Super G and men’s GS NorAm titles decided in Aspen

By Published On: March 18th, 2016Comments Off on Super G and men’s GS NorAm titles decided in Aspen

Monday, March 14, marked the end of the NorAm speed season as the men’s and women’s super G titles were awarded in Aspen, Colo. A second super G was scheduled for Tuesday, but weather forced the cancellation of the final race, making the standings after Monday final.

In Monday’s race, the U.S. Ski Team’s Jacqueline Wiles took her second win of the series for the women with a time of 1:16.62 seconds. Finishing in second place, 0.30 seconds back was her teammate Breezy Johnson. Completing the American sweep was Anna Marno in third, 0.91 seconds off of the pace set by Wiles. Johnson was also the fastest junior on the day.

Marno finished the season ranked first in the super G standings with 260 points, just 14 points ahead of American independent racer Megan McJames. Since the top two North Americans in the standings are guaranteed World Cup starts for the next season, fans will see Marno and McJames back on the White Circus next winter.

On the men’s side, Canadian Tyler Werry took the win with a time of 1:12.96 seconds, 0.34 seconds ahead of U.S. Ski Team veteran Tommy Ford in second. Coming in a surprise third was American Keith Moffat, 0.35 seconds off of the pace. Moffat, who was a rising junior on the U.S. Ski Team until a disastrous string of injuries sidelined him for several years, now races independently and no doubt looks to return to the form that saw him take a World Junior top five back in 2011. The top junior on Monday was standing’s leader Erik Arvidsson of the U.S. Ski Team in fourth, 0.84 seconds back.

Although Werry took the race, it was not enough to overtake Arvidsson in the standings, as Arvidsson took the title with 310 points, 14 points ahead of the surging Werry. Arvidsson now has next season to look forward to, as he has secured guaranteed World Cup starts in downhill (second in the standings), super G, as well as alpine combined when he locked down that title in Lake Placid.

Switching gears to men’s giant slalom on Thursday, it was a tough battle as several racers had realistic shots at World Cup spots coming into race day. When all was said and done, it was an American sweep as Ford took the win with a time of 2:01.80 seconds, 0.35 seconds ahead of Vermont native Ryan Cochran-Siegle in second. Brennan Rubie took third, 0.84 seconds off of Ford’s pace. Canadian James Crawford was the top junior on the day in seventh place, 1.51 seconds back.

Rubie’s third place was enough to secure the GS title with 343 points, 43 points ahead of Ford.

“I came into the last GS of the circuit with a little bit of a cushion, but I still had to fight to put my best skiing on the hill because anything was possible,” explained Rubie. “In the end, it all worked out. It was a challenging season and I’m looking forward to having the opportunity compete on World Cup next season.”

NorAm slalom titles for both genders as well as the women’s GS title are yet to be decided, so be sure to check back with SkiRacing.com in the coming days for the final NorAm wrap-up of the season from Vail, Colorado.

For complete results, click here.

Cover photo courtesy of Brennan Rubie

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About the Author: Sean Higgins

A Lake Tahoe native and University of Vermont graduate, Higgins was a member of the Catamounts' 2012 NCAA title winning squad and earned first team All-American honors in 2013. Prior to coming to Ski Racing Media, he coached U14s for the Squaw Valley Ski Team.