Ski Notes

March 8, 2004

THIS WEEK:

The defending NCAA champion Utah qualified a complete 12-skier roster and is hopeful to take home another first-place podium spot at the 2004 NCAA Championships.

The University of Nevada is hosting this year's NCAA Skiing Championships, this March 10-13, at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort and Auburn Ski Club, respectively. It is the first NCAA Championships in this area in more than 40 years. Last time was when Nevada last hosted the NCAA alpine championships at Squaw Valley in 1962.

Alaska Anchorage, Boise State, Colorado, Denver, Montana State, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Western State and Whitman are the 10-teams within the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Skiing Association (RMISA) that will be competing in the NCAAs.

NCAA SCHEDULE:

Teams registration was last Sunday, March 7, with two days of practice on the various venues, Monday and Tuesday, March 8-9, prior to the four-day championship event.

Wednesday, March 10: 9:30 a.m. Women's Giant Slalom; 10:30 a.m. Men's Giant Slalom (Sugar Bowl Ski Resort).
Thursday, March 11: 9:30 a.m. Women's 5-km Freestyle Nordic; 10:30 a.m. Men's 10-km Freestyle Nordic (Auburn Ski Club).
Friday, March 12: 9:30 a.m., Men's Slalom; 10:30 a.m. Women's Slalom (Sugar Bowl Ski Resort).
Saturday, March 13: 9:00 a.m., Men's 20-km Classical Nordic; 11:00 a.m., Women's 15-km Classical Nordic (Auburn Ski Club).

LAST WEEK:

Utah had a week off after skiing to a third-place finish at the WSU/Regional Championships in Crested Butte, Colo. Utah redeemed itself after a fifth-place opening finish. Skiers Henning Dybendal, Rowena Hyldahl and Ben Thornhill highlighted the West Regional events.

Dybendal, who has been the overwhelming favorite in the men's 15-km classical event, won yet another nordic race. The Skotselv, Norway, native has won three of the last four classical races this season.

Junior alpine skiers Thornhill and Hyldahl were named RMISA Skiers of the Week after the Regional Championships. Thornhill came away with a career best time in the men's slalom, finishing fifth, while teammate Hyldahl skied fourth in the women's giant slalom.

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS SELECTION CRITERIA:

Participants are selected on a regional basis from two designated regions for alpine skiing (East and West regions), and three designated regions for nordic skiing (Central, East and West regions). Bids are awarded to regions using a formula determined by the skiing committee. A maximum of 12 student-athletes (three per gender per discipline) may participate from an institution.

QUOTING COACH SWEENEY:

"I am ecstatic that we have qualified a full team for the championships. The entire squad has been fighting tooth and nail all season. We could have given up and been happy with a mediocre season, but we have not. We will be at the championships fighting for the title and nothing less. My returnees have provided outstanding leadership throughout the regular season. I expect this to be a very important component for us when the championships get underway. We are obviously not favored to win, but I know the other veteran coaches have not ruled us out."

"We will need consistency in every discipline for us to be in the medals. We have the talent, the leadership, and the shear determination to do this. My assistants (Aaron and Jaka) have the alpine squad absolutely fired up and ready to go and the cross country team is healthy. This is going to be one exciting week of racing! I'm proud of this team and how we have all worked hard to overcome some very difficult injuries. We're as close to being ready as we can be so I'm excited for the events to begin. Go Utes!"

INJURY REPORT:

Freshman Lauren Lattimer will compete at the NCAAs. The downhiller suffered a knee injury during the giant slalom event at the Colorado Invitational.

Sophomore Jess Kiesel will miss the rest of this season due to a serious heart condition. The Sun Valley, Idaho, native underwent a successful surgery procedure and is hopeful to rejoin the team sometime next year.

Junior downhill skier Elisha Stephens will miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury that she acquired during the slalom event at the Nevada Invitational.

UTE NOTES:

Freshman Casey Simons was named to the U.S. Ski Team World Junior Championships team after torching the competition at the U.S. Nationals held in Rumford, Maine. The nordic skier earned this honor after several first-place finishes at the 2003 Junior Nationals.

Utah has been home to three RMISA Skiers of the Week this season. Utes Dybendal (Nevada Invitational), Thornhill (Regional Championships) and Hyldahl (Regional Championships) have all been honored after incredible performances this season.

NCAA QUALIFIERS:

Men's Alpine:           Women's Alpine:Ben Thornhill           April MancusoWill McDonald           Rowena HyldahlGaspar Perricone        Lauren Lattimer

Men's Nordic:           Women's Nordic:Henning Dybendal        Barbro HatlevikDaniel Sonntag          Sandra GredigBenjamin Sonntag        Jenny Hansson

NCAA RANKED UTES:

Men's Alpine Team       GS         SLBen Thornhill           7          10Will McDonald           25         5Andi Weiser             14         17Gaspar Perricone        29         21

Women's Alpine Team     GS         SLApril Mancuso           1          19Rowena Hyldahl          6          14Lauren Lattimer         20         17Elisha Stephens         40         39

Men's Nordic Team       CL         FSHenning Dybendal        1          2Daniel Sonntag          9          3Benjamin Sonntag        14         12Casey Simons            21         18Jess Kiesel             27         25Tony Bozzio             31         29

Women's Nordic Team     CL         FSSandra Gredig           10         5Barbro Hatlevik         11         12Jenny Hansson           8          17Linda Pettersson        21         28Ashley McQueen          30         34

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Upcoming Event: Skiing at 10K Classic (I) on January 4, 2026

Upcoming Event: Skiing at 20K Freestyle (M) on January 7, 2026

Upcoming Event: Skiing at Classic Sprints on January 9, 2026

Upcoming Event: Skiing at Giant Slalom on January 12, 2026

Upcoming Event: Skiing at Giant Slalom on January 13, 2026

Upcoming Event: Skiing at Slalom on January 14, 2026

Upcoming Event: Skiing at Slalom on January 15, 2026

Upcoming Event: Skiing versus 7.5K Freestyle (I) on January 24, 2026

Upcoming Event: Skiing versus 15K Classic (M) on January 25, 2026

Completed Event: Skiing versus 20K Freestyle (M) on March 8, 2025 , , 1st

Completed Event: Skiing versus Giant Slalom on March 7, 2025 , , 1st

Completed Event: Skiing versus 7.5K Classic (I) on March 6, 2025 , , 3rd

Completed Event: Skiing versus Slalom on March 5, 2025 , , T-3rd

Completed Event: Skiing versus Slalom on February 22, 2025 , , 1st

Completed Event: Skiing versus 20K Freestyle (M) on February 22, 2025 , , 1st

Completed Event: Skiing versus 7.5K Classic (I) on February 21, 2025 , , 1st

Completed Event: Skiing at Slalom on February 21, 2025 , , 2nd

Completed Event: Skiing versus Giant Slalom on February 20, 2025 , , 1st

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