Results - Skiing

February 15-17, 2008

A pair of freshmen led the Irish ski club at the MCSA Regionals at Marquette, MI this weekend. Christopher Knoedler led the men’s squad to a 7th place finish among nineteen teams, and Justine Nurnane’s 6th place finish led the women to a matching 7th place showing. Kevin Dacey and captain Steve Feutz were the other top finishers for the men.

Sarah Rauenhorst completed her career in fine style with a top 25 finish, while Stephanie Vossler also placed high enough to secure the Irish standing. The snowboarding squad competed on a challenging giant slalom course. The men were paced by Oliver Short, Jeff Kroon and Tim O’Brian, and the women’s top finisher was freshman Erin McNeill. This was the final event of the season for the club.  

February 7-9, 2008

With regionals looming next weekend in Marquette, Michigan, the Notre Dame ski team was all business upon their arrival at Crystal Mountain on Saturday. Led by a second place finish from freshman Erin McNeill, the female snowboarders made quick work of their competition, winning their only race of the weekend. Katie Rehberger took 5th and Casey McNeill 8th for the first place squad.

The men’s snowboard squad finished second in team standings, with Jeff Kroon, Andy Martin and Alex Gorrel, finished 5th, 6th, 7th respectively. Ollie Short, 11th, Joe Wells, 12th, Patrick Garrison, 15th, and Tim O’Brian, 19th, completed the Irish results.

Due to the weather conditions, only Saturday’s ski races were held.

The men's ski team was not about to take things easy. Juniors Eric Shaw and Joel Sharbrough each were poised to finish on the podium after the first run, but the icy conditions were a rude awakening in the second run, sending both skiers cartwheeling off course. Thankfully, freshman, Chris Knoedler, and senior, Steve Feutz, picked up the slack finishing 6th and 10th to pace the squad. Conor Byrne, 11th, Kevin Dacey, 13th, Matt Wilsey, 19th, Andrew Clark, 20th, and Tommy Balmat, 25th finished high enough to garner a third place team finish. In the end, it was another successful weekend for the Irish, but they continue to stay focused as they look ahead to the upcoming national qualifier at Marquette Mountain.

Club president and captain Sarah Rauenhorst took 10th to lead the women’s squad to a matching third place finish. Teammates Dierda Merdy, 11th, Kerry McGuire, 14th, Katie Paquette, 15th, and Liz Keedy, 20th scored for the Irish.  

February 1-3, 2008

The MCSA does not release results until later in the week, but Notre Dame’s unofficial results were impressive at Cannonsburg this weekend. Joel Sharbrough took first in slalom and finished in the top three in the giant slalom. Freshman Justine Murnane led the women’s squad with top three finishes in both events as well. The team will compete this coming weekend at Crystal Mountain.  

January 25-27, 2008

Notre Dame’s ski club took to the slopes again this weekend, in the MCSA divisional qualifier at Crystal Mountain. Results are not yet tabulated for snowboarding, but the club did well on the skis. With 22 top fifteen finishes across all disciplines, the Irish matched up well with Grand Valley State, Michigan State, Western Michigan, Central Michigan, and Ferris State.

In men’s slalom, Joel Sharbrough finished 3rd, Chris Knoedler, 6th, captain Steve Feutz 12th, Kevin Dacey 13th, Matt Wilsey 22nd, and Mike Ellerhorst 25th. Pat Leimkuehler, Conor Byrne, Tommy Balmat, Charlier Mahoney and Eric Shaw did not finish.

Justine Murnane also claimed 3rd in the women’s slalom, with teammate Katie Paquette 8th. President Sarah Rauenhorst was 13th, just ahead of Dierdra Merdy and Liz Keedy in 14th and 15th, with Claire Cotter finishing 21st. Steph Vossler and Kerry McGuire did not finish.

On Sunday, Sharbrough again finished 3rd in the giant slalom, with Shaw 7th, Dacey 9th, Chris Knoeder 11th, Byrne 13th, Wilsey 14th, Leimkuehler 18th, Balmat 20th, Ellerhorst 22nd, Mahoney 28th and Feutz 31st.

Murnane again took 3rd in women’s giant slalom, with Vosler 7th, Merdy 10th, Keedy 11th, Paquette 13th, McGuire 18th, and Cotter 19th.

Freshman Nick Detrempe rebounded from a nasty fall in Saturday’s snowboarding to take one of the top finishes on Sunday. Captain Oliver Short took 4th overall, demonstrating the skills he developed in his native Canada.  

