LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (Oct. 24, 2016)- Matt Antoine (Prairie du Chien, Wis.) and Kendall Wesenberg (Modesto, Calif.) won day two of USA Skeleton National Team Trials at Mount Van Hoevenberg today. The series will move on to Park City, Utah for the final two races before the team is named on Nov. 3.
“There was a lot of shuffling around for positions in day two and it shows the depth of our program,” said USA Skeleton Head Coach Tuffy Latour. “It’s anyone’s game as we head into the second half of races in Park City, and we’re really excited to see who rises to the top.”
Antoine was dominant again in today’s men’s race, winning by a wide margin of 1.83 seconds overNathan Crumpton (Park City, Utah) with a combined time of 1:50.82.
“I had the same approach for today, just doing what I know to do,” Antoine said. “I have 14 years of experience, so I know what needs to be done and it’s just a matter of executing and that’s what I was able to do.”
Antoine posted runs of 55.17 and 55.65 seconds and had the top push time of the final heat, 4.95 seconds. He said the depth of the men’s field keeps him motivated and helps push him to continue improving.
“There’s strength and depth to our field,” Antoine said. “I was having a bit of a down season last year and these guys were the ones that kept pushing me along, making me want to improve and get better again. If I get too relaxed or I’m not where I need to be, they could take my spot. I’m kind of using last season as motivation to get better.”
Crumpton had trouble in the first run and was only able to muster the seventh best time of the heat, 56.51 seconds. He rebounded with the second best time of the final heat, 56.14, to move into second position with a combined time of 1:52.65.
Kyle Tress (Ewing, N.J.) was just 0.02 seconds off Crumpton’s pace to repeat his third place finish from yesterday with a combined time of 1:52.67 after clocking runs of 56.27 and 56.40 seconds.
After finishing eighth yesterday, Stephen Garbett (Parker, Colo.) put himself in contention for the team with a fourth place finish today with a two-run total of 1:52.86. Kyle Brown (Concord, N.H.) crossed the finish line with a combined time of 1:52.86 for fifth place, while Greg West(Springfield, Mo.) rounded out the top six in 1:53.00.
Rookie Austin Florian (Southington, Conn.) posted an impressive fifth place finish yesterday, but a hamstring injury prevented him from competing today. He is expected to race in the second half of trials in Park City.
In the women’s race, Wesenberg finished fourth yesterday after struggling to navigate the labyrinth. Today she threaded together runs of 57.32 and 57.69 seconds, first and fourth fastest of the race, respectively, to take the win by just 0.03 seconds. When asked what she changed overnight, she said it was her mentality more than what she did on course that shifted.
“I think I just tried not to be too perfect today,” Wesenberg said. “I let it go a little bit more and just let the sled run. We had a short week with the weather, and the track is in great shape considering, but it was constant slow ice, quick ice, testing sleds, so it was a lot. Sometimes it’s hard to do all of that and then just let it run.”
Wesenberg won the 2015 European Cup by a margin of more than 40 points, becoming the first American woman to win the overall cup and the first U.S. athlete to earn the title since Rob Murray in 2005. It was her first season competing. Wesenberg’s quick rise in standings from an unknown rookie to a fierce competitor made her a favorite to watch heading into 2018.
“I think I’m learning to be a little more confident in myself, I’m getting there,” Wesenberg said. “I think the team we have right now pushes each other a lot and it makes it fun to come out and race everyday. It’s not a given, anyone can beat anyone, which makes it intense and you kind of have to bring it.”
Three-time Olympian Katie Uhlaender (Breckenridge, Colo.) was in third behind Wesenberg andSavannah Graybill (Denver, Pa.) after a first run of 56.60 seconds, but the veteran jumped into second place with a second heat of 57.44 for a combined time of 1:55.04. Uhlaender was third in yesterday’s opener, putting her comfortably in national team position.
Graybill, who was second to Annie O’Shea (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) yesterday, clocked a combined time of 1:55.12 to finish third today. Graybill’s second and third place finishes in Lake Placid put her in a competitive position headed into the second half of trials in Park City.
O’Shea secured her spot on the national team after finishing the 2015-2016 season ranked fourth overall in international standings, earning her a bye through trials. O’Shea bumped the wall out of the start groove in her first run and had just the sixth best time of the heat, but she moved up two spots into fourth with the fastest second run of the race. She said it was a good scenario to experience during trials because it “helped me throw down in the second run, which is often something you have to do on the World Cup.”
Kellie Delka (Collinsville, Texas) was fifth with a combined time of 1:55.99, and Samantha Culiver’s (Scottsdale, Ariz.) time of 1:56.41 placed her in sixth.
Results:
Men’s skeleton
1. Matt Antoine 1:50.82 (55.17, 55.65);
2. Nathan Crumpton 1:52.65 (56.51, 56.14);
3. Kyle Tress 1:52.67 (56.27, 56.40);
4. Stephen Garbett 1:52.86 (56.44, 56.42);
5. Kyle Brown 1:52.89 (56.27, 56.62);
6. Greg West 1:53.00 (56.44, 56.56);
7. Alex Ivanov 1:53.12 (56.45, 56.67);
8. Jake Miter 1:53.20 (56.69, 56.51);
9. Allen Blackwell 1:53.73 (56.78, 56.95);
10. Mike Rogals 1:53.74 (56.70, 57.04);
11. Austin McCrary 1:53.89 (56.94, 56.95);
12. Jimmy Nguyen 1:55.20 (57.43, 57.77);
13. John Ivy 1:56.19 (58.30, 57.89);
14. Alex Rouse 1:56.43 (58.16, 58.27);
15. Mike Terry 1:56.82 (58.13, 58.69);
16. Andrew Blaser 1:57.21 (58.61, 58.60);
17. Mike Strahler 1:58.19 (58.64, 59.55);
18. Rob Germaine 1:58.19 (58.76, 59.43);
19. Nicholas Taylor 2:08.10 (1:04.28, 1:03.82);
DNS. Trent Kraychir DNS
DNS. Austin Florian DNS
Women’s skeleton
1. Kendall Wesenberg 1:55.01 (57.32, 57.69);
2. Katie Uhlaender 1:55.04 (57.60, 57.44);
3. Savannah Graybill 1:55.12 (57.48, 57.64);
4. Annie O’Shea 1:55.39 (58.08, 57.31);
5. Kellie Delka 1:55.99 (58.11, 57.88);
6. Samantha Culiver 1:56.41 (57.81, 58.60);
7. Gracie Clapp-Taylor 1:56.55 (58.04, 58.51);
8. Veronica Day 1:57.21 (58.80, 58.41);
9. Morgan Tracey 1:57.43 (58.49, 58.94);
10. Megan Henry 1:57.45 (58.91, 58.54);
11. Lesie Stratton 1:58.22 (59.11, 59.11);
12. Rebecca Hass 1:58.92 (59.40, 59.52);
13. Kristen Hurley 1:59.03 (59.36, 59.67);
14. Megan Dovell 2:00.31 (1:00.12, 1:00.19);
15. Katie Andress 2:02.21 (1:00.77, 1:01.44)
DNS. Kelly Curtis 1:00.58 (1:00.58, DNS)
