By: The U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – The U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) concluded its five-day long annual Collegiate National Championship on Saturday, March 12, with men’s and women’s Parallel Slalom, a Nordic Freestyle Team Sprint race, and Snowboard Giant Slalom. The Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) served as host for all events over the five days of exciting competition at both Whiteface Mountain and the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex.

A record breaking 536 collegiate athletes representing 67 universities across six regions competed in 24 events within a five-day period. This championship represented 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, parallel 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, results, and list of schools, please go to the official USCSA website at www.uscsa.com.

Alpine events ended the week with a parallel slalom event, putting the top collegiate slalom teams in the country in a head to head matchup. The Battlin’ Bears from Rocky Mountain College showed their toughness yet again, winning both the men’s and women’s National ChampionshipsTM in the event.

In the individual competitor bracket, Kevin Hartman from the Colorado School of Mines and Sofi Leroux from the University of Colorado also won National ChampionshipsTM. “It was an amazing week and lots of fun! I’m very happy I came out of this week with good results, and a win in the individual parallel race,” said Leroux after her victory. “Thanks to everyone who helped put on this week long event - truly appreciated!”  

Overall for the week, Sierra Nevada College won the women’s Alpine Combined National ChampionshipTM with Rocky Mountain College winning the men’s Alpine Combined National ChampionshipTM. On the individual side, Andraz Reich-­Pogladic from Rocky Mountain College took home the combined individual National ChampionshipTM for the men followed by Anton Waller form the College of Idaho in second, while Sierra Nevada College athletes Mihaela Kosi and Francesca Curtolo took home first and second for the women’s individual combined respectively. “It's been a great week! All the pieces came together as we had hoped,” said Waller after his Giant Slalom National ChampionshipTM and second place combined title. “We exceeded our goals and it was a great experience to see the camaraderie between all the teams. All this made for one of the best weeks of ski racing I've ever had.”

Snowboard events wrapped up with a snowboard giant slalom race on Thruway. Westminster College and Sierra Nevada College showed they are still the teams to beat in Snowboard events, taking home the women’s and men’s National ChampionshipsTM in the event respectively. Those results also mirrored the combined results for the week, with Westminster College taking home the women’s National ChampionshipTM and Sierra Nevada College taking home the men’s National ChampionshipTM overall. Individually, Frederick McCarthy from Sierra Nevada College took home the men’s combined National ChampionshipTM and Emma Crosby from Westminster College won the women’s combined National ChampionshipTM.

For the week of freeski events, Sierra Nevada College’s ladies’ team won the combined National ChampionshipTM with team member Emilie Amundsen also winning the individual combined title. On the men’s side, The University of Colorado at Boulder’s team took home the combined National ChampionshipTM, with their team member Connor O’Brien also winning the individual combined National ChampionshipTM. Brittany Jackson, a USCSA Student Representative who helped organize the Snowboard and Freeski events said that “this event brings out the passion for this sport that I share with each and every competing student. Being on the other side of the race course really put things into perspective for me. I don’t think I could have been surrounded by a more dedicated group of people in one place. Volunteering as a Student Representative allowed me to ensure that every detail was geared towards what was best for the student athletes that were competing. I can only hope that my efforts had as much of an effect on them as they did on me.”

Events at the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex ended with the Nordic freestyle team sprint. St Olaf’s women’s Nordic team took home the event ’s National ChampionshipTM, followed closely by Clarkson University in second. Completing their sweep of events for the week, The University of Wyoming’s men’s team won the final event National ChampionshipTM. This led to the team bringing home the combined men’s Nordic National ChampionshipTM, with Clarkson University winning the combined women’s Nordic National ChampionshipTM.

“We had a wonderful 38th annual USCSA National ChampionshipsTM in Lake Placid, N.Y.,” said Andy Rangen, USCSA President. “The competition was great, but the weather conditions were challenging. Our partners at Whiteface Mountain and the Olympic Regional Development Authority did an amazing job, literally moving mountains at the Nordic venue. With this strong partnership, we were able to hold a world class competition and showcase the best collegiate ski and snowboard competition. Our event continues to grow and improve. We continue to see a rise in the level of competition and it is great when you can do both. The USCSA is truly proud of those that helped organize the event and everyone that participated in it.”

“On behalf of the New York Ski Educational Foundation (NYSEF) I would enthusiastically say that this event was one of the highlights of the year for both Alpine and Freeride at Whiteface Mountain,” said NYSEF Executive Director Jay Rand. “In spite of challenging weather conditions the combined efforts of the USCSA, ORDA and NYSEF Staffs made it happen in a first class fashion for the many highly talented athletes  within the various disciplines. Many thanks to all of these staff members, officials and volunteers who made it all happen, and a hearty congratulations to all of the nationwide athletes who took part. We look forward to hosting this event along with the Olympic Regional Development Authority many times in future years.”

Teams began their quest to qualify for the U.S. Collegiate Skiing and Snowboarding National ChampionshipTM 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. Results from all events can be found at www.uscsa.com, and archives of the live video and audio broadcasts can be found at http://broadcast.uscsa.com.

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 180 colleges from coast to coast, fielding over 4,700 male and female, Alpine, Freeski, cross-country, Snowboarding and Nordic ski jumping athletes in over 300 events annually.

-- ORDA --

Established in 1982, the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) was created by the State of New York to manage the facilities used during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games at Lake Placid. ORDA operates Whiteface, Belleayre and Gore Mountain ski areas; the Olympic Sports Complex at Mt. Van Hoevenberg; the Olympic speed skating oval, Olympic jumping complex and Olympic arena. As host to international and national championships, the Authority has brought millions of athletes, spectator and participants to the region, resulting in significant economic development.