January 18-20, 2008

Believe it or not, the flashy green jackets aren’t just for show. Notre Dame’s ski team had their first race of the season this weekend at Cannonsburg, MI. On the men’s side it was utter domination. Both men’s ski and men’s snowboard won their respective divisions with top finishes from senior captains Oliver Short and Steve Feutz, followed by some of the new members of the team. Sophomore recruit, Kevin Dacey, along with a strong incoming freshman class contributed significantly to the win. Senior Mike Chulito spoke for the whole team when he said, “Never have I ever seen a team so ready to win. The amount of young talent on the team is like a slap in the face for the upperclassmen, I’m stoked.”

Grand Valley State, Michigan State, Western Michigan, Central Michigan, and Ferris State provided the competition this weekend. Next week the team will be traveling to Crystal Mountain in Langlois, MI and hopes are high for another set of victories.

February 2-4, 2007

The ski club competed this weekend in their second MCSA event of the season. The men’s team finished second, the women’s team took third, and both men’s and women’s snowboard teams captured first in their competition.

In Slalom competition on Saturday, Notre Dame’s Molly Fox, Stephanie Vossler, Liz Keedy, Katie Paquette, and Anna Jansons finished ninth through thirteenth respectively. Teammates Caitlin Keilty and Mary Kate Sweeney were 15th - 16th while Nicole Hernandez and Reilly Gallagher came in at 28th - 29th.

In snow boarding’s first combined race results, Casey McNeill, Cat Dunne, and Katie Rehberger captured 1st, 2nd, 3rd overall in the women’s division, and took 1st, 3rd, 4th in the second race combined results. In the two men’s races, Joe Wells finished 1st and 3rd, Alex Gorrell took 3rd and 5th, Andy Martin took 1st in the second race, with Jeff Kroon 4th.  

February 26, 2006

Temperatures dipping to -15º at Marquette, MI created challenging runs for the Notre Dame ski club in its final event of the year, the MISA Sectionals. Although Lindsay May, Molly Butler, and Leif Petterson performed well in their final races for the Irish, the club did not advance to the Regionals, thus concluding competition for this year. Team results have not been posted as of today.

February 10-12, 2006

The members of the Notre Dame Ski team were powered with aspirations of Olympic Gold this weekend – and skied like champions. Week 3 saw some bright spots from freshmen Stephanie Dalton and Joel Sharbrough, and other members helped the team to top spots in the Midwest division landing them with a spot in the Regional Tournament next weekend in Marquette, Michigan.

The men’s team had quite a time in this weekend’s races. Fresh blood in freshmen Conor Byrne and Joel Sharbrough helped the men’s team finish in a solid fourth place in their Saturday morning slalom race. Sharbrough and Byrne placed 4th and 20th respectively. Following the two freshmen were senior Leif Pettersen who ripped up the course in his first run, ending up in 29th, Brian Hedges in 38th, Chris Eakins in 42nd, Tommy Balmat in 45th, Pat Leimkeuler in 46th, Alex Gloeckner in 49th, and Jon Merck rounding out the men’s finishers with a 52nd place finish. Sophomore Steve Feutz “oooh’ed” and “ahh’ed” the crowd with his spectacular fall in the first run.

The women’s team built on their success from past weeks with a 3rd place finish in the Saturday slalom event. The brightest spots for the team were in senior Molly Butler and freshman Stephanie Dalton. Butler finished in 8th place, just a spot in front of Dalton. Other finishers for the women’s team were senior Lindsay May in 16th, Sarah Rauenhorst in 19th, Katie Coniglio in 36th, Casey Dunne in 38th, Kerry McGuire in 43rd, Katie Paquette in 45th, and Mary Kate Sweeney rounding out the women’s team in 48th place.

The men’s snowboard team lit up the course again in Saturday’s giant slalom event. Sophomore Nick Cottingham and Senior Dan VanDerWerff smoked the course, finishing in 5th and 7th place respectively. Mike Weber finished behind these two with a hearty 9th place finish. The men finished in 3rd place to solid Western Michigan and Grand Valley teams.

The women’s snowboard team continued to be the bright spot of the Notre Dame team. Senior Nichole Mitchell donned her two silver medals from last week and cruised to a solid 4th place finish on Saturday. Mitchell was followed by freshmen Katie Rehberger in 8th place and Casey McNeill in 10th. Rounding out the women’s team were Cat Dunne and Dayna Dantzcher in 14th and 20th.

