March 10, 2006
Complete Slalom Results in PDF Format
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The University of New Mexico ski team had a pair of championship performances by the men’s and women’s Alpine teams in tonight’s slalom races on Mt. Werner in Steamboat Springs, Colo. New Mexico has vaulted back into the title hunt at the 2006 NCAA Championships. The men took home the slalom team title led by All-American finishes from freshman Tor Fodnesbergene and junior Alex Mach. The women’s squad placed second in the slalom, led by a fifth place time from freshman Karin Ohlin. The Lobos also won the combined slalom championship. They currently have posted 442 points after six events and are just five points behind first place Colorado who has 447 points. Denver, the defending national champion, is in third place with 420.5 points.
Fodnesbergene led the Lobo men with his third place time of 1:14.49 in the first night slalom races at the NCAA Championships. He was less than a second off the two-run pace of 1:13.85 set by Dartmouth’s Karl Johnson. Mach placed seventh in the race with a time of 1:15.13. The three time All-Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association skier earned his first All-American honor in the slalom. Fellow junior Lars Loeseth rounded out the Lobo scoring with a 13th place finish (1:16.89). Loeseth completes one of the most successful individual athletic seasons in school history. He helped the Lobo men’s soccer team to the national title game in the Fall and has the ski team within reach of their second national championship.
On the women’s side, the Lobos placed all three racers in the top-13. Ohlin led the way with her fifth place time of 1:23.64. Senior Kathrin Spendier finished her Lobo career with an 11th place showing. Her time of 1:26.64 was just .12 seconds away from her second career All-American honor. Sophomore Amy Beresford also had a strong performance with her 13th place finish (1:28.09). The women’s slalom was won by Colorado’s Lucie Zikova (1:22.77) with the Buffs also taking the women’s team title.
“All six in the top-13, that’s a good evening” stated UNM head coach George Brooks. “We are going into the last day and we are still in it, you can’t ask for much more than that. It’s going to be a tough road for us because Colorado has been so tough this year. Denver is also going to try to make a move after having a tough night in the slalom. It can go either way, we just need to ski well enough to have a chance at the end. The reality is that it is possible, but Colorado and Denver are going to give their best. Hopefully, we can match it.”
The final event is set for tomorrow at Helmsen Hill with the men’s and women’s Nordic freestyle races. The men’s 20K and women’s 15K will start at 10:00 a.m. (M.S.T.). The freestyle is the Lobos’ stronger event with junior Dirk Grimm winning three times in 2006, including the NCAA West Regional. Senior Geir-Endre Rogn is also ranked in te top-10 in the RMISA, while all three of the women’s Nordic skiers were in the top-15 in the RMISA in 2006.
2006 NCAA Championships Team Standings
1. Colorado – 447
2. New Mexico – 442
3. Denver – 420.5
4. Vermont – 410
5. Dartmouth – 382.5
6. Utah – 336
7. Middlebury – 322
8. New Hampshire – 306
9. Alaska-Anchorage – 297
10. Nevada – 199
11. Bates – 156
12. Williams – 137.5
13. Montana State – 134
14. Colby – 130.5
15. Alaska-Fairbanks – 129
16. Northern Michigan – 108
17. Western State – 86.5
18. Boise State – 50
19. Michigan Tech – 37
20. Whitman – 26.5
21. St. Olaf – 12
22. Wisconsin-Green Bay – 10
23. St. Lawrence – 5
24. Gustavos Aldophus – 2
Women’s Slalom Individual Results
1 Lucie Zikova, Colorado, 1:22.77
2 Jilyne McDonald, Vermont, 1:23.02
3 Megan Hughes, Middlebury, 1:23.15
4 Lisa Perricone, Colorado, 1:23.41
5 Karin Ohlin, New Mexico, 1:23.64
3 Jamie Kingsbury, Vermont, 1:23.71
7 Abbi Lathrop, Colby, 1:23.83
8 Michelanne Shields, Dartmouth, 1:24.04
9 Mattie Ford, Middlebury, 1:24.71
10 Spela Bertoncelj, Montaana State, 1:26.52
11 Kathrin Spendier, New Mexico, 1:26.64
13 Amy Beresford, New Mexico, 1:28.09
Men’s Slalom Individual Results
1 Karl Johnson, Dartmouth, 1:13.85
2 Timothee Theaux, Alaska-Anchorage, 1:14.37
3 Tor Fodnesbergene, New Mexico, 1:14.49
4 Luke Patterson, Nevada, 1:14.52
5 Sean McNamara, New Hampshire, 1:14.66
6 Joe Dunn, New Hampshire, 1:14.81
7 Alex Mach, New Mexico, 1:15.13
8 Zachary Brown, Vermont, 1:15.31
9 Christianson, Williams, 1:15.32
10 Greg Hardy, Vermont, 1:15.76
13 Lars Loeseth, New Mexico, 1:16.89,