Oct 05

Meyers and Cunningham win Bobsled Pilot Push Championship titles

Print

Contact: Amanda Bird, USBSF Marketing & Communications Director
(518) 354-2250, abird@usbsf.com

Meyers and Cunningham win U.S. National Bobsled Pilot Push Championship titles

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (Oct. 5, 2012)- Elana Meyers (Douglasville, Ga.) and Nick Cunningham (Monterey, Calif.) clinched the 2012 U.S. National Bobsled Pilot Push Competition titles on the wheeled push track in Lake Placid, N.Y. this morning.  Meyers and Cunningham posted the lowest combined time of two pushes to claim their respective titles.

Meyers secured her fifth consecutive push title by 0.29 seconds in the women’s pilot push competition after clocking a total time of 9.51 seconds.  Meyers, a seasoned brakeman that went on to win the 2010 Olympic bronze medal with Erin Pac, proved she is still one of the strongest athletes off the block by posting push times of 4.74 and 4.77 seconds.

“Every time I compete I want to win, so it’s always exciting to come away on top,” Meyers said.  “If there are timing eyes involved, I see it as a competition.  I’m definitely excited, and this is something to build on going into the season.  It’s just the beginning.”

Jamie Greubel (Newtown, Pa.) pushed identical times of 4.90 seconds for a total of 9.80 seconds to lock in second place. Jazmine Fenlator (Wayne, N.J.) finished third with an aggregate time of 9.95 seconds after clocking 5.00 and 4.95 seconds in the two-heat contest.

“Today’s competition was a big testament to the strength of our pilots,” Meyers said.  “Everyone was fast today, and we hope to dominate push times this year.  We have a deep field of brakeman and they are posting some impressive times this week, and it’s exciting to see the drivers step up at the push bar as well.”

Cunningham posted a combined time of 8.99 seconds to win the men’s pilot push title by 0.11 seconds.  The brakeman turned pilot clocked push times of 4.49 and 4.50 seconds to lead the veteran field.

“I couldn’t be happier,” Cunningham said.  “Today was really day one of the season, and my goal over the offseason was to carry the momentum from last year into this season.  My training partners held me accountable this summer, and we really push each other to get better.  I couldn’t be more pleased with today’s result.”

Olympic and World Champion Steven Holcomb (Park City, Utah) pushed times of 4.54 and 4.56 seconds for a total of 9.10 to secure second place.  Cory Butner (Yucaipa, Calif.) trailed Holcomb by only 0.03 seconds to finish third after clocking runs of 4.57 and 4.56 seconds.

“It’s awesome seeing everyone out here pushing hard,” Cunningham said.  “We’re all pretty pumped to get on the ice, and we plan on putting a team together that can rival the best in the world.”

The women’s bobsled push athletes are next on the wheeled track, while the men’s bobsled athletes will vie for their chance at gold on Saturday at 10 am.

For media inquiries please contact Amanda Bird, USBSF Marketing & Communications Director, at abird@usbsf.com or 518-354-2250.

Results:

Women’s Bobsled Pilot

1. Elana Meyers 9.51 (4.74, 4.77); 2. Jamie Greubel 9.80 (4.90, 4.90); 3. Jazmine Fenlator 9.95 (5.00, 4.95); 4. Megan Hill 10.33 (5.16, 5.17); 5. Katelyn Kelly 10.35 (5.16, 5.19); 6. Nicole Vogt 10.40 (5.17, 5.23); 7. Berit Tomten10.64 (5.30, 5.34);

Men’s Bobsled Pilot

1. Nick Cunningham 8.99 (4.49, 4.50); 2. Steven Holcomb ­9.10 (4.54, 4.56); 3. Cory Butner 9.13 (4.57, 4.56); 4. Jay Noller 9.19 (4.56, 4.63); 5. Jake Peterson 9.69 (4.84, 4.85); 6. Colin Coughlin 9.93 (4.96, 4.97);

About the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation
The United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, based in Lake Placid, N.Y., is the national governing body for the sports of bobsled and skeleton in the United States. The USBSF would like to thank its sponsors, suppliers and contributors for their support: BMW of North America, Under Armour, United States National Guard, Kampgrounds of America, National Strength and Conditioning Association, Vivat!, Global Forwarding, KBC Helmets, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Autism Speaks, Park City Lodging, EDAS/Ripxx, UberSense, Tesa Tape and Ferris Mfg. Corp. For more information, please visit the USBSF website at http://bobsled.teamusa.org.

###