PARK CITY, Utah - Saint Michael's College Alpine skiing sophomore
Isabella Knutsen (Bergen, Vestland, Norway/Norges Toppidrettsgymnas Geilo) made her NCAA Championship debut by placing 21st in the giant slalom on Wednesday at the Utah Olympic Park. The four-day event features the top NCAA Division I, II and III Alpine and Nordic skiing student-athletes.
CHAMPIONSHIP FACTS
- Knutsen singlehandedly scored 13th-place team points in the women's GS (10).
- Among all schools competing in men's and women's GS on Wednesday, Saint Michael's stands 15th with the 10 points, good for eight out of 10 East schools.
- Sixteenth-year head coach Gus MacLeod '02 sent at least one qualifier to the NCAA Championship for the 13th time, all since 2012. Purple Knights have combined for 33 NCAA appearances and 12 All-America performances under MacLeod's direction. In the history of Saint Michael's Athletics, no coach has represented the College at NCAA Championships or NCAA Tournaments as often as MacLeod.
WOMEN'S LEADERS
- Knutsen, 21st in giant slalom, 2:08.10 two-run combined time
- 8th among 17 Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) competitors
- Started in No. 16 bib
- Stood 25th following opening run
- Posted 10th-fastest second run (1:01.20), lopping 6.41 seconds off of her morning trek
- 26 of 34 skiers finished both runs
NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S EVENT
- Knutsen competes in the NCAA Championship slalom on Friday at 11 a.m. ET/9 a.m. MT.
- Nordic skiing junior Oliver Miatke (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East) and sophomore Sam Friday (Carbondale, Colo./Roaring Fork) begin competition at the NCAA Championship on Thursday with the 7.5K classic at 11 a.m. ET/9 a.m. MT.
