POSTED: Friday November 6th 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Junior Team Success Continues in Women's Luge World Cup Selection Races

Kate Hansen and Emily Sweeney Finish 1-2

PARK CITY, UTAH—-Junior National Team athletes dominated the USA Luge women’s race-off today, November 6, with Kate Hansen, age 17,  and Emily Sweeney, age 16,  finishing in first and second place respectively. The race-off was the third in a series of four races being used to determine the members of the fall 2009 Luge World Cup National Team, from which the 2010 Olympic Team will be selected.

Today’s women’s competition was held from the bobsled start area, a higher starting point on the track than normal for the women that better simulates the 90 MPH speeds expected for the 2010 women’s Olympic luge race. Hansen (La Canada, Calif.) won the race with a two-run combined time of one minute, 30.132 seconds, with Sweeney (Suffield, Conn.) .158 behind with a time of 1:30.290. Sweeney’s sister Megan was third, stopping the clock in 1:30.710. These top three finishers now advance to the fourth and final race-off in Whistler, BC on November 15, along with Ashley Walden (Westborough, Mass. and Lake Placid, N.Y.). Hansen now leads the overall series points chase with 161.5, with Emily Sweeney in second with 147.5, Megan Sweeney in third with 126.5 and Walden in fourth with 125.5. Click here for audio of Kate Hansen: http://www.usaluge.org/team/KatePostRaceoff3.mp3

In the men’s competition, Robby Huerbin (Pittsburgh, Pa.) won the race with a time of 1:33.218, edging out Trent Matheson’s (Bountiful, Utah) time of 1:33.318 by one-tenth of a second. Chris Mazdzer (Saranac Lake, N.Y.) was third with a time of 1:33.360. In the overall series final point total for the men, Mazdzer won with 165 points over Matheson’s 160 and Huerbin’s 159.

Huerbin, despite his victory today, will not advance to Whistler next week. After a brief break, he will join his Junior National Team teammates in order to prepare for the upcoming international junior luge World Cup and World Championship season. On the women’s side, Courtney Zablocki (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), was eliminated in the women’s competition, and will have the option of training in Lake Placid for the bulk of the remaining fall, winter and spring sliding season.

The doubles teams for the upcoming World Cup series are already selected and did not compete today. They are: Mark Grimmette (Muskegon, Mich. and Lake Placid, N.Y.) and Brian Martin (Palo Alto, Calif. and Lake Placid, N.Y.), Christian Niccum (Woodinville, Wash.) and Dan Joye (Carmel, N.Y.) and Matt Mortensen (Huntington Station, N.Y) and Preston Griffall (Salt Lake City, Utah).

In addition to the doubles teams not racing, Bengt Walden (Westborough, Mass. and Lake Placid, N.Y.) and Tony Benshoof (White Bear Lake, Minn.) are exempt from this race-off series in men’s singles, while 2009 World Champion, Erin Hamlin (Remsen. N.Y.) and Julia Clukey (Augusta, Me.) are exempt in women’s singles.

As this race marks the completion of the men’s World Cup selection races, the World Cup squad is now set for them with USA Luge’s representatives being Walden, Benshoof, Mazdzer and Matheson.

The fall 2009 National Team selection series resumes with the fourth and final race on November 15 from the 2010 Olympic course in Whistler, BC. This race will eliminate one additional woman from consideration and finalize USA Luge’s women’s World cup squad for at least the first two fall World Cup races.

Live results can be seen that day by visiting www.usaluge.org.

For more on the USA Luge National Team selection race-off series, visit http://usaluge.org/team/RaceOffFormat0910Final%20(4).pdf
The current standings chart and qualification flow can be found at http://www.usaluge.org/team/2010(Fall2009)NationalTeamRaceOff%20(2).pdf
For more on the USA Luge Olympic qualifying procedure, visit http://www.usaluge.org/team/WOG%202010%20FlowChart1%200.pdf

For more information on the Fastest Sport on Ice®,
log on to www.usaluge.org

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Keywords · USA Luge · 2009 Luge World Cup National Team

Name: Gordy Sheer
Organization: USA Luge
Email:
Phone: 5185232071

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