The men’s team on Sunday morning finished in 5th place. However, Joel Sharbrough continued to shine with his 5th place finish. Behind Sharbrough were Byrne in 26th, Leif Pettersen in 34th, Hedges in 38th, Pat Leimkeuler in 43rd and Alex Gloeckner in 50th. Again, Steve Feutz livened up the sleepy crowd with a DNF while Hedges saved himself from a disastrous fall that would have made even Hermann Maier proud.

The women’s ski team finished in 4th place, just a few tenths of a second out of third place to Grand Valley State. Freshmen Stephanie Dalton finished in 7th place. Following Dalton were Butler in 12th, Rauenhorst in 17th, Lindsay May in 24th, Casey Dunne in 36th, Katie Coniglio in 39th, Katie Paquette in 42nd, Kerry McGuire in 46th and Mary Kate Sweeney in 48th.

The men’s snowboard team finished their event in mediocre form, slipping a few spots to 5th place overall. The team struggled greatly with DNF’s from all three competitors who thought that speed was a little more important than finishing the course. Senior captain Dan VanDerWerff said “we used this as a lesson for next week’s regional.” The men’s team looks to VanDerWerff for his leadership and upbeat attitude as a cornerstone on the two-year old snowboard team.

The women’s snowboard team beat all of the competition except the University of Michigan on Sunday’s giant slalom finishing in 2nd by less than a second. Senior Nichole Mitchell finished 4th. Following Mitchell were Katie Rehberger in 7th, Casey McNeill in 14th, Cat Dunne in 16th and Dayna Dantzcher in 22nd.  

January 27-29, 2006

Notre Dame’s skiers and snowboarders traveled to Crystal Mountain for a weekend of races. For the men’s ski team, Saturday’s slalom event was dominated by freshman phenom Joel Sharbough, finishing in 7th place. Behind Sharbough were freshman Conor Byrne in 18th, senior Andrew Breslin in 25th, and junior Brian Hedges who recovered from a spectacular fall still finished 29th. Other finishers for the men were Pat Leimkueler, Chris Eakins, Jon Merck, Alex Gloeckner, and Tommy Balmat. Leif Pettersen and Steve Feutz livened up the slalom event with very exciting crashes. The men’s team finished in 4th place on Saturday.

The women ski team managed to put together a very nice showing on Saturday with all of the women finishing. Four women finished with outstanding races in the top 15. Senior Molly Butler finished in an impressive 4th place. Behind Butler were freshman Stepanie Dalton in 8th place, sophomore stud Sarah Rauenhorst in 12th place, and senior Lindsay May in 14th. Other finishers for the women were Mary Kate Sweeney, Casey Dunne, Katie Coniglio, Katie Paquette, and Kerry McGuire. The women’s team finished the slalom event in 2nd place behind a solid Michigan State team.

The men’s snowboard team blazed up the course during Saturday’s Giant Slalom event. All 3 men finished their races and Sophomore Nick Cottingham finished in 4th place, Senior Dan VanDerWerff finished in 5th place, and sophomore Oliver Short finished in a solid 8th. The men’s team finished in 2nd place.

The women’s snowboard team followed the men in true fashion on Saturday with all 4 of the women finishing. Senior Nichole Mitchell led the women finishing in 3rd place. Behind Mitchell were freshmen Katie Rehberger and Casey McNeill in 6th and 7th, and senior Dayna Dantzscher in 8th. The women’s team finished in 2nd.

Sunday’s abbreviated Giant Slalom event was drenched with a healthy amount of global warming and about an inch of rain. Despite unfavorable snow conditions, the men’s ski team had quite a nice showing. After the first run, four men were in the top 15. Joel Sharbough was able to hold his spot in 4th, Conor Byrne finished in 11th, and Pat Leimkueler in 17th place. After his 7th place finish in the first run, Hedges lost a ski and tumbled down the mountain, finishing with a DNF. Other finishers for the men’s ski team were Steve Feutz in 28th, Chris Eakins in 32nd, Jon Merck 36th, Alex Gloeckner 42nd, and Tommy Balmat 43rd. After an impressive first run, senior Leif Pettersen incited laughter from the crowd with his crash and ensuing slide down the mountain. The men’s team finished in third place on the day.

The women’s team continued their success in Sunday’s event finishing again in 2nd place. Butler was the top finisher again for the women in a 3rd place finish. Dalton and Rauenhorst finished in 8th and 9th respectively. Behind the three scorers were Lindsay May in 15th, Katie Coniglio in 17th, Mary Kate Sweeney 19th, Katie Paquette 24th, Casey Dunne 25th, and Kerry McGuire in 26th. The women’s team remains the brightest spot for the Notre Dame ski team.

