alpine skiing News - July, 2009 Archive

Apr. 7: Six members of the St. Lawrence University Nordic ski team and five others from the Alpine squad have earned 2009 Academic All-America honors from the United States Collegiate Ski Coaches Association.

Apr. 3: Senior Doug Brown of Richmond, VT and first-year student Matt Dodge of Meredith, NH have been selected the 2009 Frits H. Sample Memorial Award recipients by their teammates on the St. Lawrence University alpine ski team.

Brown and Dodge are the first co-winners of the award, which is given to an outstanding student-athlete from the alpine ski roster. The honor recognizes contributions made both on the slopes and in the classroom.

Brown, who was awarded the 2007 Frits H. Sample Memorial Award, is the program's first two-time recipient of the honor. His continued success in the classroom was honored by the NCAA, as Brown was named an Academic All-America three of his four years on the Saints' ski team ('06,'07,'09). A consistent contributor to the team's success throughout his career on the slopes and the team's representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Brown posted seven top-25 finishes in his four seasons in the Scarlet and Brown.

"Doug's leadership and hard work over the past four years will certainly be missed," said Abigail Copeland, the Coordinator of Alpine Skiing. "He served as a great captain, as he always leads by example. We wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors."

Mar. 30: First-year student Lindsay Cone's fantastic alpine season continues to land the Killington, VT native honors as she was named a First Team East Region selection by the EISA. Cone is the first member of the St. Lawrence University women's alpine ski program to receive the recognition.

The St. Lawrence rookie earned her First Team nod by collecting 13 top-10 finishes throughout the 2009 season while winning the NCAA Championship in the women's Giant Slalom. Cone is the first national champion for the women's program as well.

Her victory in the race also landed Cone First Team All-America honors, while her ninth place showing in the NCAA Slalom race earned her a Second Team All-America slot.

Cone was considered one of the favorites in the Women's Giant Slalom heading into the NCAA Championship race, but had been unable to win any carnival races during the season. Despite earning several podium finishes including a pair of runner-up spots, victories continued to elude her until her trip to Sunday River in Bethel, ME. However, the win put the finishing touches on a dazzling year, which may be the first of several for Cone who will again be a premier skier to watch in 2010.

Mar. 13: St. Lawrence University first-year student Lindsay Cone and junior James Andersen competed in their final races of the 2009 season on Friday at the NCAA Championships at Sunday River in Bethel, ME. The skiers each competed in the slalom, with Cone earning ninth overall while Andersen claimed 28th place.

Fresh off her national championship-winning performance on Thursday in the Giant Slalom, Cone continued her solid skiing with a top-10 first run in the women's event. Her time of 52.55 set her up for her 13th top-10 finish of the season, as her second run time of 53.06 locked down ninth place out of 35 competitors.

Malin Hemmingsson of the University of New Mexico won the national championship in the women's slalom behind a combined time of 1:42.36.

Andersen put the finishing touches on his best collegiate season to date with a 28th place showing in the men's slalom. After a tough first run time of 1:05.73, the Putnam Valley, NY native battled back with a time of 50.90 in his second run. His combined time of 1:56.63 landed him in 28th position and earned 12.0 points for St. Lawrence in the team standings.

Colorado University's Gabriel Rivas earned the victory in the men's race with times of 47.77 and 48.92 (1:36.69).

The University of Vermont holds a narrow two-point lead over the University of Denver with only the Nordic races to be completed tomorrow. St. Lawrence is in 14th place out of 22 teams with 118.0 total points.

Mar. 12: After finishing the 2009 carnival season with 11 top-10 finishes, St. Lawrence University first-year student Lindsay Cone broke through in the collegiate ranks for the first time on Thursday, as the Killington, VT native won the national championship in the Women's Giant Slalom at the 2009 NCAA Alpine Ski Championships at Sunday River in Bethel, ME.

Both the national championship and race wins are firsts for the St. Lawrence University women's alpine program.
Cone, the lone contestant from St. Lawrence in the women's event, entered the race as a contender in the Giant Slalom, but several skiers from across the country including Dartmouth's Courtney Hammond had already earned several victories this season. Cone (left) finished the opening run in second place with a time of 1:17.17, but trailed Estelle Percherand-Charmet of the University of New Mexico by 1.17 seconds after a fast run of 1:16:00.

Though 1.17 seconds can be tough to make up and several prolific collegiate skiers were challenging for the national title, it was Cone who rose to the occasion and won the second run with an outstanding time of 1:18.53. With Percherand-Charmet's second run time of 1:20.30, Cone was able to celebrate a victory in the event with a combined time of 2:35.70, .60 seconds ahead of the first-run leader.

Mar. 1: After being forced to wait a day to compete in the Giant Slalom due to unsafe skiing conditions, the St. Lawrence University men's and women's Alpine teams took to the slopes again on Sunday to complete competition at the 2009 EISA Championships hosted by Colby. Leading the Saints in the GS were junior James Andersen and first-year student Lindsay Cone, who each picked up a top-6 finish.

Andersen, who will join Cone at the 2009 NCAA Championships in two weeks at Sunday River, was the team's top finisher on Sunday. The Putnam Valley, NY native placed fifth overall with a time of 1:48.64, only .37 seconds off of a podium finish.

Joining Andersen in the scoring in the men's race were first-year student Scott Houser and sophomore Holland Davis, who brought the team's total to 75.0 points, landing the Scarlet and Brown in sixth position as a team. Houser earned his best collegiate finish in 21st place with a combined time of 1:52.29 while Davis completed the scoring in 30th place (1:55.32).

