U ski team races to first-place finish in Utah Invitational
The U ski team competed on "home" snow for the first and only time this season, and the result was a first-place finish for the Utes for the first time in nearly five years.
Snorri Einarsson and Eva Huckova both turned in first-place finishes in Park City. Einarsson's result was made even more impressive given that the Tromso, Norway native battled the flu all week. He still managed to pass Rene Reisshauer of second-place Denver in the final meters of the 15K freestyle Nordic event for the victory.
"Snorri races with his heart, and I hope he can recover from his illness to get us going next week," said Eli Brown, the U's director of skiing.
The Utes hope Einarsson and the rest of the Nordic skiers can use the momentum of the win over the weekend to boost the team's current fourth-place standing at the Colorado Invitational next week. With the Alpine portion completed last week, the Utes will try to leapfrog Colorado, Denver and New Mexico.
"We are seeing the results of the work we have put in and have realized that the goals we have are within reach, which is very exciting," Brown said.
Tony Pizza
Lacrosse gets new talent from open tryout
The Utah lacrosse team was back in action this weekend, occupying the Spence Eccles Field House for its first practice, which also served as an open tryout. Thirty-three full-time U students spent the day running up and down the field, passing and shooting in hopes of impressing the coaching staff.
"You never know how many kids will show up to an event like this, but I am happy with the amount of guys who wanted to come out tonight," Utah head coach Rich Levi said.
Ten of the players were trying to earn a spot on the current team. Some of those 10 were former U players who were unable to play with the team during the fall. Others were freshmen, hoping to play at the next level.
Levi said that four players stood out: transfer Kyle Brennan, and freshmen Alex Wee, Steve Glauser and Joe Callahan.
Brennan is a sophomore who transferred from Division-I Bellarmine College in Louisville, Ky. Brennan is from Salt Lake City and attended Judge Memorial High School.
"I came back for the skiing and to play club lacrosse," Brennan said. "Playing Division -- it involves too many politics, and playing lacrosse wasn't fun anymore. I didn't like it."
Wee, who went to Juan Diego High School in Draper, will look to strengthen the defense, while Callahan, also from Juan Diego, will try to score goals for the Utes. Glauser went to Skyline High School and hopes to add his talent to the midfield.
The Utes open their season Feb. 22 at the 2008 Southern Showdown at Florida State where they will play three games in three days. The Utes will face Florida State, Missouri and Georgia.
Tim Haslam
Utah swimming splits against TCU
The U men's and women's swim teams opened up the latter half of their schedule last Saturday against TCU, and the results were a mixed bag. The women's team notched its fourth win of the season while the men failed to grab their first.
On the women's side, the Utes started off the home meet strong, snagging wins in the 200 medley relay and the 200 free right off the bat. The team was led by Shannon McQueen, Jennifer Fredsall and Adrienne Coburn, all of whom finished first in more than one event. The unit ended up winning the meet, 141-95.
"I am impressed how our women are coming together as a team," Utah head coach Greg Winslow said.
Meanwhile, the men got off to a slow start in the final home meet of the season, but recovered in time to keep things competitive. Still, the team lost to the Horned Frogs 136-101.
Marco Ferraro took first in the 1000 free with a time of 9:46.26, winning by over ten seconds. Also winning events were Thomas Ekstrom (200 free), Vlas Lezin (100 fly), George Evans (100 free) and Adam Oliver (500 free).
"Halfway through the meet, our men were in danger of getting blown out," Winslow said. "But we were able to turn it around in the second part of the meet and actually had a chance to win in the final two events."
The U women return to action in Salt Lake City this Saturday, where they will play host to Colorado State. The men will return to action Jan. 25 against Wyoming.
Cody Brunner
Women's tennis edges out wins in Northwestern Invitational
While its male counterparts were resting in Salt Lake City, the U women's tennis team was busy at work in Evanston, Ill., collecting several singles and doubles victories in the final day of competition on Saturday.
Elizabeth Ferris, Evgenia Kryuchkova, Andrea Maughan and Karine Bourdages led the Utes in singles play, each tallying a victory over athletes from DePaul University. The performance was a solid ending to the tournament for the Utes, who lost several close matches on Friday.
"We had a shaky start yesterday," Utah head coach Mat Iandolo said. "However, I feel like the team learned a lot from all of the close matches that were lost."
Iandolo decided to mix it up in doubles play on Saturday, and the result was a plethora of victories. Ferris and Kryuchkova each tallied two doubles wins -- with different partners each time -- and Maughan tallied another win of her own while teaming up with Erin Monson.
"I am extremely proud of how our team performed today," Iandolo said. "(Ferris) and (Kryuchkova) are like a one-two punch for our competitors."
Cody Brunner