Men’s and women’s snowboarding finished Sunday’s giant slalom in good form, building on Saturday’s success. The top finishers for the men were Cottingham, VanDerWerff, and Short. The four finishers for the women were Mitchell, Rehberger, Dantzscher, and McNeill. Next week the two teams have a week off to prepare for their race on the weekend of 11th. Dryland training is scheduled for the coming week.  

January 20-22, 2006

Notre Dame opened the 2006 ski season at Canonsburg, MI this weekend. On Saturday, the Irish women placed 3rd in team slalom. Molly Butler, Stephanie Dalton, and Sarah Rauenhorst were the top three finishers for the Irish.

The men’s squads finished fourth overall in the slalom. Joel Sharbough had the top time for the Irish, with Brian Hedges and Steve Feutz also scoring points.

In snowboarding competition, the Irish finished third in both men’s and women’s events. Top three finishers for the men were Oliver Short, Nick Cottingham, and Dan Vanderwerff. Cat Dunne, Dayna Dantzcher, and Katie Rehberger led the women’s squad.

Sunday’s giant slalom and snowboarding results,, will not be available until Tuesday, when they are released by the US Collegiate Ski Association.  

February 18-20, 2005

Marquette, MI hosted the Regional championships this weekend, as both varsity and club teams from 23 schools competed to advance to the Nationals. Notre Dame's women finished 9th while the men took 12th in the field. Finishing in the top five in women's competition were St. Olaf, Minnesota Deluth, Northern Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. In men's results, Michigan Tech, St. Olaf's, Minnesota Deluth, Minnesota, and St. Thomas claimed the top five sports. Danielle Clements finished 32nd in individual slalom standings, followed by teammates Lauren Dacey, 42nd; Sarah Rauvenhorst, 67th, and Rita Morgan, 68th. Senior co-captain Joe Payne turned in the men's best slalom performance, finishing 33rd. Brian Hedges was next at 39th, with senior co-captain Bill Leimkuehler, 57th, Jason Luecht, 90th, and Alex Gloeckner, 93rd, in a field of over one hundred racers. This concludes the season for the Irish. 

February 4-6, 2005

Skiiers from six MCSA Conference schools converged on Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville, MI this weekend for the season's second conference competition. Notre Dame's women took second in both slalom and giant slalom, trailing Michigan State. In the slalom, Danielle Clements placed 3rd, Rita Morgan 6th, Lindsay May 11th, Anne Mahoney 17th, Sarah Raunvenhorst 18th, Lauren Dacey 26th, and Mary Kate Sweeney 33rd. In the giant slalom, Clements, Morgan, and May again led the squad, finishing 7th, 10th, and 11th respectively. Raunvenhorst, 13th, Mahoney 19th, Casey Dunne 25th, Dacey 26th, and Sweeney, 33rd, completed the team finish. The men's squad improved to 3rd in the slalom and 4th in the giant slalom. Jason Luecht had the best finish for the Irish in the slalom, at 7th, followed by Steve Fuetz 14th, and Chris Eakins 21st. In a team picture finish, Brad Jolitz was 29th, Pat Leimkuehler 30th, Sean Glennnan 31st, and Alex Gloechner 37th. The giant slalom order of finish for the men was Luecht, 16th; Fuetz, 19th; Andrew Breslin 26th, Gloechner 31st, Leimkuehler, 32nd, and Eakins 36th. In Saturday's snowboard competition, the Irish women were paced by Cat Dunne, 8th, and Emily Williams, 10th. Nick Cottinghan, 8th, James Weber, 10th, Tim Huml, 12th, and Dan Vanderwer, 13th finished atop the men's board. In Sundays, mixed team competition, Cottingham's 3rd place helped the squad to an overall 2nd place finish. Vanderwerff, 7th; Huml, 13th; Weber, 17th; and Dunne, 21st, were the top finishers.

January 28-30, 2005

The ski club traveled to Schuss Mountain for season opening MCSA action this weekend. The women's squad placed 2nd in the slalom behind Michigan State, and 3rd in the giant slalom behind Michigan State and Michigan. In the slalom, Danielle Clements led the team with a 6th place finish, followed by Rita Morgan in 9th and Lindsay May in 13th. Top three for the Irish in women's giant slalom were Clements, 6th; Molly Butler, 7th; and Sarah Raunvenhorst, 22nd. Finishing just out of the scoring in the giant slalom were Lindsay May, 23rd; Anne Mahoney, 25th, and Lauren Dacey, 27th, in a very close finish.

