Top Performances Countdown: Tommy Wins Four Straight GS Races
April 25, 2020 | Skiing
Few schools even compare to CU's rich history in skiing. Twenty team national championships. Countless individual national titles. So when Mikaela Tommy made history in February, it truly was impressive.
The senior from Canada became the first women's skier in school history to win four consecutive races in one discipline, capturing the giant slalom gold at the Utah Invitational in Park City. This earns No. 3 on our countdown of top performances of 2019-20.
Her streak started on Jan. 10 at the RMISA qualifier in Aspen as she edged out teammate Stef Fleckenstein in 2:12.07, winning by 55/100 of a second.
Tommy won her second race just one day later, also in Aspen, capturing the GS title at the Denver Invitational, beating Montana State's Haley Cutler by more than a second.
Win No. 3 came on Jan. 15 at Eldora in CU's Spencer James Nelson Memorial Invitational, this time beating MSU's Nellie Talbot by 40/100 of a second.
After three races in six days, Tommy had to wait more than a month for the next race, but there was no rust on her skis on Feb. 22. She beat Utah's Eirin Engeset out for first place by nearly a second, her fourth straight win, tying CU's single-season record for GS wins with her seventh career win.
She finished runner-up in the next race, but Tommy won her fifth giant slalom race of the season on Feb. 28, capturing the RMISA championship in Bozeman, Mont. She unfortunately did not finish at the NCAA Championships in March in the GS, but that did not take away from her historic season. She finished six of the seven GS races she competed in during the season with five wins and one second-place finish. Including her slalom races, she had nine podiums in 10 finishes.
Tommy's five GS wins during the season match the previous CU career record, and she ended her two-year career with eight GS victories. She was named National Skier of the Year by the U.S. Collegiate Ski Coaches Association and also took home Women's Alpine Skier of the Year and Women's Alpine MVP nationally.
Â
The senior from Canada became the first women's skier in school history to win four consecutive races in one discipline, capturing the giant slalom gold at the Utah Invitational in Park City. This earns No. 3 on our countdown of top performances of 2019-20.
Her streak started on Jan. 10 at the RMISA qualifier in Aspen as she edged out teammate Stef Fleckenstein in 2:12.07, winning by 55/100 of a second.
Tommy won her second race just one day later, also in Aspen, capturing the GS title at the Denver Invitational, beating Montana State's Haley Cutler by more than a second.
Win No. 3 came on Jan. 15 at Eldora in CU's Spencer James Nelson Memorial Invitational, this time beating MSU's Nellie Talbot by 40/100 of a second.
After three races in six days, Tommy had to wait more than a month for the next race, but there was no rust on her skis on Feb. 22. She beat Utah's Eirin Engeset out for first place by nearly a second, her fourth straight win, tying CU's single-season record for GS wins with her seventh career win.
She finished runner-up in the next race, but Tommy won her fifth giant slalom race of the season on Feb. 28, capturing the RMISA championship in Bozeman, Mont. She unfortunately did not finish at the NCAA Championships in March in the GS, but that did not take away from her historic season. She finished six of the seven GS races she competed in during the season with five wins and one second-place finish. Including her slalom races, she had nine podiums in 10 finishes.
Tommy's five GS wins during the season match the previous CU career record, and she ended her two-year career with eight GS victories. She was named National Skier of the Year by the U.S. Collegiate Ski Coaches Association and also took home Women's Alpine Skier of the Year and Women's Alpine MVP nationally.
Â
Players Mentioned
ALPINE
/ Skiing
ALPINE
/ SkiingColorado Ski: Why CU?
Friday, June 27
Colorado Ski: 2025 Facility Tour
Tuesday, June 10
Colorado Ski: 2024-25 Banquet
Tuesday, April 22
2024 Ski Team Season Recap
Tuesday, April 30