Denver Dominates First Day At NCAAs

Wednesday, March 10, 2010 – by Curtis Snyder, RMISASkiing.com

Results Available On Schedule/Results Page

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. – The two-time defending national champion Denver Pioneers had one of their best days at NCAAs, compiling 239 points while winning both the men’s and women’s giant slalom races here Wednesday in the first of four days of the 2010 NCAA Championships, hosted by the University of Colorado.

Utah used a second place finish in the women’s race and a third place finish in the men’s race to earn second place, with 196.5 points. Vermont (178.5), New Mexico (173) and Dartmouth (148) round out the top five. The west had the top two teams, three of the top four and five of the top seven in the results.

The Pioneers got off to a good start by earning finish its three women’s skiers in the top eight, including Lindsay Cone (second, 1:55.48), Ida Dillingoeen (fifth, 1:56.24) and Jennie VanWagner (eighth, 1:57.64). Cone earned a podium appearance and first-team All-America status, as did Dillingoeen, while VanWagner is named a second-team All-American.

“It’s the best day of skiing since I’ve been a coach at DU,” Denver coach Andy LeRoy said. “It started with the women, we haven’t been posting those types of results all year. They’re capable of them, we just haven’t crossed the line with it. When they started the day so strong, they set the bar and then the men beat it. It was a good day for us.”

Utah’s Eva Huckova won the women’s giant slalom in a time of 1:54.54, posting the top times in both the first and second runs to leave little doubt who the individual NCAA Champion would be.

“I think she’s the best alpine skier on the hill,” Utah alpine coach Jaka Korencan said of Huckova. “She’s had five starts at NCAA’s and she’s been an All-American five times. She’s also extremely successful academically; she has a 3.98 GPA in business. She’s a tremendously talented person in a lot of ways.”

The west compiled the top seven finishers in the women’s GS and nine of the 11 All-American’s, as there was a tie for 10th place. The two Denver skiers, Huckova, Colorado’s Katie Hartman (third, 1:55.86) and New Mexico’s Malin Hemmingsson earned first-team All-America status. The second team was comprised of VanWagner, New Mexico’s Anne Cecilie Brusletto, Utah’s Sophia Smith, Dartmouth’s Courtney Hammond, Vermont’s Meg Ryley and Alaska-Anchorage’s Alex Parker.

Denver bested its women’s result in the men’s race, earning the race win from Leif Kristian Haugen (1:48.84) and also having the fifth place finisher with A.J. Avrin (1:49.63) and eighth place finishe from Andreas Kilde (1:49.90). Haugen and Avrin both earn first-team All-America honors while Kilde earned a second-team honor.

The east had a better showing with Dartmouth’s Ace Tarberry (second, 1:49.01) and Vermont’s David Donaldson (1:49.13) earned a podium appearance while Middlebury’s Bryan Schpall (fourth, 1:49.28) earned first-team All-America honors. The second team was comprised of Vermont’s Chris Colpitts, New Mexico’s Thomas Schwab, Kilde, Utah’s Torjus Krogdahl and Alaska-Anchorage’s Andreas Adde.

Krogdahl was 26th prior to the last run and moved up 19 spots by posting the second run’s fastest time of 54.22.

Action continues Thursday with the Nordic classical races, which will begin at 9:30 a.m. at Hawelsen Hill.