The men finished 6th in the slalom and 5th in the giant slalom. Bad luck struck the club in the slalom as captain Joe Payne fell on his second run, dropping the club two spots in the final rankings. Top three men in the event were Brian Hedges, 19th; Steve Fuetz, 20th; and Andrew Breslin, 25th, with teammate Aaron Medlock just out of scoring in 27th place. Hedges and Payne took 11th and 14th respectively in the giant slalom, but teammates Leif Petterson, 31st, Brad Jollitz, 36th; Pat Leimikuehler, 39th; and Sean Glennan, 45th, were unable to keep the club in contention for a higher finish. Other teams competing in league play include Grand Valley State, Western Michigan, Central Michigan, and Northern Michigan.  

January 21-23, 2005

In what was originally thought to be a rebuilding year for Notre Dame, the Ski Team traveled to Cleveland this weekend and dominated the competition in the Ohio Division. In the Saturday Slalom, every ND woman racer finished in the top 9, with Notre Dame taking seven of those spots. Molly Butler and Dannielle Clements finished first and second, respectively. Lindsay May and Captain Lauren Dacey accomplished even more for the team, finishing fourth and fifth. In the men's competition, freshman surprise Steve Fuetz edged out Captain Joe Payne with a blistering second run as they finished fifth and sixth. Finishing in eighth and ninth with fast runs were Casey Dunne and Maria Destino. Senior Jason Luecht had two solid runs to finish in seventh place. The men's team had every finisher between fifth and fifteenth place. Among those finishers were Brad Jolitz, Aaron Medlock, Bill Leimkuehler, Sean Glennan, and Leif Eric Petterson. On Sunday, in the Giant Slalom, the women's team continued to assert their superiority. Molly Butler and Danielle Clements again finished in first and second place. Freshman phenom Sarah Rauenhorst finished in third, leaving no ambiguity as to which team at this race was the best. Lindsay May and Lauren Dacey again raced well, finishing in fifth and sixth place. Inspired by the women's performance, the men's team followed up with several more impressive results. After a close first run, the top seven racers were separated by less than half a second, with Notre Dame being represented by three of them. Joe Payne led the team with a fourth place finish. Luecht and Andrew Breslin finished sixth and seventh rounding out the team scoring. In a new development for the team this year, a small contingent of snowboarders accompanied the ski team for competition. The team started off well, with Nichole Mitchell finishing third in the women's slalom and freshman Nick Cottingham finishing second in the men's slalom. On Sunday's GS course all snowboarders had excellent runs, including Cat Dunne and Emily Williams for the women, and Tim Huml, Dan VanDerWerff, and James "Sunshine" Weber for the men. Competing schools included Ohio State, John Carroll, Kent State, Akron, and Cincinnati. For the next four weeks, the team will be traveling to the mountains of Michigan to face stiffer competition from the Michigan Division.  

March 8-14, 2004

Notre Dame's Leigh Hellrung finished 45th nationally in the Giant Slalom among the top 90 skiers at the UCSCA Championships in Maine.  Hellrung earned the right to compete as the outstanding individual skier in the MCSA.  Also, for the third time in her career, Hellrung was named to the Academic All American team.

February 13-16, 2004

Senior standout Leigh Hellrung led the Notre Dame ski club qualified for her third trip to the Nationals this weekend in Regional competition.  In a very strong field, the women's squad just missed joining Hellrung in team competition.  The top three schools qualify for Nationals, and three strong varsity teams from Northern Michigan, St. Olaf, and U. Minnesota Deluth claimed those spots.  The Irish tied another varsity power, Minnesota, for fourth place in the sixteen school field.

Hellrung placed fourth in the Giant Slalom behind three skiers from Northern Michigan. Teammates Alanna Lundgren, 22nd, Molly Butler, 24th, Rita Morgan, 39th, and Saint Mary's Danielle Clements, 66th, competed in a field of 189 to finish in third place heading into Sunday's Slalom.  Hellrung's 11th place finish again paced the club, but the Irish finished the Slalom in 6th place, and fourth overall.  Butler finished 26th, Lungren, 29th, Morgan, 42nd, and Clement's 33rd in a field of 213.

The men's squad placed a surprising 10th in the Giant Slalom and 18th in the Slalom to finish 14th overall in a nineteen school field.  Mike Ryan and Joe Payne finished 47th and 49th respectively in the Giant Slalom.  Payne was the only Irish skier to complete the Slalom, finishing 40th in the event.

The top three schools and the top skier from among all the other schools earn the right to compete at the Nationals.  This year, Hellrung will travel to Sugarloaf, Maine .

