Montana State University
NCAA Championships - Slalom
Bobcat Skiers Earn All-America Honors on Day 3 of NCAA Championships
3/10/2017 6:56:00 PM | Men's Skiing, Women's Skiing, Skiing
The Montana State women’s alpine squad picked up where it left off on Wednesday with two All-America performances in the slalom, Friday afternoon at Cannon Mountain.
The Montana State women's alpine squad picked up where it left off on Wednesday with two All-America performances in the slalom, Friday afternoon at Cannon Mountain.
Benni Lyche placed seventh overall with a two-run total of 1:58.21. Stephanie Gartner reeled off the third fastest second run of the event to squeeze into the final All-America spot placing tenth in 1:59.20. Her second-run was 58.02. Rounding out MSU's scoring was Jocelyn McCarthy, who placed 17th in 2:00.36.
Lyche and Gartner went one-two in the giant slalom on Wednesday.
"The women had a hard time finding the right technique for the snow," said MSU head coach Kevin Francis. "We have not skied on anything this year resembling the glacier ice we saw. There was even a crevasse in the course before the race.
"Benni had a solid first run and was right in there, but she knew she had a lot more speed," Francis commented. "Jocelyn and Stephanie also had solid first runs but were fired up to throw down second run. We retuned their skis between runs to make sure their edges were perfectly smooth and as sharp as we could make them going into the second run. Jocelyn and Stephanie had better second runs and both came down in the lead. Stephanie had a really impressive second run skiing flawlessly and really sending it to move up to tenth and All-America status."
Vermont's Paula Moltzan won the women's slalom crown in 1:56.57.
The Bobcat men were led by Morten Bakke, who finished 16th overall with a two-run clocking of 1:52.52. He was followed by freshman Addison Dvoracek, 19th, 1:53.32, and Garret Driller, 33rd, 2:36.65.
"Garret was our first racer out of the gate and he was going for the win," Francis said. "He might have been on winning pace but his hopes were dashed less than halfway down the course when he had a little bobble and straddled a hairpin. He hiked around the gate and kept going but would have been way too far out to race for the win. It's too bad because he had the ability to win today but that is the nature of ski racing.
"The conditions were tough and it took a certain touch to be fast," Francis stated. "Addison and Morten had solid first runs without many mistakes but didn't have the exact technique figured out on the first run. On the second run Morten really showed he can make the adjustment and had a great time, but he was just too far out on the first run to make up many places. In the end, the men's team fought hard but it was just not their best day. I'm still extremely proud of their effort this season and have no doubt they will be one of the best teams in the country one year from now."
Colorado's David Ketterer won the men's slalom title in 1:49.23.
Denver took over the top spot in the team standings, the third different school (MSU, Utah) to lead the championships. The Pioneers posted 419 points, followed in the top ten by UU 384.5, CU 377, Dartmouth 313, Vermont 279, MSU 264, New Mexico 155.5, Northern Michigan 120, Alaska Anchorage 110, and New Hampshire 108.
"I'm so impressed with the Bobcats and want to thank all the skiers, those who are cheering us on and those racing for all their hard work and a great year," Francis said. "I'm in awe of their abilities and thankful to be a part of such a great team."
The NCAA Skiing Championships will conclude on Saturday morning with the Nordic freestyle events.
