Westminster College Skiers Win USCSA National Championship

Remarkable achievement for first-year program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Krista DeAngelis, (801) 832-2682

March 12, 2009


WINTER PARK, Colo. - The Westminster Women's Alpine Ski Team came away with the 2009 United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) National Championship in just the first year of the program. Westminster won both the Giant Slalom and the Slalom team events to take the team championship with two points.

With a team roster of seven women and 12 men, Westminster's inaugural ski team has had quite a successful season. As the college's most internationally diverse program, the new team includes almost all freshmen from as far as Norway, France, Austria, Italy and Canada, to home-grown students from Utah, Texas, Colorado, Idaho and Wyoming.

Westminster's Women's Alpine Ski Team freshman Kendall Brown (Canada) won the individual national championship with a combined score of 27.90. Freshman Wiktoria Glowczynski (Canada) was fourth overall and Freshman Melissa Gill (Jackson, Wyoming) finished 11th.
Brown explained the key to her success during the team's first season.

"A relaxed attitude was a huge factor in my successful season," she explained. "Racing as a part of a team definitely added a new element to the sport for me. Focusing on my own performance, and not the uncontrollable elements around me, was a key part to bringing home a Griffin victory!"

The Westminster Men's Alpine Ski Team finished third in the combined results behind Colby-Sawyer College and Sierra Nevada at the nationals. Westminster freshman Lorentz Gedde-Dahl (Norway) won the individual championship thanks to winning each individual event.

Coach Chris Hendrickson was pleased with his team's inaugural success, but is already planning for the next competition season.

"I'm already looking to add more races to next year's competition schedule," he mentioned. "This will allow the team to compete against skiers in tougher divisions which will help them improve their competitive edge and skills."

Photo Caption: Westminster's Kendall Brown competes at the 2009 United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) National Championship. Brown won the individual national championship with a combined score of 27.90.

About USCSA:
The United States Collegiate Ski & Snowboard Association is the sports federation for collegiate team ski racing and snowboarding in America. The USCSA has alpine, cross country and snowboard collegiate competition programs. With more than 178 colleges from coast to coast, the program hosts some 4,700 men and women, alpine, cross country and snowboarding athletes in over 200 race events annually. Competitions take place across three progressive tiers. Conference qualifiers determine the participants at the six USCSA Regional Championships. The regionals are the last step on the road to the annual U. S. Collegiate Skiing and Snowboard Championships, the showcase event in college ski and snowboard competition. For more information, visit www.uscsa.com.

About Westminster:
Westminster is a nationally recognized, comprehensive liberal arts college. With a broad array of graduate and undergraduate programs, Westminster is distinguished by its unique environment for learning. Westminster prepares students for success through active and engaged learning, real world experiences and its vibrant campus community. Westminster's unique location, adjacent to the Rocky Mountains and to the dynamic city of Salt Lake, further enriches the college experience. For more information, visit www.westminstercollege.edu.