MSU’s McCarthy Wins Women’s Slalom; Bobcat Nordic Team Begins MSU Invite

Senior Jocelyn McCarthy

MSU’s McCarthy Wins Women’s Slalom; Bobcat Nordic Team Begins MSU Invite

1/18/2019 6:13:00 PM | Men's Skiing, Women's Skiing, Skiing

Montana State senior Jocelyn McCarthy won her first ever Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association slalom title on Friday afternoon at the MSU Invitational held at Bridger Bowl and Crosscut Mountain Sports Center.

By: Tom Schulz

BOZEMAN, Mont. – Montana State senior Jocelyn McCarthy won her first ever Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association slalom title on Friday afternoon at the MSU Invitational held at Bridger Bowl and Crosscut Mountain Sports Center.

McCarthy, a product of Edmonton, Alberta, posted a time of 52.78 for the victory. The RMISA women's slalom race was limited to just one run due to technical difficulties heading into the final race. McCarthy was followed by teammates Stephanie Gartner, eighth, 54.06, and Mia Henry, 28^th, 1:02.01.

"I'm so excited for Jocelyn," said MSU Alpine head coach Kevin Francis. "She killed it today; plainly out-skied everyone. It is always tough when you don't get the second run in, but sometimes the chair lift breaks."

The Bobcat men put four skiers in the top 13 led by freshman Louis Muhlen-Schulte who finished fourth with a two-run total of 1:43.17. Muhlen-Schulte posted the third fastest second run. Also scoring points for MSU were Zak Vinter, ninth, 1:45.24, and Morten Bakke, 11^th, 1:46.05.

Åge Solheim finished 13^th overall with a two-run total of 1:46.27, moving up ten spots following his second run, while Patrick Carry placed 19^th in 1:47.39.

"The men's team did really well fighting through tough conditions," Francis stated. "I'm stoked with our performance at home. I'm even more excited to see the potential of the team. Everyone is putting down some good individual runs."

The Montana State Nordic team saw its first action at the MSU Invitational in the freestyle events.

The Bobcat contingent was paced by Emma Tarbath, who completed the five-kilometer race in 17:05.7 and putting 20 points on the board. She was followed in scoring by Kathleen O'Connell, 19^th, 18:03.4, and Anna Fake, 22^nd, 18:14.5.

"Emma Tarbath had a respectable effort today, trying a strategy of pushing pretty hard from the start and hoping to hold on," said MSU Nordic head coach Matthew Johnson. "Unfortunately, she faded just enough before the finish to drop out of the top 10."

Montana State's men's team was led by the freshmen duo of Ti Donaldson and Ty Godfrey. Donaldson placed 18^th overall, covering the 10K course in 30:50.4, while Godfrey was 20^th in 31:06.0. Sophomore Eli Jensen completed MSU's scoring with a 26^th place showing in 31:52.3.

"Our results today were disappointing across the board, but the team's preparation for the season has gone well so we are just waiting for the results to match our level of fitness," Johnson stated. "On the bright side our two freshmen boys, Ti Donaldson and Ty Godfrey, led our pack today and put down really strong efforts even if they aren't reflected in the results, so we are excited to have such promising young athletes on the roster this year."

With just the Nordic classic races remaining on Saturday, New Mexico sits atop the team standings with 434 points, followed by Colorado 425, Utah 400, Denver 389.5, MSU 369, Alaska Anchorage 331, Westminster 205.5, Alaska Fairbanks 106 and Colorado Mountain 31.