Ski Notes

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Jan. 10, 2005

THIS WEEK:

The preseason No.1 (SkiRacing Magazine) ranked University of Utah ski team will travel to Jackson Hole, Wyo., to ski at the Alaska-Anchorage Invitational hosted by the Seawolves, Jan. 13-15. The alpine events will be held at the Snow King Resort, while the nordic races will be skied at the Trail Creek Ranch. Events will be held Thursday through Saturday, Jan. 13-15. Races begin at 12:00 a.m. (MST).

LAST WEEK:

Utah opened the season by hosting the annual Utah Invitational. The Utes ended the two-day invite finishing third overall, while battling severe weather conditions.

The University of Denver (568.0) won the invite, followed by a second-place finish by Colorado (488.0). The Utes (486.0) claimed third, while Alaska-Anchorage (452.0) finished fourth. Defending national champions New Mexico (421.0) skied fifth to round out the top-five.

Senior All-American Ben Thornhill highlighted the alpine team, winning the giant slalom. Fellow All-American April Mancuso skied extremely well, placing third in the GS and fifth in the slalom.

On the nordic side, the women's team finished the invite winning the 5-km freestyle event. Sophomore Sandra Gredig led the way, placing third in the FS and sixth in the classical. Fellow sophomore Daniel Sonntag headlined the men's squad, skating to a first-place finish in the 10-km FS and skiing ninth in the CL.

2005 SKI RACING MAGAZINE PRESEASON RANKINGS:

Utah                       144Denver                     141New Mexico                 139Colorado                   131Vermont                    117Alaska-Anchorage            78Middlebury College          59Dartmouth College           58Nevada                      44Alaska-Fairbanks             9

INJURY REPORT:

Junior Andi Weiser will miss the rest of the 2005 season due to a knee injury sustained during a training run prior to the Utah Invite. The Nova Gorica, Slovenia, native will rejoin the team next season.

QUOTING COACH SWEENEY:

On The Utah Invite: "We had a good season opener at the Utah Invite, but by no means was it our best. As anticipated we had some great results but we also struggled a bit due to illness and difficult snow conditions. Our scoring depth was just not where it needs to be to win. I anticipate our results to be much improved at Jackson."

On The Alaska-Anchorage Invite: "It feels great to get the season under way. We are very fired up right now as our highlights last weekend demonstrate we can be in there for the win. It's good racing in Jackson so we are really looking forward to the events. We should be more solid. We have recovered from most of our illnesses. I will most likely start Magnus Carlsson who should bolster the men's cross country results."

On Andi Weiser's Injury: "On a difficult and unfortunate note, it looks like we have lost alpine standout Andi Weiser for the season as he damaged his knee in a training run just prior to the start of the Utah Invite. He is in for surgery today. This is a big loss for the squad. We're discussing this right now with [our complicance office] to try and earn a year back for him due to injury. I sure do want him to recover well and be back in the gates for us next season. He is dynamite for this team."

RETURNING NCAA CHAMPIONS:

Senior and two-time GS champion Ben Thornhill will be returning for his fourth-season with the Utes. Fellow senior Lina Joansson rejoins the team after skiing to a first-place podium spot in the SL at the 2003 NCAA Championships.

RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS:

Barbro Hatlevik (third in the FS), Rowena Hyldahl (ninth in the GS) and April Mancuso (sixth in the GS/eighth in the SL) all received All-American honors at the 2004 NCAA Skiing Championships.

UTE NEWCOMERS:

-Nordic Recruits: Magnus Carlsson and Nicole Naef-Alpine Recruits: Mark Heinrich-Wallace, Matic Ramus and Kim Stephens

INVITED TEAMS:

University of Alaska, Anchorage           University of Nevada RenoMontana State University                  University of UtahUniversity of Colorado                    Western State CollegeUniversity of Denver                      Whitman CollegeUniversity of New Mexico                  Boise State University

NEXT WEEK:

Utah will have a week off to recover before traveling to Winter Park, Colo., for the Denver Invitational. This invite will be held Friday through Saturday, Jan. 28-29. Race times are TBA.

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Players Mentioned

Magnus Carlsson

Mark Heinrich-Wallace

Nicole Naef

Kim Stephens

Completed Event: Skiing versus 20K Freestyle (M) on March 14, 2026 , , 1st

Completed Event: Skiing versus Slalom on March 13, 2026 , , 2nd

Completed Event: Skiing versus 7.5K Classic (I) on March 12, 2026 , , 1st

Completed Event: Skiing versus Giant Slalom on March 11, 2026 , , 2nd

Completed Event: Skiing versus 20K Freestyle (M) on February 28, 2026 , , 1st

Completed Event: Skiing at Giant Slalom on February 28, 2026 , , 1st

Completed Event: Skiing versus 7.5K Classic (I) on February 27, 2026 , , 1st

Completed Event: Skiing at Slalom on February 27, 2026 , , 1st

Completed Event: Skiing at Slalom on February 26, 2026 ,

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