Uhlaender and Antoine victorious in third selection race
(USBSF Press Release)
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (Oct. 27, 2011)-Katie Uhlaender (Breckenridge, Colo.) and Matt Antoine (Prairie du Chien, Wisc.) won the third skeleton selection race at Mount Van Hoevenberg under light snowfall tonight. Athletes are battling for points with just one race remaining before the 2011-2012 national team is named.
Uhlaender claimed her third consecutive victory tonight by a margin of 0.40 seconds. The two-time Olympian slid the fastest runs of the competition, 57.30 and 57.24 seconds, to lead the women’s field with a combined time of 1 minute, 54.54 seconds.
“It actually felt like winter today, so it finally feels like the season is coming,” Uhlaender said. “I’m gauging myself off the men and I’m not forgetting that it’s still early in the season and anything can happen. World Championships are months away and I have World Cup races and the weightlifting American open to focus on. I have a lot on my plate this year and I’m using these races for fuel.”
Annie O’Shea (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) finished second with a two-run total of 1:54.94. O’Shea dominated off the starting block and was just 0.08 seconds behind Uhlaender after the first heat, but Uhlaender widened the gap with a flawless final run.
Rachelle Rasmussen (Belmont, Calif.) made a bid for her first World Cup team after finishing third with a total time of 1:55.94, while Kimber Gabryszak (Park City, Utah) finished fourth. Gabryszak wasn’t able to catch Rasmussen in the final run despite the third best time of the second heat, making tomorrow night a pivotal race in deciding the women’s World Cup squad.
After two third place finishes last week, Antoine was determined to start the second week of races with a win. Antoine slid a two-run total of 1:50.28 to convincingly win the men’s race by 0.53 seconds.
“I was disappointed with my results last week, so I had to refocus myself going into this week’s races,” Antoine said. “I didn’t go into the races prepared mentally, so I had to go back to the basics and change my mindset. It definitely helped, and I’m looking forward to continuing to build throughout the season towards world championships here in February.”
Kyle Tress (Trenton, N.J.) clocked a combined time of 1:50.81 to move into second position after the final heat. John Daly (Smithtown, N.Y.), who won the first two competitions, slid into third with a two-run total of 1:50.81.
“There aren’t two other guys I’d rather have here than Kyle and John,” Antoine said. “We keep pushing each other, and either one of these guys can win any given day. We grew up together in the sport, so it’s great to see these guys doing well, too.”