February 6-8, 2004

If it were done when tis done, then tis well it were done quickly.  With apologies to Macbeth, a wipe out fall by star Leigh Hellrung this weekend only cost the women's squad of the Notre Dame ski club a drop to third place in the slalom of this weekend's slalom.  Next week is the Regionals, and a fall would prove too much to overcome if the club is to advance to a repeat appearance in the Nationals.   The club rebounded to capture the giant slalom the next day.  Also finishing in the scoring for the women were Alanna Lungren, Molly Butler, Danielle Clements, and Rita Morgan.

The men's slalom race on Saturday was the worst team performance the club had experienced in recent memory.  Due to spectacular falls by Joe Payne, Jon Pribaz, Brian Hedges, and Leif Eric Petterson in their second runs, the men's team finished a distant last place and got dominated by the Michigan schools.  Fortunately there was a bright side to the slalom race: fifth-year senior Mike Ryan finished in third place.  This was the best finish by any men's team member since Ryan won a race last season.  If the team wants to do well next week at the regional championships, "the rest of us better bring the pain," says junior Joe Payne.

Regionals will be held next weekend at Marquette, MI.

January 30 - February 1, 2004

The NDSMC ski club's women's squad captured its second consecutive first place team standing, and third in four races this year in this week's MCSA competition.  In Saturday's slalom event, Leigh Hellrung finished 1st, Alanna Lungren 4th, Molly Butler 6th, Danielle Clements 8th, and Rita Morgan 17th in a dominating team performance.  Lindsay May, 26th, Ann Mahoney, 35th, Leslie Schmidt, 39th, Casey Dunne, 43rd, and Ana Maria Hernandez, 50th, also competed for the women's squad.  Michigan State, Michigan, Western Michigan, Central Michigan, and Grand Valley finished behind the Irish in that order. 

On Sunday, the women won a thrilling grand slalom over Northern Michigan by a score of 160.48 - 160.60.  MSU, UM, GVSU, and WMU finished third through sixth.  Team results were Lundgren, 3rd, Hellrung, 4th, Butler 9th, Morgan, 16th, Clements, 26th, May 30th, Dunne, 34th, Molly Fox, 35th, Lauren Dacey 36th, Mahoney, 40th, Hernandez, 45th, and Schmidt, 48th.

The men's squad finished fifth among seven teams in both events.  Mike Ryan led the squad in both events, including 6th in the slalom, followed by teammates Kieran Norton, 29th, Bill Liemkuehler, 34th, Brian Hedges, 39th, Leif Petersen, 44th, Jason Luecht, 52nd, Alex Gloechner, 53rd, and Jon Pribaz, 58th.

In a closely bunched grand slalom, Northern Michigan took 1st with 153.21, Western Michigan 2nd, 155.20, Michigan 3rd, 155.28, Michigan State 4th, 156.9, Notre Dame 5th, 159.96, and Grand Valley 6th, 160.06.  Ryan finished 9th, with Leimkuehler 29th, Andrew Breslin.

January 23-25, 2004

A long trek to Searchmont, Canada proved to be just what the Notre Dame ski club needed as the women's squad avenged last week's second place showing and defeated Michigan State and the rest of the conference in winning both the slalom and giant slalom events.  Leigh Hellrung finished first in each event for the Irish to lead the club.  In the giant slalom, Hellrung was followed by teammates Alana Lungren, 3rd, Molly Butler, 7th, Rita Morgan, 9th, Danielle Clements, 21st, and Leslie Schmidt, 31st.

The men's squad posted its best finish in many years, claiming second overall behind Western Michigan, and ahead of Grand Valley State, Michigan, Michigan State, and Northwestern in that order.  In the giant slalom, Jason Luecht finished 6th, Mike Ryan, 7th, Leif Petersen 13th,  Joe Payne 20th, and Bill Liemkuehler 37th as everyone on the deep squad performed well.

January 16-18, 2004

The Midwest Collegiate Ski Association season opened this weekend as the Irish competed in both men's and women's events.  The women's squad placed second overall behind Michigan State.  Michigan took third, followed by Western Michigan, Central Michigan, and Grand Valley State.  The Irish captured first in the slalom and second in the giant slalom, while the Spartans finished second and first in the two events.  By the narrowest of margins, MSU edged the Irish for the overall championship.  Leigh Hellrung waged a personal contest with MSU's Nikki Smith.  Smith, a transfer star from national champion Massachusetts edged Hellrung by one second in the giant slalom, with Hellrung taking first by two seconds the next day in the slalom.  Alana Lungren took 5th in the slalom, while teammate Molly Butler was 7th.  Lungren and Butler placed 7th and 12th respectively in the giant slalom, with Rita Morgan 14th. 

