LAKE PLACID, N.Y. --- A total of five sleds (two men's singles, two women's singles and one doubles team) earned spots on USA Luge's fall 2008 national team. The six athletes raced their way onto the squad based on their results from Sunday's, March 2, Verizon U.S. National Luge Championships held in Lake Placid, N.Y.
Erin Hamlin (Remsen, N.Y.) and Ashley Walden (Westborough, Mass.) grabbed one spot apiece after they finished 1-2 in the women's singles race. Hamlin, who completed the 2007-08 World Cup season seventh overall, completed her two runs down the Olympic sports complex course in a total time of one minute, 30.149 seconds.
"I'm really comfortable on this track and it's great to end the season on a good note," remarked the 2006 Olympian. "This was not an easy win, the women's program is getting deeper and there are a lot of junior age girls coming up hard. I think our program has a really good future."
Walden sat in fifth-place after the first run and tried to catch Hamlin, but just came up a little short. The 2002 Olympian slid to the second heat's second best time en route to a combined total of 1:30.419. Anastasia Young (Merrick, N.Y.) pieced together a pair of third-place runs and won the event's bronze medal in 1:30.502.
Bengt Walden (Westborough, Mass.) and Robby Huerbin (Pittsburgh, Pa.) slid to gold and silver, respectively, in the men's singles race, while Tony Benshoof (White Bear Lake, Minn.) claimed the bronze medal. Walden won his first-career national championship crown and raced past the 21-sled field in a cumulative time of 1:46.648, a tenth of a second ahead of Huerbin.
"It's a good way to close out the season," said Walden, who along with Huerbin picked up a spot on the fall squad. "It's been a good season, but I could have done better, so it feels good to finish it off in a nice way."
Huerbin led the race after the first run down the 1,455-meter long track, but he couldn't hold off Walden, who jumped from third to first, and settled for second-place and a two-heat time of 1:46.767. Benshoof, a two-time Olympian finished in 1:47.378.
The lone doubles' roster spot went to Christian Niccum (Woodinville, Wash.) and Dan Joye (Carmel, N.Y.), who raced to a first-place result and a total time of 1:28.990. Matt Mortensen (Huntington Station, N.Y.) and Preston Griffall (Salt Lake City, Utah) won the silver medal in a two-run time of 1:29.120, while Chris Mazdzer (Saranac Lake, N.Y.) and Jayson Terdiman (Berwick, Pa.) claimed bronze. The 2008 junior Worlds bronze medalists finished their two race runs in 1:30.117.
While the top two singles sleds and the first-place doubles team earned spots on the squad, the remainder of the team will be announced in April. The final fall 2008 World Cup squad will be named in October or November.
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