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| Dartmouth's Foreste Peterson |
On a day that alternated between bright sunshine and dumping
snow at Steamboat Ski Resort for the giant slalom, Dartmouth’s Foreste Peterson
lead the East in fifth, 1.71 seconds behind leader Kristine Haugen of Denver. UVM’s
Laurence St. Germaine followed in seventh. Colby’s Mardi Haskell and UVM’s
Mille Graesdal were the next two eastern skiers in thirteenth and fourteens,
respectively. UNH’s Lisa Wesjoe, Middlebury’s
Caroline Bartlett, and Williams’ Hannah Hunsaker also had solid races, rounding
out the top 20 in eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth.
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| UVM's Dom Garand |
In the men’s race, EISA GS leader Dom Garand from UVM lead
the East in fourth, 0.93 seconds behind leader Endre Bjertness of Utah. The
first run of the men’s course saw a tricky set over the last knoll, causing
problems for most racers as they caught air unexpectedly. UNH’s Jay Ogle did
not fall prey to that section and had his best race of the year by finishing seventh
after starting bib 27. Dartmouth’s Thomas Woolson had a mistake first run, but
then had the third fastest second run to claim an All-American spot in ninth
and lead the Dartmouth men to a fourth place finish in the team GS standings.
Eastern skiers came in thick and fast through the top
fifteen after Woolson. Saint Michaels’ Guillaume Grand, Dartmouth’s Kevyn Read,
Middlebury’s Riley Plant and his teammate Colin Hayes, and Dartmouth’s Brian
McLaughlin finished twelfth through sixteenth, all within a half a second of
each other.
For a full video replay of the NCAA Championship GS race,
please visit: http://www.ncaa.com/video/skiing/2016-03-09/nc-skiing-championship-day-one-giant-slalom-recap
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| Colby's Mardi Haskell |
Three days later the alpine skiers returned to action at
Howelson Hill for a night race, complete with fireworks in front of a massive
crowd in downtown Steamboat Springs, CO.
UVM’s Laurence St. Germaine led the east in second, only 0.37
seconds behind leader Julie Flo Mohagen of Utah. Colby’s Mardi Haskell finished
second for the east in fourth after jumping from 10th after the
first run. Dartmouth’s Alexa Dlouhy gained her first All-American honors in
seventh, in front of her teammate Kelly Moore by 0.03 seconds as Dartmouth
claimed second in the women’s slalom team standings. Hannah Hunsaker had the
second fastest second run to jump from 21st after the first run and
claimed all American honors in ninth.
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| St. Michael's Guillaume Grand |
In the men’s slalom, Dartmouth’s Brian McLaughlin capped a
great season with a third place finish, only 0.16 seconds behind leader Erik
Read from Denver. It was an incredibly tight race on the steeps of Howelson
Hill, with only 1 second separating the top 8 skiers and the top 24 finishers
all within 2 seconds of leader Read. UVM’s Dom Grand won the second run to
vault from 11th to fourth, only 0.03 seconds behind Mclaughlin. Saint
Michaels’ Guillaume Grand became the Purple Knight’s first ever All American by
finishing ninth. Bryan Cookson also had a great day for UNH, finishing 12th
from bib 25 after posting the seventh fastest second run.
For a full video replay of the NCAA Championship SL race,
please visit: http://www.ncaa.com/video/skiing/2016-03-11/nc-skiing-championship-day-three-slalom-recap