NorAm Finals: Duke leads U.S. top-four SL sweep

Hailey Duke won the final NorAm Cup women's slalom Thursday, edging slalom champion Kiley Staples  by four-hundredths of a second, and led a U.S. women's sweep of the top four places at NorAm Finals at Panorama Mountain Village.
PANORAMA, B.C. — Hailey Duke won the final NorAm Cup women's slalom Thursday, edging slalom champion Kiley Staples  by four-hundredths of a second, and led a U.S. women's sweep of the top four places at NorAm Finals at Panorama Mountain Village.
    Duke's winning time was 1 minute, 36.91 seconds, with Staples second, 2006 NorAm SL champion Sterling Grant third and Katie Hitchcock fourth. Canadian Shona Rubens was fifth and clinched second place in the final slalom points, giving her an automatic start spot (with Staples) in 2008 World Cup slaloms.
    In the men's final giant slalom, Scott Barrett led a Canadian podium sweep, winning in 2:23.52. Tim Jitloff, who already had clinched the men's GS title, was fourth.
    The races continue Friday with the first of two men's slaloms and the first of the last two women's giant slaloms.

NORAM CUP FINALS
Panorama, BC – March 15, 2007
Men's Giant Slalom-2
1. Scott Barrett, Canada, 2:23.52
2. Jean-Philippe Roy, Canada, 2:24.08
3. Patrick Biggs, Canada, 2:24.26
4. Tim Jitloff, Reno, NV, 2:24.29
5. Jan Hudec, Canada, 2:24.35

Women's Slalom-2
1. Hailey Duke, Boise, ID, 1:36.91
2. Kiley Staples, Park City, UT, 1:36.95
3. Sterling Grant, Amery, WI, 1:37.34
4. Katie Hitchcock, Sacramento, CA, 1:37.52
5. Shona Rubens, Canada, 1:37.94