McBroom Paces Montana State Skiers in Giant Slalom NCAA Qualifier

Friday, January 10

Big Sky, MT

9 am

Montana State University

MSU - RMISA - GS Qualifier

Senior Kelly McBroom was runner-up at the NCAA Giant Slalom qualifier, Friday afternoon at Big Sky Ski Resort.

Photo by: Kelly Gorham

McBroom Paces Montana State Skiers in Giant Slalom NCAA Qualifier

1/10/2014 7:05:00 PM | Skiing

Montana State senior Kelly McBroom took a big step in securing a spot at the 2014 NCAA Skiing Championships by virtue of a runner-up finish in the women’s giant slalom qualifier, Friday afternoon at Big Sky Ski Resort.

By: Tom Schulz

NCAA GS QUALIFIER RESULTS (PDF)

Montana State senior Kelly McBroom took a big step in securing a spot at the 2014 NCAA Skiing Championships by virtue of a runner-up finish in the women's giant slalom qualifier, Friday afternoon at Big Sky Ski Resort.

McBroom, a native of Canmore, Alberta, posted the fastest opening run, cutting through a brutal wind, clocking of 58.79. She finished with a two-run time of 1:59.82.

However, Denver's Kristine Gjelsten Haugen, put together a solid 1:00.31 time to win the second run and edge McBroom by .18, notching a winning mark of 1:59.64.

"Kelly scored the best result of her career," said MSU first-year head alpine coach Kevin Francis. "She skied beautifully both runs and really showed the competition how it should be done. The women's team deserves a lot of credit. They were strong across the board."

Junior Stephanie Irwin also notched a top ten finish, placing tenth with a two-run total of 2:02.99. Rounding out MSU's top three was Sarah Freeman, 16^th, 2:04.15.

"Steph continues to up her level," Francis added. "She has been working on tactics (lines) and her hard work is paying off. She is hungry for more speed."

The Bobcat men's squad was paced by Sam Monsen, who finished 22^nd in 2:00.47. He was followed by David Owsley, 31^st, David Neuhauser, 32^nd, and Ryan McConnell, 37^th.

Denver's Trevor Philp continued his early season dominance, winning the giant slalom in 1:55.49.

The MSU Invitational will begin on Saturday with the giant slalom and Nordic classical events. The alpine races will take place at Big Sky beginning at 10 a.m., while Bohart Ranch will host the Nordic races starting at 9:30 a.m.