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Team Summit freestylers named division’s top team

DAILY NEWS STAFF REPORT

Thanks to a season of wins and top-of-the-heap results, the Team Summit freestyle ski team was named the Best Rocky Mountain Freestyle Team this year. The local skiers topped the region with overall wins at Keystone, Telluride and Winter Park. In addition to that distinction, the list of Team Summit freestyle athletes that have qualified for this month’s Junior Olympics in Park City, Utah, reads more like a book. The 12 are: Whitney Henceroth, Becky Miller, Eric Haywood, Riley Campbell, Louis Cirillo, Caitlin Shay, Jordan Poyfair, Paige Eggebrecht, Mikaela Matthews, Sarah Ruckriegle, Mallory Cleveland and Scott McDonald. The qualifiers come on the heels of a sensational showing by the local rippers at the Rocky Mountain Freestyle Divisional Championships at Winter Park last week. Shay took first in the combined; and Haywood finished second in the men’s junior combined events, including his first career halfpipe competition.Poyfair took gold in women’s aerials over standout Steamboat product Cat Mader, though Mader made amends by edging Team Summit’s Heather McPhie – who recently qualified for the U.S. Ski Team – in championship moguls. Poyfair, Ruckriegle and Cheryl Pearson also finished in the top 10. Kris Pepe skied to 12th to lead the TS men in championship moguls.In junior moguls, Poyfair was runner-up, Ruckriegle used a triple on the bottom air to grab fourth, while Henceroth (fifth) and Cleveland (ninth) also finished in the top 10. McDonald took 15th for Team Summit in junior moguls, and Haywood joined him in the top 20.McPhie took third in dual moguls, and Pepe finished fourth. Ruckriegle skied to fifth, while Henceroth, Cleveland and Poyfair tied for ninth.In addition to the JO qualifiers, Team Summit is also waiting to hear about qualifiers for the U.S. Championships in Park City. According to head coach John Dowling, it looks like nine from Summit will be attending.Local J2s fare well in SteamboatA number of local J2 ski racers posted solid results at a trio of Smartwool Series super-G races in Steamboat last weekend, while on the national level, five Team Summit racers are currently in Maine for the J2 Nationals at Sugarloaf. Katie Hartman, Kirsten Cooper, Ian McKnight, Taggert Spenst and Tanner MacDonald all will compete in Sugarloaf. As for the Steamboat races, Quantum Sports Club’s Lauren Brien won all three women’s super-G’s to lead the locals, while fellow QSC racers Jason McNeill and Gary Beresford finished at or near the top each day to headline the local men’s field.Zach Fretz and Josh Stuhr also skied well for Team Summit, as did Graham Dinkins-Eden – whose finishes qualified him for this weekend’s Rocky Central J2 Junior Olympics in Aspen.Squirt B’s win twice, improve to 12-2-1The Summit Lightning Squirt B team won two games vs. Aspen this weekend at the Stephen C. West Ice Arena. The first morning game brought Summit a convincing 6-0 win, and the Lightning made it two straight with a 5-1 victory that helped it secure a No. 1 seed in the Continental Divide Youth Hockey League for regular season games. The Summit Squirt B’s are now 12-2-1 on the year.Forwards Curtis Dankof, Sean Farley, Reed Gregory, Peter Grotemeyer, Austin Hackett-Klaube and Riley Hillis; defensemen Drake Blass, Mac Pitts, George Gruber and Evan Streit and goalies Ricky McAllaster and Noelle Herrick now look forward to this weekend’s challanging double-elimination tournament in Superior and Windsor for the CDYHL playoffs. The Lightning will play Steamboat, Pueblo and Aspen. Summit Squirt B coaches Lance Hillis, George Gruber and Bob Blass plan to take it “game by game” in the tournament.Summit U-19 girls finish season tied for firstThe Summit Lightning U-19 girls finished their regular season in style on Sunday, beating Aspen 7-0 in Breckenridge. Summit dominated in all aspects of the game which left first year coach Geoff “Bub” Palmer ecstatic. Hannah Harvey started off the scoring with a breakaway early in the first period. Hayley Wolach scored next on a centering pass from Harvey, then Heidi Ruckriegle put Summit up 3-0 to end the period on passes from Harvey and Krysten Joyce. Halfway into the second period defenseman Shelley Mauch found the net when Harvey won a face-off to get her the puck. Lindsay Peoples and Harvey teamed up for the next two goals, and Alex Sobiecki recorded the game’s final goal with Jessa Brown picking up the assist. Maija Miller’s great defensive play helped goalie Kris Caples record her league-leading fifth shutout.Summit finished the season 13-2-1 in the Mountain States Girls Hockey League. The girls will head to Colorado Springs March 18-20 for the league’s end of season tournament and would like to thank their coaches, Bub Palmer and Brad Dickerson, along with sponsor Summit Orthopaedics.SMS gymnasts compete at AlamosaThe Summit Middle School gymnastics team traveled to Alamosa on Saturday for its first competitive event of the season, facing off against Ortega and Gunnison. Floor was the first event and the performances from Anne DeJulio, Hannah Harris, and Sarah Reichardt jump started the Tigers for the other events. Beam, the most popular event for Summit gymnasts, also provided the team with top places. Harris led the way with a performance SMS coach Betty Koenig singled out for its merit. Jordan Smith placed first in vault, and Reichardt took second and Chloe King fifth in the all-around. Summit’s home meet is scheduled for March 26 against Alamosa.


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