.

"The women skied great in the slalom," added Atkins. "It was tough not having Lauren, but we couldn't have asked for better results out of April and Rowena."

Utah's Henning Dybendal was in contention for the men's 10-km freestyle win, but slipped to second behind Denver's Erlend Hoff. Dybendal's dynamic skiing performance recorded a time of 27:22.0. Junior Benjamin Sonntag skiing into the top 10, finishing ninth with a two-run time of 28:57.8. Freshman Casey Simons finished the scoring for the Utes, placing 18th overall. Nordic skiers Daniel Sonntag and Tony Bozzio didn't compete due to illness.

"Henning had a great skate race and almost took the overall RMISA skate rankings," remarked Sweeney. "A real highlight of the invite would be Ben's ninth-place finish. That was really great to see, he is skiing very solid. Casey coming off illness with an 18-place finish was excellent."

"I was nervous to race Dan and Tony," commented Sweeney. "I want both of them healthy for the NCAAs. There is a good chance they won't race tomorrow either."

The women's nordic team struggled in the 5-km freestyle, but managed to ski two scores into the top 20. Junior Barbro Hatlevik rounded out a 14th-place finish, while Sandra Gredig skied 16th. Sophomore Jenny Hansson placed 22nd.

"The women's team all skied a little off their normal pace, which has me concerned," said Sweeney. "I don't think they have fully recovered from the Colorado Invitational."

Tomorrow, Utah will take part in the men's slalom, women's giant slalom and the nordic classical events in the final day of the Regional Championships. The skiers that qualify this weekend will compete in the NCAA Championships, March 10-13, in Reno, Nev.

Regional Championship Results:1. Denver               291.02. New Mexico           254.03. Alaska Anchorage     239.04. Colorado             225.05. Utah                 221.06. Western State        174.07. Montana State        140.58. Nevada               131.09. Whitman              103.010. Boise State          47.0