Senior captain Doug Brown, competing in his final collegiate race, took 32nd place with a time of 1:55.52 while junior Graham Flinn rounded out the team's roster in the Men's Giant Slalom in 34th position (1:56.42).

On the women's side, Cone continued to perform at a high level with a sixth place overall finish in the Women's GS. The Killington, VT native raced in a time of 1:53.72, only .37 off of a podium finish. It was Cone's ninth consecutive top-8 finish.

Feb. 27: The St. Lawrence University men's and women's Alpine ski teams opened competition at the 2009 EISA Championships hosted by Colby in Sugarloaf, ME on Friday in a weather-shortened Slalom. Due to conditions, skiers only competed in one run in the event at Sugarloaf, which saw first-year student Lindsay Cone earn fifth place overall in the women's race and senior captain Doug Brown paced the men's squad with a 21st place showing.

Cone, who has been a fantastic addition to the Saints' roster this season, picked up her tenth top-10 finish of the year with her fifth place showing out of 53 competitors. The Killington, VT native raced in a time of 44.57 in her one run and was joined in the scoring for St. Lawrence by classmate Elena Rogers (25th, 49.26) and sophomore Kelly Skinner (26th, 49.27). The trio combined for 76.0 points which landed the Scarlet and Brown in sixth place overall.

Sophomore Heidi Robbins finished in 29th position thanks to a time of 49.78 while first-year student Mackenzie Irwin (30th, 50.48) and senior Danielle LaCavalla (36th, 55.40) rounded out the team's line-up in the women's slalom.

Feb. 21: St. Lawrence University junior James Andersen posted a career-best finish on Saturday at the 2009 Middlebury Carnival, as the Putnam Valley, NY native earned fourth place overall in the Men's Giant Slalom. First-year student Lindsay Cone also picked up a top-10 finish on the women's side at the event held at the Middlebury Snow Bowl in Middlebury, VT.

Andersen picked up his fourth top-10 finish of the year with a time of 2:02.74 in the GS, only .14 seconds out of third place. He was credited 41.0 points and again boosts his chances at a bid into the 2009 NCAA Championships.

First-year student Matthew Dodge was the second scorer for the men's team, coming in 22nd position with a time of 2:05.55. Senior Doug Brown capped the squad's scoring in 29th place with a time of 2:06.67, bringing the team's total to 75.0 points to land the Saints in sixth position overall, only three points out of fifth.

Juniors Michael Wallman (32nd, 2:07.23) and Graham Flinn (40th, 2:08.43) and sophomore Thatcher Jacques (DNF 2nd) rounded out the men's team's roster in the Giant Slalom on Saturday.

Feb. 20: First-year students Lindsay Cone and Matthew Dodge led the St. Lawrence University women's and men's Alpine ski teams on Friday in the Slalom at the 2009 Middlebury Carnival at the Middlebury Snow bowl. Cone recorded her fifth top-five finish of the year while Dodge was the top men's skier for the third time in his rookie campaign.

Cone, who is in the midst of the best alpine carnival season by a woman in St. Lawrence University history, continued to re-write the school's record books with a fifth place overall finish in the Women's Slalom. The Killington, VT native raced in a time of 1:39.00 to earn 39.0 points for the Scarlet and Brown.

Fellow rookies Mackenzie Irwin and Elena Rogers rounded out the women's team's scoring on Friday. Irwin finished in 29th position with a time of 1:43.20, while Rogers was three spots back in 32nd place after being clocked in at 1:44.83. The trio of first-years combined for 80.0 points to land the women's team in fifth place overall.

Sophomores Heidi Robbins (1:45.61) and Kelly Skinner (1:48.21) logged 36th and 38th place finishes, respectively, while junior Meg Howard competed in her first event of the season coming off of an injury. The Shelburne, VT, native finished in 43rd place thanks to a time of 1:49.97.

Feb. 14: St. Lawrence University first-year student Lindsay Cone extended her streak of top-10 finishes to five with a sixth place showing in the Women's Slalom race at the Dartmouth Carnival on Saturday. The Killington, VT native's finish helped the women's alpine ski team to a sixth place finish in the event.

Cone finished the race at the Dartmouth Ski Way in Lyme, NH with a combined time of 1:40.27 to land 37.0 points with the sixth place finish. For the second consecutive day, first-year student Elena Rogers and sophomore Heidi Robbins rounded out the women's teams scoring. Rogers earned 23rd place with a time of 1:45.03 to earn 21.0 points while Robbins brought the team's total to 76.0 points for sixth place overall with a 27th place finish (1:46.80).

Rounding out the women's team's line-up in the Slalom on Saturday was sophomore Kelly Skinner (33rd, 1:49.64), rookie Mackenzie Irwin (48th, 2:13.62) and senior Danielle LaCavalla (DNF 2nd).

Meanwhile, the men's alpine ski team struggled in the Slalom on Saturday, as the team finished in 10th place with a total of 39.0 points. Sophomore Thatcher Jacques led the squad with a 32nd place finish with a time of 1:41.78, while juniors James Andersen (38th, 1:49.20) and Michael Wallman (43rd, 1:56.27) rounded out the team's scoring.

Also representing the Scarlet and Brown in the Men's Slalom were first-year student Matthew Dodge (45th, 2:04.28), junior Graham Flinn (DNF) and senior Doug Brown (DNF 2nd).