The men's squad finished fourth behind Michigan State, Western Michigan and Grand Valley.  The Irish placed ahead of Michigan and Central Michigan,   Northwestern placed first and second in both slalom and giant slalom, but did not have a full team competing and were not ranked.  Top men's performances in the slalom were Mike Ryan, 8th; Joe Payne, 16th, Kevin Wolf, 36th, and Alex Gloeckner, 51st.    Conditions were very difficult for the slalom, as only 51 of 108 racers were able to finish the course.  In the giant slalom, Leif Peterson took 23rd, followed by Payne, 24th, Bill Liemkhueler, 27th, and Dan Block, 28th.

The club will travel to Searchmont, Canada for next week's races.

April 11-14, 2003

The Notre Dame ski club's women's team, led by captain Molly Munsterer, distinguished itself at the 2003 UCSCA national championships held at Lake Tahoe last month by finishing 12th in the nation. The Irish were the only club team to qualify and compete against the best varsity programs in the country. This week the individual honors were listed by the USCSA. Molly Munsterer earned second team All America honors by finishing among the top twenty skiers in the combined overall standings. The team garnered more honors as Leigh Hellrung was named 1st team Academic All America for the second time, Munsterer, Emily Hellmuth, and Lindsay May earned 2nd team Academic All America, and Mary Butler was recognized as Honorable Mention Academic All America.

Notre Dame was the only club team to qualify for one of the nineteen spots, and the Irish finished 12th in the Alpine Combined overall standings. Massachusetts , Boston College, and Sierra Nevada College finished in the top three positions, followed by Brown, Colby-Sawyer, Rocky Mountain College, Plymouth State, Albertson, Puget Sound, St. Olaf and Princeton. The Irish defeated varsity teams from British Columbia, Syracuse, Minnesota, Penn State, Cornell, Cal-Berkeley, and Oregon.

The Irish finished 11th in the giant slalom and 12th in the slalom. In the giant slalom, Molly Munsterer finished 20th, followed by Leigh Hellrung, 33rd, Alana Lungren, 56th, Molly Butler, 57th, and Emily Hellmuth, 83rd. Team finishes in the slalom were Butler, 38th; Munsterer, 46th, Lungren, 61st; Lindsay May, 70th, and Lauren Dacey, 84th.

March 20, 2003

The Notre Dame ski club's women's team, led by captain Molly Munsterer, distinguished itself at the 2003 UCSCA national championships held at the Northstar Ski Resort in Lake Tahoe, CA March 4-8. Notre Dame was the only club team to qualify for one of the nineteen spots, and the Irish finished 12th in the Alpine Combined overall standings, among an elite field of varsity teams. Massachusetts , Boston College, and Sierra Nevada College finished in the top three positions, followed by Brown, Colby-Sawyer, Rocky Mountain College, Plymouth State, Albertson, Puget Sound, St. Olaf and Princeton. The Irish defeated varsity teams from British Columbia, Syracuse, Minnesota, Penn State, Cornell, Cal-Berkeley, and Oregon.

The Irish finished 11th in the giant slalom and 12th in the slalom. In the giant slalom, Molly Munsterer finished 20th, followed by Leigh Hellrung, 33rd, Alana Lungren, 56th, Molly Butler, 57th, and Emily Hellmuth, 83rd. Team finishes in the slalom were Butler, 38th; Munsterer, 46th, Lungren, 61st; Lindsay May, 70th, and Lauren Dacey, 84th.

Molly Munsterer earned second team All American honors by finishing among the top twenty skiers in the combined overall standings.

February 14-16, 2003

The Notre Dame ski club overcame a stellar field at the MCSA Regionals this weekend to claim second place overall in the women's division. This finish earned the women's squad its first ever team entry in the national championships. The accomplishment was all the more remarkable as it happened on JPW weekend, as All American Leigh Hellrung and top men's skier Mike Ryan were among the missing performers.

The women's squad took third in the slalom and then topped that performance with a team first place finish in the giant slalom. Molly Munsterer took 10th to lead the Irish in the slalom on Saturday, with Molly Butler and Alana Lungren finishing among the leaders as well to give the club it's third place standing at the end of the day. On Sunday, the Irish stunned the field, including St. Olaf's, the nation's number three ranked varsity team, as the women took first in the giant slalom, boosting them to second overall in team standings behind St. Olafs. Munsterer again paced the club with a fourth place finish, followed by Butler in seventh, with Lundgren also finishing among the top fifteen. Emily Hellmuth and Lindsey May also had fine showings each day, and will also compete at Lake Tahoe's North Star Resort.

