Sierra Nevada continues streak with victory in men’s GS

By Published On: March 5th, 2015Comments Off on Sierra Nevada continues streak with victory in men’s GS

BEND, Ore. – The U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) moved into day two of its 5-day long annual Collegiate National Championship on Wednesday with the men’s giant slalom, a Nordic sprint race, and snowboard and freeski slopestyle. Mt. Bachelor is serving as host for all events over the five days of exciting competition.

Competition continued on the Thunderbird trail with two runs of men’s giant slalom. Sierra Nevada College backed up its women’s victory on Tuesday by claiming the win the day yet again, taking home both the team and individual victories after Finlay Neeson skied the fastest second run in dramatic fashion. Rocky Mountain College came in a strong second followed by Clarkson University in third.

“The race ran well with fantastic weather. Having my entire team return this year, they were really fired up to improve upon their performance from last year. Even though we took second today I’m excited for two days of slalom and hope our performance in those events can lead us to a championship,” said Jerry Wolf, head alpine coach at Rocky Mountain College (RMC).

Nils Hogbom of RMC finished as runner-up ahead of Sierra Nevada’s Viking Roald. The Sierra Nevada Eagles actually swept finish positions third through sixth in the race.

“We’ve had two outstanding days of high quality giant slalom racing. The weather has been fantastic and the course conditions have been equally as good. I’m looking forward to finishing out the week with the men’s and women’s slalom races as well as the dual slalom race Saturday,” said John Schiemer, who is serving as Chief of Race but who works as the Executive Director of the Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation.

At the Nordic venue athletes from around the country competed in a freestyle sprint. St. Olaf’s women won the team competition, while the University of Wyoming’s men took home their second championship of the week. Kyle Bochanski from the University of Wyoming and Nora Gilbertson from St. Olaf were the individual champions. Gilbertson’s teammates Piper Bain and Nels Thompson finished as runners-up in their respective races while Clarkson’s Ashley Forshey and Wyoming’s Ben Noren both finished third.

“I thought my team skied very well tactically today. They played things smart and controlled what happened in their heats. They’re all good sprinters, but also well-rounded skiers. I’m super proud of them,” said St. Olaf Head Coach Tom Jorgenson regarding his team’s performance today.

“Mt Bachelor has risen above our expectations and has helped us to create this premier event. Being able to host 24 events across three venues has proven Mt. Bachelor to be one of the premier event venues in the world,“ said USCSA Executive Director Laura Sullivan. “The teams that are here have shown they are indeed the best collegiate snowsport teams in the world. Teamwork and excellent coaching are keys to success in USCSA, and I’m proud we have the best of our organization represented here.”

Release and photo courtesy of USCSA

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