Utah Preps for NCAA Skiing Championships

3/4/2011 12:00 AM | Skiing

March 4, 2011

SALT LAKE CITY -

2011 NCAA Skiing Championships --- Utah Notes

The Utah ski team concludes its 2011 campaign at the NCAA Championships in Stowe, Vt., Wednesday through Saturday, March 9-12. The Utes qualified 17 skiers, but are limited to 12 (three per gender per discipline), giving them alternate skiers in case of injury or illness.

The freestyle cross country races at the Trapp Family Resort will open the NCAA Championships on Wednesday with the men's 10k starting at 8 a.m. MT, while the women's 5km is set for 10 a.m. MT. The giant slalom will also be held on Wednesday at the Stowe Mountain Resort with the women's first run at 6:30 a.m. MT, and the second run to follow at 8:45 MT. The men's first GS run is set for 11 a.m. MT, followed by their second run at 1:15 p.m. MT. The giant slalom awards ceremony will begin at 2:15 p.m. On Friday, the nordic classical races will begin with the women's 15k at 7:30 a.m. MT, and the men's 20km to follow at 9:30 a.m. MT. The slalom races will finish the meet on Saturday with the men's first run at 7 a.m. MT, followed by the women's first run at 8:15 MT. Second runs follow at 10:15 (men) and 11:30 (women). A flower ceremony will follow each event, and the awards presentation is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Utah is one of six schools to qualify a full team of 12 skiers. Colorado, Denver and New Mexico in the west also have full teams while Dartmouth and host Vermont are the only teams from the east with 12 skiers.

Utah has finished second in all five meets it has raced in this season, including a second-place showing at the NCAA West Region/Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Skiing Association Championships last weekend in Park City and Soldier Hollow. The Utes last national championship came in 2003.

Women's Alpine Notes: Reigning NCAA giant slalom champion Eva Huckova has finished on the podium four times this season. She won the giant slalom at the Utah Invitational and turned in runner-up finishes in the slalom at the New Mexico and Denver Invitationals. She was named the RMISA Women's Alpine Skier of the Week after the DU Invite after registering a third-place effort in the giant slalom at DU. Tii-Maria Romar emerged on the scene for the Utes with five top-three finishes, including giant slalom victories at the Montana State and Denver Invitationals. Anna Kocken has finished among the top five in three races this year, most notably earning fourth-place finishes in both the slalom races at the New Mexico Invitationals.

Men's Alpine Notes: Jeremy Elliot gained his first victory of the season in the giant slalom Feb. 25 at the NCAA West Region/RMISA Championships. The freshman from Park City, Utah, has been one of Utah's most consistent performers in 2011, taking a top-four finish in five of the 10 races in which he has competed. Torjus Krogdahl qualified for the NCAA Championships for the third time in his career. This season, he won the slalom at the Denver Invitational and claimed third place in the second slalom competition at the New Mexico Invitational. Ryan Wilson will participate in the NCAA Championships for the first time in his career and owns two victories this season, each coming in the giant slalom at the RMISA Qualifier and the Montana State Invitational. Eian Sandvik will serve as an alternate for the Utes. In his first season at Utah, Sandvik posted 11 top-20 finishes, highlighted by a fifth-place performance in the giant slalom at the RMISA Qualifier.

Women's Nordic Notes: Maria Graefnings was named the RMISA's Women's Nordic MVP after taking first place in seven of eight regular-season races. Graefnings finished second in the 15k classical race at the regional and was third in the 5k freestyle. Marta Larsen had six top-10 finishes and qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time in her career. Her best performance this season came at the Utah Invitational, where she placed fourth. Zoe Roy finished in the top six in every race in which she competed in this season. The four-time NCAA qualifier reached the podium in the 5k classical at the Utah Invite (third place) and the 15k classical at the regional (third place). Sarah MacCarthy and Rose Kemp will be alternates for the Ute women nordic skiers. MacCarthy took third place at the U. of U. Invite, while Kemp has been in the top 20 in all eight races she has competed in this season.

Men's Nordic Notes: Miles Havlick turned in four first-place finishes this season and returns to the NCAA Championships for the second time. He won four races this season, including the 10k freestyle at the regional. Didrik Smith won the 10k freestyle at the New Mexico Invite and had three other top-six finishes. Tom Smith placed in the top five in two of his last three races this season, including a fourth-place finish in the 10k freestyle at the regional. Rolf Figi and Ian Havlick will serve as alternates.