University of Massachusets Athletics
The Skiing One-Two Punch
March 27, 2002 | Women's Ski
by Matthew Bencal
The Maroon & White
AMHERST, Mass. - The one-two punch of Lauren Brodey and Carolyn Lewenberg propelled the UMass women's ski team to a wealth of success in 2002. The team finished in second place in the United States Collegiate Skiing Association's (USCSA) Regional Championship and, behind the leadership of two-time All-Americans Brodey and Lewenberg, tied for seventh overall at the USCSA National Championship, held March 11-16, in Waterville Valley, N.H.
For UMass fans that are not familiar with the format of intercollegiate ski competition, the slalom and the giant slalom are the two events at which teams compete. The Minutewomen, who train and travel with the UMass men's team, race in five USCSA sanctioned events that begin mid-January and end in mid-February, when the postseason begins. The weekends are divided by event, as slalom competition dominates the slopes on Saturday and giant slalom competition is the focus of Sunday's efforts.
The main difference between the two events is the placement of the gates. The giant slalom features fewer gates positioned further apart, which promotes a faster race. The slalom, a more technical event, consists of closely positioned gates.
The Minutewomen tied for seventh overall at the 2002 USCSA National Championship, finishing 11th in the giant slalom and fifth in the slalom. Lewenberg earned second team All-America honors with a 14th-place finish in the giant slalom, while Brodey also earned second team All-America honors by placing 15th in the slalom. In addition, senior Ericka Olson, a native of Pittsfield, Mass., earned second team academic All-America status.
Brodey, a senior, finished her last regular season of collegiate competition in impressive fashion. She started the year with a first-place finish in the slalom at the UMass Carnival at Berkshire East in Charlemont, Mass. The home hill advantage undoubtedly played out as a favorable factor that helped Brodey race the course quicker than her competitors.
"It was our home hill, and it was the first carnival," said Brodey. "My parents were there, and I was just really excited to go. I didn't think I was going to win, but after I won the first run, I knew I could do it again."
She continued to rack up four more top-five finishes, including a third-place finish in the slalom in the regular season finale at the Smith Carnival, once again at Berkshire East. To put her accomplishments in the appropriate perspective, Brodey's first-place finish to begin the year on the right foot came against 71 divisional competitors.
"I had no idea what to expect this season," said Brodey. "I won that day, and it was the greatest experience. For the rest of the season, I didn't push myself. I wanted to finish so that my team could do well, not for any personal goals. You don't really hold back, but you can't go all out. We race with 10 girls and we count three [times], so if somebody falls, it really hurts [the team]."
The UMass team captain finished with a team-best seventh-place finish in the USCSA Regional Championship on March 1, and then finished her UMass career in triumphant fashion at nationals by earning All-America honors for the second consecutive year. But the warm weather that many New Englanders have enjoyed this past winter hindered the squad's ability to practice on the slopes.
"This winter has been horrible," said Brodey, a native of Fayetteville, N.Y., for the lack of snow. "We have not been able to train recently. We went into nationals without practicing for two weeks, which was really tough. Imagine what it would be like for the basketball team if it couldn't practice for two weeks before the NCAA Tournament."
Lewenberg, a junior, is expected to fill the shoes of the departed Brodey next season. That is not to say that Lewenberg is not a great racer in her own right-she may even be better, despite being a year younger-but heading into her senior year, Lewenberg will be expected to lead the team as the top seed in all of the season's events. Based on her 2002 showing, UMass women's skiing fans should not have any worries about Lewenberg's ability to lead by example.
Her 2002 skiing resume sets her far apart from the average Northeast racer. The Newton, Mass., product started off the season with a pair of third-place finishes at the UMass Carnival, and continued to place consistently for the remainder of the season. The highlight of her season occurred on Feb. 15, at the Smith Carnival, when she dominated the slopes of Berkshire East and took home a first-place finish in the slalom. Lewenberg's success continued into Sunday's action, when she recorded a third-place finish in the giant slalom.
Her top finishes, combined with a pair of top-10 efforts from Brodey, led UMass to first-place honors in the slalom and a second-place team finish in the giant slalom at the Smith Carnival.
"I'm happy with how I've skied this year," said Lewenberg. "The first-place finish at the Smith Carnival [was the highlight]. It was just a gorgeous day. My parents and my sister were out and there was a barbeque at the bottom. I was just in a really good mood. I always ski better when it's warm out and I'm happy. It was the most beautiful day of the season."
Lewenberg, like most other competitors, has been skiing all of her life, and envisioned the nationals as an opportunity to gage where she stands in comparison to the other elite racers in the country.
