BLUE MOUNTAIN, Ontario (Jan. 20) – Caitlin Ciccone (Littleton, NH) was at it again Wednesday, leading the way for the U.S. and cracking the top 30 as she finished 27th during a ski cross World Cup in Ontario.

Norway’s Marte Hoeie Gjefsen won the women’s race followed by Ashleigh Mcivvor of Canada in second and Slovenia’s Sasa Faric in third.

According to U.S. Ski Cross Head Coach Tyler Shepherd, the key to Ciccone’s day was her start.

"Our focus today was to get her out of the start faster and I think we accomplished that," Shepherd said. "The last several World Cups she has been out of the gate last and here we got her more even with the rest of the women, and in the mix."

But, despite being out of the gate with everyone, a little contact took Ciccone out of the running.

"She got tangled up with another competitor and neither had a chance after that to make the transfer spot to the next round," Shepherd said.

Despite the on-course contact, the day represented a step in the right direction for Ciccone, as far as shepherd is concerned.

"I think it was a good progression for Caitlin. The fact that she has gotten very confident in the terrain is a huge step," Shepherd said. "Now she knows and feels that she can be skiing with the best girls and there is no question that she can’t be. It’s just a matter of figuring out the little things like the start."

Also in the mix for U.S. women was Langley McNeal (Ketchum, ID) who was 30th in her first appearance in the finals for World Cup ski cross.

"That was her first heat of the year, so there weren’t a lot of expectations other than to go out and try to make passes if the opportunities presented themselves," Shepherd said.

In the men’s competition Andreas Matt of Austria won, followed in second by Lars Lewen of Sweden and Austrian Patrick Koller in third. No U.S. men made finals. The USA's Casey Puckett (Aspen, CO) is taking a break before the Olympics, while Daron Rahlves (Sugar Bowl, CA) will be back for Lake Placid.

Now, the ski cross contingent will head to Lake Placid for what will be the final opportunity for freestyle athletes to make the 2010 Olympic Team. The Nature Valley Freestyle Challenge runs Jan. 21-24, with ski cross on Sunday. The Olympic Team will be named next Tuesday at a press conference at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, UT.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2010 FIS Freestyle World Cup
Blue Mountain, Ontario – Jan. 20, 2010
Ski Cross

Men
1. Andreas Matt, Austria
2. Lars Lewen, Sweden
3. Patrick Koller, Austria
4. Michael Schmid, Switzerland
5. Brady Leman, Canada
-
47. Justin Johnson, Park City, UT
52. Patrick Duran, Fayston, VT
53. John Teller, Mammoth Lakes, CA
55. Biche Rudigoz, Ketchum, ID
64. Scott Horn, Truckee, CA

Women
1.  Marte Hoeie Gjefsen, Norway
2. Ashleigh Mcivor, Canada
3. Sasa Faric, Slovenia
4. Katharina Gutensohn, Austria
5. Ophelie David, France
-
27. Caitlin Ciccone, Littleton, NH
30. Langely McNeal, Ketchum, ID
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