Williams 13th After Day 1 of NCAAs, Mann 4th in GS
Emily Porter '10 in the 2009 NCAA GS
BETHEL/RUMFORD, Me. – Senior Eric Mann placed fourth in the giant slalom, earning All-American honors for the third time in his career, and leading Williams to 13th place in the first day of racing at the NCAA Championships.
Mann, a senior who had previously been named All-American in 2006 and 2008 in giant slalom, sat in fifth following the first run. Despite a Middlebury competitor moving ahead of him in the standings during the second run, Mann was able to move ahead one position to capture fourth place, his highest finish at the NCAA Championships, after finishing 8th last year, 12th in 2007, and 6th in 2006, capping a remarkable run of top GS finishes at the championships. UVM freshman Dave Donaldson, winner of seven EISA carnivals this season, captured the title.
Junior classmates Alex Dyroff and Emily Porter used stronger second runs to move ahead of their first run positions. Dyroff, 33rd after the first run, used a faster second run to move inside the top thirty, taking 28th overall. Porter, in a similar position after her first run, moved from 29th to a spot in the top twenty-five, taking 24th place overall. St. Lawrence University freshman Lindsay Cone captured the GS title, and her first collegiate win.
With clear weather and fast, icy tracks, freshman Dimitri Luthi skied to a 28th place finish in the individual start 10K classic race. After qualifying in the 10th position from the East, Luthi skied well to finish 8th among EISA racers. Vermont senior Juergen Uhl skied to an 11-second victory, with Denver sophomore Antje Maempel capturing the women’s nordic title.
At the halfway point of the NCAA Championships, Williams sits in 13th overall with 81 points, and sixth among teams from the East, just 15 points behind 12th place Colby College. EISA schools St. Lawrence and Bates sit just behind Williams in the standings. Defending champion Denver University currently holds a four point lead over the University of Vermont, with the slalom and freestyle races still to come.
The alpine skiers will return to action tomorrow for the slalom races, with the men beginning the first run at 9 AM and the women following at 10:15 AM. Live results will be provided by Live-Timing, and start lists are available online. Luthi will close out the championships with the 20K mass start freestyle race on Saturday at 12:00 PM.
Men's Slalom Start List (Friday)
Women's
Slalom Start List (Friday)
