Dziemian and Rowley Step Up in Calgary

CALGARY, Alberta (Jan. 28, 2017) – The FIS Freestyle moguls World Cup tour wrapped up its third North American stop on Saturday at the Canada Olympic Park. Tom Rowley (Long Beach, NY) and Nessa Dziemian (East Hampstead, NH) were the top U.S. Ski Team athletes in the field, finishing fourth and fifth respectively.

Prior to this weekend, both Dziemian and Rowley had yet to post any top-five finishes this season. Rowley, who has two second place podiums on his resume, was able land his air package and ski clean to finish just off the podium, with only 0.13 separating him and third place.

“I kept it simple and executed my run,” said Rowley. “Conditions in Calgary can be tough, but it was warmer today and the course stayed soft. It made it easy to go fast and just let it go.”

Australia’s Matt Graham skied strong all day, qualifying fourth and then winning finals to set himself up for the win in the super final. Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury was second and France’s Benjamin Cavet third. Troy Murphy (Bethel, ME) joined Rowley in the final rounds but missed the super final, finishing 11th.

The U.S. women continued to demonstrate the team’s depth, sending Dziemian, Keaton McCargo (Telluride, CO) and rookie Tess Johnson (Vail, CO) into the finals. After a solid final run, Dziemian tried to clean some things up for her super final run, but ended up crashing out after the top air. The fifth-place finish is the best of her career so far.

“I was able to put down a top to bottom on my finals run, but I thought my exit on my cork 7 was messy.” said Dziemian. “I tried to slow things down coming into the top air in my super final run, but I ended up coming in too fast and didn’t readjust myself on the landing. I tried to fight for it but just couldn’t hold on. I’m still stoked with a fifth place though. I think I’m heading in the right direction – taking those steps to make it on the podium.”

Britteny Cox joined her teammate Graham on the podium, winning her third World Cup of the season. Canadian sisters Justine and Chloe Dufour-Lapointe rounded out the podium in second and third. Johnson and McCargo finished 12th and 16th.

The FIS Freestyle moguls World Cup tour returns to American soil next week for the Visa Freestyle International at Deer Valley Resort. The event will feature single moguls on Feb. 2 and the first dual moguls competition of the season on Feb. 4.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Tom Rowley and Nessa Dziemian were the top U.S. athletes at the moguls World Cup in Calgary, finishing fourth and fifth.
• Troy Murphy, Tess Johnson and Keaton McCargo also made it to the final rounds, finishing 11th, 12th and 16th.
• Australia’s Matt Graham and Britteny Cox took home the wins.
• Mikael Kingsbury was second and Benjamin Cavet third for the men.
• Canadian sisters Justine and Chloe DuFour-Lapointe were second and third for the women.
• The FIS Freestyle World Cup returns to Deer Valley Resort, UT next week for the Visa Freestyle International Feb. 2-4.

QUOTES
Tom Rowley
I kept it simple and executed my run. Conditions in Calgary can be tough, but it was warmer today and the course stayed soft. It made it easy to go fast and just let it go.

Nessa Dziemian
I was able to put down a top to bottom on my finals run, but I thought my exit on my cork 7 was messy. I tried to slow things down coming into the top air in my super final run, but I ended up coming in too fast and didn’t readjust myself on the landing. I tried to fight for it but just couldn’t hold on. I’m still stoked with a fifth place though. I think I’m heading in the right direction – taking those steps to make it on the podium.

RESULTS
Men’s moguls
Women’s moguls
Men’s World Cup standings
Women’s World Cup standings