USA Bobsled and Skeleton
Contact: Amanda Bird, USBSF Marketing & Communications Director
(518) 354-2250, abird@usbsf.com
Pikus-Pace and Daly continue winning streak in skeleton selection races
PARK CITY, Utah (Oct. 31, 2012)- After earning victories in the first two skeleton national team selection races in Lake Placid, N.Y. last week, Noelle Pikus-Pace (Orem, Utah) and John Daly (Smithtown, N.Y.) continued their winning streak in Park City, Utah tonight. Pikus-Pace and Daly are comfortably in the lead with just one race remaining.
“Sometimes you work yourself up so much you become your worst enemy, so it’ll be nice to relax tomorrow knowing I have a large lead,” Daly said. “Zach [Lund] is our assistant coach now and he’s been awesome reminding us that we should have fun. It is sleigh riding, and we get to be like kids every time we come out to slide. You forget that when you get into competition, so it’s nice to be reminded to take a step back and enjoy it.”
Daly clocked a first run of 49.90 seconds to finish just 0.07 seconds ahead of Brad Stewart (Hastings, Minn.). Stewart responded with the fastest run of the final heat, 50.09 seconds, to inch closer to the 2010 Olympian. Daly’s combined time of 1:40.02 was 0.04 seconds faster than Stewart to solidify the lead for his third consecutive win of the season.
“I feel good and I like how I’m sliding right now,” Daly said. “Everyone is sliding well and you can see how competitive our team is right now. I couldn’t ask for a better start to the season and hope we can all carry this momentum throughout the year.”
Kyle Tress (Ewing, N.J.) finished third with a total time of 1:40.68. Tom Santagato (Astoria, N.Y.) posted an aggregate time of 1:41.64 for fourth, Allen Blackwell (Jackson, Miss.) finished in 1:41.78 for fifth, and Mike Dellemann (Oregon, Wisc.) was sixth with a total time of 1:42.14.
Pikus-Pace was a whopping 2.05 seconds ahead in the women’s race. The former world champion posted her personal best push time, 5.10 seconds, and clocked runs of 50.83 and 50.97 seconds for a total of 1:41.80.
“It’s kind of crazy,” Pikus-Pace said. “I still get nervous, and it’s one thing I’ve been working on. I still get butterflies no matter how many times I’ve competed. Being able to recognize those doubts and push them aside and conquer them is when you can be successful, which is what I’ve been focusing on. I guess it’s been working."
“A lot of my family, friends and neighbors came out tonight to cheer me on even though it’s Halloween, which was really awesome,” said Pikus-Pace, who wore fairy wings to celebrate her favorite holiday.
Savannah Graybill (Denver, Pa.) posted a two-run total of 1:43.85 to surprise the field with a second place finish. Despite a mishap at the start in the first run, Kimber Gabryszak (Park City, Utah) was able to secure third place with a combined time of 1:44.13.
Rachelle Rasmussen (Belmont, Calif.) clocked a total time of 1:44.58 for fourth position. Meghan Sullivan (Bluemont, Va.) finished in 1:44.65 for fifth, while Samantha Culiver (Scottsdale, Ariz.) crossed the finish in 1:44.98 for sixth.
Annie O’Shea (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) had surgery to repair the lateral meniscus of her left knee several weeks ago and opted not to enter the Park City selection races.
“I know that this was the right decision for me at this time if I want to be at my best this season,” O’Shea said. “I needed to take a step back to continue my rehabilitation so I can come back at full strength.”
Katie Uhlaender (Breckenridge, Colo.) and Matt Antoine (Prairie du Chien, Wisc.) earned a bye onto the national team based on their performances last season. Antoine foreran the men’s competition in style by donning a Batman costume in celebration of Halloween.
Many of the athletes competing tonight felt the impact of Hurricane Sandy. While family members of the team are safe, many of them will need to rebuild their homes and communities and are without power. The USBSF will continue to update the sliding community on the status of these families and will provide information on how you can help.
Racing continues tomorrow with the final of four skeleton selection races at 4 pm MST. The team is expected to be named later tomorrow evening. Please contact Amanda Bird, USBSF Marketing & Communications Director, at abird@usbsf.com or 518-354-2250 with media inquiries.
Results:
Women’s results:
1. Noelle Pikus-Pace 1:41.80 (50.83, 50.97); 2. Savannah Graybill 1:43.85 (51.84, 52.01); 3. Kimber Gabryszak 1:44.13 (52.44, 51.69); 4. Rachelle Rasmussen 1:44.58 (52.46, 52.12); 5. Meghan Sullivan 1:44.65 (52.29, 52.36); 6. Samantha Culiver 1:44.98 (52.07, 52.91); 7. Kristina Hull 1:45.19 (52.49, 52.70); 8. Sherri Emery 1:45.22 (52.54, 52.68); 9. Lauren Salter 1:45.44 (52.55, 52.89); 10. Veronica Day 1:45.49 (53.00, 52.49); 11. Blair Tomten 1:45.63 (51.88, 53.75); 12. Corinne Dipietro 1:45.88 (52.96, 52.92); 13. Caitlin Carter 1:45.91 (52.95, 52.96); 14. Morgan Tracey 1:46.37 (52.13, 54.24); 15. Gracie Clapp 1:46.80 (53.15, 53.65);
Men’s results:
1. John Daly 1:40.02 (49.90, 50.12); 2. Brad Stewart 1:40.06 (49.97, 50.09); 3. Kyle Tress 1:40.68 (50.12, 50.56); 4. Tom Santagato 1:41.64 (50.61, 51.03); 5. Allen Blackwell 1:41.78 (50.80, 50.98); 6. Mike Dellemann 1:42.14 (50.94, 51.20); 7. Pat Calder 1:42.17 (51.13, 51.04); 8. Austin McCrary 1:42.43 (51.14, 51.29); 9. Ryan Sweeney 1:42.48 (50.85, 51.63); 10. Derek Pirtle 1:42.64 (51.13, 51.51); 11. Gary Wozniak 1:43.08 (51.58, 51.50); 12. Mitch Danbe 1:43.16 (51.45, 51.71); 13. Alex Ivanov 1:43.45 (51.41, 52.04); 14. Kevin McGlade 1:43.93 (52.09, 51.84); 15. Nick Rettenmyer 1:44.36 (51.89, 52.47); 16. Nathan Crumpton 1:45.23 (52.00, 53.23); 17. Chase Seamans 1:45.81 (52.50, 53.31); 18. Greg West 1:49.38 (57.42, 51.96);
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, 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.
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