When UAA alpine skier Andreas Adde drew the No. 1 position for the men's slalom at the NCAA Skiing Championships, the pick proved prophetic.
The freshman from Osteras, Norway, used a spectacular first run and a strong second run to earn the ninth national championship in the history of the UAA ski team.
"We're ecstatic," UAA alpine coach Sparky Anderson said. "It's an incredible accomplishment."
The slalom is the marquee event at the four-day NCAA ski championships and was held under the lights on Howelson Hill at Steamboat Springs, Colorado. As Anderson called with news of the Seawolves success, fireworks were erupting in the background.
"There are tons of spectators here. This is our Fiesta Bowl, our Final Four. It's the biggest night for college skiing," Anderson said.
And nobody was bigger than Adde.
Adde was the first of 35 skiers to hit the slopes Friday night and laid down a time of 36.36 seconds that nobody behind him was able to catch. As the first-run leader he was the last skier to go in the second round. He had the third-fastest time of 38.55 on his second pass, which was enough to edge Utah's Torjus Korgdahl. Adde had a two-run time of 1:14.91 with Korgdahl second in 1:15.03.
"We were really fortunate to draw Bib No. 1, it's an advantage to go first before the course is beat up," Anderson said. "Then they flip the order for the second run. It was a real tactical run. You find out what the course is running like and it determines how you ski. He started out strong and executed perfectly and held on for a tough win."
During practices in Alaska, Alyeska aided Adde's ability to prepare for the night runs at Steamboat.
"They made a special effort to set up some runs under the lights for him," Anderson said. "It was great for him to simulate the experience of a night run at home."
As his freshman season progressed Adde continued to get stronger, peaking at the championships. He won the giant slalom in the Rocky Mountain championships Feb. 27 at Steamboat.
"He's been coming on all year," Anderson said. "His confidence right now is so high, that nobody can touch him. Any race that he finishes, he's going to win."
UAA sophomore Halfdan Falkum-Hansen was 26th in the slalom with a combined time of 1:23.21
Freshman Petra Gantnerova led the UAA women with a 12th-place finish in 1:22.54. Freshman Kayla Fry placed 15th with sophomore Alex Parker 29th.
The NCAA championships conclude today with the men's and women's nordic freestyle.
UAA assistant nordic coach Mandy Kaempf was the most recent Seawolf national champion, sweeping the women's 5-kilometer classic and 15-K freestyle in 2005.
Find Richard Larson online at adn.com/contact/rlarson or call 257-4335.
By RICHARD LARSON
rlarson@adn.com