College skiers, boarders start Bachelor competition
The U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) kicked off its 5-day long annual Collegiate National Championship Tues day with a Snowboard and Freeski Rail Jam, women’s Alpine Giant Slalom, and a 7.5k Classic Nordic race.
Mt Bachelor is serving as host for all events over the five days of exciting competition.
A record-breaking 513 Collegiate athletes representing 70 universities across 6 regions will compete in 24 events within a 5-day period.
This championship represents the best collegiate athletes from around the country. USCSA has member schools in every geographic region of the United States. Events include Giant Slalom, Slalom, Cross-Country Sprints, Cross-Country Relays, Cross-Country Distance, Slopestyle, SkierCross, Snowboard Cross and a Rail Jam. For a complete schedule of events, news, and results, and list of schools, please go to the official USCSA website at www.uscsa.com.
In the Rail Jam, Sierra Nevada’s mens and women’s Freeski teams both took home championships, while Westminster College took home the championships in Men’s and Women’s Snowboard.
“The competition was great with many good athletes. This was the best rail jam set up I’ve seen in a long time,” John Cherry, Sierra Nevada’s Snowboard and Freeski head coach said.
Allison Perotti and Raleigh White were the individual Freeski champions, with Trent Lodge and Haille Soderholm winning individual Snowboarding championships.
“Great mountain, great first day of competition, and I’m very excited to be a part of the 2015 National Championships here at Mt. Bachelor,” said Patrick Wilcox, Vice President of Freeski/Snowboard for USCSA.
On the Thunderbird trail, the women opened the Alpine events with two action packed runs of Giant Slalom. Sierra Nevada College won the day, with Firda Svedberg from Rocky Mountain College taking the individual title.
“The course and conditions were great today . The girls put the team ahead of themselves and we were rewarded,” said Branko Zagar, head coach of Sierra Nevada College’s Alpine Team.
“The conditions and level of competition were both world class. The women made this a thrilling championship race,” said Mike Dzubay, Vice President of Alpine for USCSA.
Racing also began at the Nordic venue, with a 7.5k Classic race. The University of Wyoming’s team finished the day in 1st place for both men and women. The individual champions were Mason Vincent and Elise Sulser.
Christi Boggs, Vice President for Nordic and head coach for the University of Wyoming said, “it was very tough competition but they skied really well. We’re very excited to have all the teams here and all the great skiers. The trails were amazing and the organization was top notch!”
Teams begin their quest to qualify for the U.S. Collegiate Skiing and Snowboarding National Championship TM in their local conference competitions – held across 11 conferences spanning the nation. Top teams from each conference attend one of 6 regional championships, which decide who ultimately qualifies to participate in events held this week.
“The weather was beautiful and the competition reflected this,” said USCSA President Andy Rangen. “I’m excited for the remaining competitions and couldn’t be happier to have them at this great venue.” Competitions continue Wednesday with men’s Alpine Giant Slalom, Freeski and Snowboard Slopestyle, and a Nordic Freestyle Sprint.
As the events unfold over next week at Mt Bachelor, please join the USCSA athletes, families and friends in celebrating this pinnacle of collegiate competition by following athlete performance either in person or online at www.uscsa.com . Team and Individual results will be posted daily online at the USCSA website. Check in daily for Live Video and Audio Feeds online at http://www.uscsa.com/media-center/uscsa-broadcast-network/
The USCSA is the sports federation for collegiate team ski racing and Snowboarding in America. The USCSA believes that student-athletes of all levels and abilities should have access to quality and exciting venues of competition.
Team performance is emphasized within the USCSA, a departure from the typical individual or world cup scoring format often found in skiing. USCSA athletes agree that this team orientation fosters a team approach across their collegiate athletic and academic careers, and often the mentality proves indispensable in their adult lives and careers. The organization includes 178 colleges from coast to coast, fielding over 5,000 male and female, Alpine, Freeski, cross-country, Snowboarding and Nordic ski jumping athletes in over 300 events annually.