"The way I'm looking at nationals is it's a way to see how I can do against the whole nation," said Lewenberg after competing in the regionals. "I want to ski as well as I can possibly can. I'm willing to take risks. If everyone on our team skis conservatively, then we're probably not going to place that well. We all need to step it up a little bit and take risks-we can do very well.
"UMass has never really done that well at nationals, so there is the hope that this year we'll do really well. "I'd like to finish in the top 10 for both events with a top five finish in the GS. We'd like to finish in the top five as a team."
Brodey had hoped to repeat the success that she enjoyed last year when she earned All-America status in both events with a pair of top 15 finishes.
"I want to be an All-American in the slalom," said Brodey before heading to the nationals. "But that hill [at Waterville Valley] is horrendous. I hate it and it hates me [back]."
Lewenberg also earned All-American honors last season as a sophomore by posting an 11th-place finish in the giant slalom, and uses the competitive atmosphere as a motivational tool in her pursuit to repeat, if not improve, upon last season's impressive performance.
With the lack of typical winter skiing conditions in Western Mass., the Minutewomen had a tougher than usual challenge at nationals. Not only did Brodey, Lewenberg and Co. have to compete with the nation's best skiers, they had to overcome their own lack of training in order to rise to the occasion. To say the least, the challenges were not easy to meet.
Brodey finished her career with positive memories as a Minutewoman. She led UMass to a wealth of national recognition in the women's skiing world, and her presence will be missed next year.
Lewenberg, on the other hand, still has her senior year to look forward to. She will spend the spring months competing in New Hampshire, and expects to spend her fall semester abroad in Denmark. When Lewenberg returns for her last hurrah, Minutewoman fans can expect a quicker, more experienced skier to lead the program.
While Brodey and Lewenberg paced the women's team to an outstanding season, the UMass men's ski team enjoyed a successful year, too. Senior Ken Thoman, a Lebanon, Ohio, native earned second team All-America honors in the slalom with a 12th-place finish and was a second team All-America in the men's individual combined.
Another senior on the men's team, Rich Granger, who hails from Princeton, Mass., also turned in an outstanding year. He won the UMass slalom and finished third in the giant slalom at the Brown Carnival. Granger also recorded a third-place finish in the giant slalom and was fifth in the slalom at the USCSA Regional meet.
As a team, the Minutemen finished sixth overall at the 2002 USCSA National Championships. UMass placed fourth in the giant slalom and seventh in the slalom.
The Maroon & White
AMHERST, Mass. - The one-two punch of Lauren Brodey and Carolyn Lewenberg propelled the UMass women's ski team to a wealth of success in 2002. The team finished in second place in the United States Collegiate Skiing Association's (USCSA) Regional Championship and, behind the leadership of two-time All-Americans Brodey and Lewenberg, tied for seventh overall at the USCSA National Championship, held March 11-16, in Waterville Valley, N.H.
For UMass fans that are not familiar with the format of intercollegiate ski competition, the slalom and the giant slalom are the two events at which teams compete. The Minutewomen, who train and travel with the UMass men's team, race in five USCSA sanctioned events that begin mid-January and end in mid-February, when the postseason begins. The weekends are divided by event, as slalom competition dominates the slopes on Saturday and giant slalom competition is the focus of Sunday's efforts.
The main difference between the two events is the placement of the gates. The giant slalom features fewer gates positioned further apart, which promotes a faster race. The slalom, a more technical event, consists of closely positioned gates.
The Minutewomen tied for seventh overall at the 2002 USCSA National Championship, finishing 11th in the giant slalom and fifth in the slalom. Lewenberg earned second team All-America honors with a 14th-place finish in the giant slalom, while Brodey also earned second team All-America honors by placing 15th in the slalom. In addition, senior Ericka Olson, a native of Pittsfield, Mass., earned second team academic All-America status.
Brodey, a senior, finished her last regular season of collegiate competition in impressive fashion. She started the year with a first-place finish in the slalom at the UMass Carnival at Berkshire East in Charlemont, Mass. The home hill advantage undoubtedly played out as a favorable factor that helped Brodey race the course quicker than her competitors.
"It was our home hill, and it was the first carnival," said Brodey. "My parents were there, and I was just really excited to go. I didn't think I was going to win, but after I won the first run, I knew I could do it again."
She continued to rack up four more top-five finishes, including a third-place finish in the slalom in the regular season finale at the Smith Carnival, once again at Berkshire East. To put her accomplishments in the appropriate perspective, Brodey's first-place finish to begin the year on the right foot came against 71 divisional competitors.
