Photo credit: Jimmy Reed

Kendall Wesenberg crosses the finish line in first place

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (March 21, 2021)– Kendall Wesenberg (Modesto, Calif.) and Austin Florian (Southington, Conn.) won their respective races in today’s USA Skeleton National Team Trials in Lake Placid. This is Wesenberg’s first win of the four-race series, and Florian’s third-consecutive win.

Wesenberg was in third place after a first run time of 55.01 seconds. The 2018 Olympian rallied back in the second heat to take over the lead by one-tenth of a second with the fastest downtime of 55.34 seconds in the second run. Wesenberg clocked identical start times of 5.46 seconds in both heats, and was victorious with a two-run combined time of 1:50.35.

Four-time Olympian Katie Uhlaender (Breckenridge, Colo.) led the first heat with a downtime of 54.91 seconds. She fell behind Wesenberg with a second run time of 55.54 seconds, and finished second with a combined time of 1:50.45. Uhlaender was consistent off the start block with push times of 5.37 and 5.38 seconds.

Savannah Graybill (Denver, Pa.) finished third today with a cumulative time of 1:50.84. She posted start times of 5.48 and 5.49 for runs of 55.27 and 55.57 seconds, respectively.

Kelly Curtis (Princeton, N.J.) was fourth with an aggregate time of 1:50.90. Curtis was in second place after the first heat, and will be a threat for the medals again tomorrow. Megan Henry (Roxbury, Conn.) finished fifth in 1:50.90, followed by Sara Roderick (Truro, Mass.) in sixth with a 1:50.93. The fastest push times of the women’s competition of 5.23 and 5.26 seconds were posted by Roderick.

Florian continued his winning streak of the men’s skeleton race series, taking today’s victory by a margin of 0.11 seconds. Florian led the first heat with a downtime of 54.02 seconds, but he was challenged by a tight field of competitors in run two. He had the second fastest time of 54.46 seconds in the final run, but Florian held onto the lead and won with a total time of 1:48.48. He posted the fastest start times of the day, 4.78 and 4.79 seconds.

John Daly (Smithtown, N.Y.) clocked the second and third fastest times to finish second today with a two-run total of 1:48.59. Daly pushed start times of 4.99 and 5.05 for runs of 54.11 and 54.48 seconds, respectively.

Andrew Blaser (Meridian, Idaho) had the fourth best time of 54.59 seconds in the first heat, but he clocked the fastest time of 54.40 seconds in the second heat to move up into third with an aggregate time of 1:48.99.

Stephen Garbett (Parker, Colo.) finished fourth with a total time of 1:49.23, followed by Mike Rogals (Orwell, Vt.) in fifth with a 1:49.81 and Alex Ivanov (Carlisle, Mass.) in sixth with a combined time of 1:50.27.

Races continue today with the women’s monobob and four-man bobsled races at 12 p.m. EST. Skeleton trials will resume tomorrow at 9 a.m. EST. Please contact USABS Marketing & Communications Director Amanda Bird at 518-354-2250, or amanda.bird@usabs.com, with media inquiries.

Results

Women’s team trials race #3

1. Kendall Wesenberg 1:50.35 (55.01, 55.34);

2. Katie Uhlaender 1:50.45 (54.91, 55.54);

3. Savannah Graybill 1:50.84 (55.27, 55.57);

4. Kelly Curtis 1:50.90 (54.95, 55.95);

5. Megan Henry 1:50.93 (55.19, 55.74);

6. Sara Roderick 1:51.35 (55.47, 55.88);

7. Mystique Ro 1:52.05 (55.92, 56.13);

8. Michelle Toukan 1:53.76 (56.67, 57.09);

9. Leah Fair 1:59.29 (59.65, 59.64);

Men’s team trials race #3

1. Austin Florian 1:48.48 (54.02, 54.46);

2. John Daly 1:48.59 (54.11, 54.48);

3. Andrew Blaser 1:48.99 (54.59, 54.40);

4. Stephen Garbett 1:49.23 (54.36, 54.87);

5. Mike Rogals 1:49.81 (54.75, 55.06);

6. Alex Ivanov 1:50.27 (55.06, 55.21);

7. Daniel Barefoot 1:50.84 (55.07, 55.77);

8. Chris Strup 1:51.43 (55.71, 55.72);

9. Hunter Williams 1:51.50 (55.72, 55.78);

10. Dave DeMarco 1:53.53 (57.02, 56.51);

About USA Bobsled & Skeleton

USA Bobsled & Skeleton (USABS), based in Lake Placid, N.Y., is the national governing body for the sports of bobsled and skeleton in the United States. For more information, please visit the USABS website at www.usabs.com. Individuals interested in becoming a bobsled or skeleton athlete can visit www.usabobsledskeleton.com.

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Wesenberg and Florian win today’s USA Skeleton National Team Trials races in Lake Placid

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