Other top teams at Regionals included Minnesota and Wisconsin Lacrosse, which placed third and fourth in the overall standings.

Despite the loss of Ryan, the men were still able to tie for tenth place, a very respectable finish in the overall standings among the seventeen teams that qualified for Regionals in their Division championships.

February 7-9, 2003

The Notre Dame women took their first step in post season championship competition by winning the MCSA Divisional Championships in both slalom and giant slalom this weekend at Crystal Mountain. The spotlight also shone brightly on the men's squad as Mike Ryan dominated the field in the slalom on Saturday, capturing gold as by the relatively large combined margin of .65 seconds. Teammate Bill Leimkuehler, a PSIA Certified Level Two instructor, finished fourteenth while Eric Hansen's thirtieth place earned enough points for the Irish men's squad to claim third in the slalom.

In women's slalom, Leigh Hellrung, Molly Munsterer, and Mary Butler took first, third, and fourth to beat runner up Michigan by over five seconds. Hellrung and Munsterer topped that great finish with a one - two showing in the giant slalom, while Butler placed sixth. Alanna Lungren and Lindsay May finished 9th and 21st respectively to help the club narrowly edge a strong Michigan State team, 119.67 - 121.24.

Leimkuehler paced the men in the giant slalom, with his second 14th place, while Kieran Norton, Sean Glennan, and Leif Petterson all contributed to the men's scoring. In an unprecedented coincidence, Jesse Hensley, Cory Ryan, and Mike Ryan all received identical times of 28.63 seconds on their second runs.

Next week, the club will travel to Marquette, MI for the Regional championships, which serve as qualifiers for nationals.

January 31 - February 2, 2003

The women of the Notre Dame ski club continued their winning ways with first place finishes this weekend in both the slalom and giant slalom. In Saturday's slalom event, Molly Munsterer, 62.88; Mary Butler, 62.94; and Alanna Lungren, 64.02, placed fourth, fifth, and eighth to lead the squad in a tightly bunched field. The Irish edged Michigan State, 189.84 - 189.93 for first place. Western Michigan, Michigan, and Grand Valley State rounded out the field.

In Sunday's giant slalom, Munsterer's total time of 52.33 for the two runs earned first place, while teammate Leigh Hellrung's 52.55 garnered third and Mary Butler finished fifth with a 53.45 result as the Irish again topped Michigan State by the slightly more comfortable margin of 158.33 - 161.11

The men's team wasn't able to build on last week's momentum. After capturing first place last weekend in a non-league slalom event in Ohio, the squad dropped to fifth among six schools this weekend. Bill Liemkuhler, a third place medalist last week, led the club in the slalom with a combined time of 69.09. Eric Hanson, Jess Hensle, and Mike Ryan were close behind to pace the Irish. Brad Jovitz and Leif Peterson completed the scoring for the club.

January 17-19, 2003

Talk is rampant in the ski world this season about the quality and depth of Notre Dame's women's squad. With strong returning performers Molly Munsterer, Emily Hellmuth, and Allana Lungren back from a year ago, the Irish have been bolstered by the return from study abroad of All American Leigh Hellrung, and freshman standout Mary Butler. Expectations were high as the club opened the 2003 MCSA season at Crystal Mountain this weekend. And they were met, as the Irish won both the women's slalom and giant slalom.

Molly Munsterer, Alanana Lungren, and Mary Butler took 2nd, 3rd, and 6th in the slalom as the Irish edged runner-up and defending conference champion Michigan State, 149.87 - 154.75. Western Michigan's Andrea Gerling took 1st, edging Munsterer 49.45 - 49.53. In the giant slalom the following day, Munsterer, Butler, and Lungren finished 1st, 3rd, and 8th, as the Irish again placed first, edging Michigan State 117.96 - 119.55. Michigan again placed 3rd, followed by Grand Valley State and Western Michigan reversing their finish in the slalom.

The men's squad was very competitive in a closely bunched field, yet finished fifth in team standings. Jesse Hensle, 21st, and Cory Ryan, 38th were the lone Irish to cross the finish line as poor conditions were prevalent. Sunday's improved conditions saw much better results, highlighted by Mike Ryan's 4th in the giant slalom, followed by teammates Bill Leimkluhler, 22nd, and Eric Hanson at 27th.