"I had no idea what to expect this season," said Brodey. "I won that day, and it was the greatest experience. For the rest of the season, I didn't push myself. I wanted to finish so that my team could do well, not for any personal goals. You don't really hold back, but you can't go all out. We race with 10 girls and we count three [times], so if somebody falls, it really hurts [the team]."
The UMass team captain finished with a team-best seventh-place finish in the USCSA Regional Championship on March 1, and then finished her UMass career in triumphant fashion at nationals by earning All-America honors for the second consecutive year. But the warm weather that many New Englanders have enjoyed this past winter hindered the squad's ability to practice on the slopes.
"This winter has been horrible," said Brodey, a native of Fayetteville, N.Y., for the lack of snow. "We have not been able to train recently. We went into nationals without practicing for two weeks, which was really tough. Imagine what it would be like for the basketball team if it couldn't practice for two weeks before the NCAA Tournament."
Lewenberg, a junior, is expected to fill the shoes of the departed Brodey next season. That is not to say that Lewenberg is not a great racer in her own right-she may even be better, despite being a year younger-but heading into her senior year, Lewenberg will be expected to lead the team as the top seed in all of the season's events. Based on her 2002 showing, UMass women's skiing fans should not have any worries about Lewenberg's ability to lead by example.
Her 2002 skiing resume sets her far apart from the average Northeast racer. The Newton, Mass., product started off the season with a pair of third-place finishes at the UMass Carnival, and continued to place consistently for the remainder of the season. The highlight of her season occurred on Feb. 15, at the Smith Carnival, when she dominated the slopes of Berkshire East and took home a first-place finish in the slalom. Lewenberg's success continued into Sunday's action, when she recorded a third-place finish in the giant slalom.
Her top finishes, combined with a pair of top-10 efforts from Brodey, led UMass to first-place honors in the slalom and a second-place team finish in the giant slalom at the Smith Carnival.
"I'm happy with how I've skied this year," said Lewenberg. "The first-place finish at the Smith Carnival [was the highlight]. It was just a gorgeous day. My parents and my sister were out and there was a barbeque at the bottom. I was just in a really good mood. I always ski better when it's warm out and I'm happy. It was the most beautiful day of the season."
Lewenberg, like most other competitors, has been skiing all of her life, and envisioned the nationals as an opportunity to gage where she stands in comparison to the other elite racers in the country.
"The way I'm looking at nationals is it's a way to see how I can do against the whole nation," said Lewenberg after competing in the regionals. "I want to ski as well as I can possibly can. I'm willing to take risks. If everyone on our team skis conservatively, then we're probably not going to place that well. We all need to step it up a little bit and take risks-we can do very well.
"UMass has never really done that well at nationals, so there is the hope that this year we'll do really well. "I'd like to finish in the top 10 for both events with a top five finish in the GS. We'd like to finish in the top five as a team."
Brodey had hoped to repeat the success that she enjoyed last year when she earned All-America status in both events with a pair of top 15 finishes.
"I want to be an All-American in the slalom," said Brodey before heading to the nationals. "But that hill [at Waterville Valley] is horrendous. I hate it and it hates me [back]."
Lewenberg also earned All-American honors last season as a sophomore by posting an 11th-place finish in the giant slalom, and uses the competitive atmosphere as a motivational tool in her pursuit to repeat, if not improve, upon last season's impressive performance.
With the lack of typical winter skiing conditions in Western Mass., the Minutewomen had a tougher than usual challenge at nationals. Not only did Brodey, Lewenberg and Co. have to compete with the nation's best skiers, they had to overcome their own lack of training in order to rise to the occasion. To say the least, the challenges were not easy to meet.
Brodey finished her career with positive memories as a Minutewoman. She led UMass to a wealth of national recognition in the women's skiing world, and her presence will be missed next year.
Lewenberg, on the other hand, still has her senior year to look forward to. She will spend the spring months competing in New Hampshire, and expects to spend her fall semester abroad in Denmark. When Lewenberg returns for her last hurrah, Minutewoman fans can expect a quicker, more experienced skier to lead the program.
While Brodey and Lewenberg paced the women's team to an outstanding season, the UMass men's ski team enjoyed a successful year, too. Senior Ken Thoman, a Lebanon, Ohio, native earned second team All-America honors in the slalom with a 12th-place finish and was a second team All-America in the men's individual combined.
Another senior on the men's team, Rich Granger, who hails from Princeton, Mass., also turned in an outstanding year. He won the UMass slalom and finished third in the giant slalom at the Brown Carnival. Granger also recorded a third-place finish in the giant slalom and was fifth in the slalom at the USCSA Regional meet.
As a team, the Minutemen finished sixth overall at the 2002 USCSA National Championships. UMass placed fourth in the giant slalom and seventh in the slalom.
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