PARK CITY, UT (Feb. 2, 2017) – The atmosphere at the first night of the Visa Freestyle International was electric, with the best moguls athletes in the world battling it out for the Putnam Investments Freestyle Challenge title. In the end, it was American Morgan Schild (Rochester, NY) who landed on top of the podium, adding another victory to her World Cup resume.
Thursday night’s event was Schild’s fourth competition back after a 22-month hiatus due to injury. The road back from injury is a long one, but Schild’s patience in recovery and confidence in her skiing allowed her to return to true form at Deer Valley in front of family, friends and a massive hometown crowd.
“I looked back to my strengths of being tough in the big moguls," said Schild, who was injured just after her first World Cup win in March, 2015. "People can struggle with that, and it makes me feel more confident to get to those places in the course that a lot of girls don’t go, which is usually filled with a lot of soft snow. To be able to just commit and go as fast as I can into the bottom air, that’s really what went well for me today. I feel like my old self, it’s amazing.”
Morgan Schild celebrates with her teammates and U.S. Ski Team staff. (U.S. Ski Team - Steve Earl)
Schild’s win, the second of her career, was made even more special by having her parents in the crowd, cheering her on as she battled to victory.
“My win in Tazawako was amazing, but I just broke down in tears when I was able to hug my mom and dad here," she said. "To see them out here, after knowing what I went through those 22 months, it just fills me up inside – I don’t even know what to say.”
Schild was joined on the podium by Canada’s Justine Dufour-LaPointe in second and Australia’s Britt Cox in third. The U.S. women’s team as a whole had another strong performance, with Nessa Dziemian (East Hampstead, NH) joining Schild in the super final to finish fifth and Mikaela Matthews (Frisco, CO) and Tess Johnson (Vail, CO) in eighth and ninth.
The American men sent four athletes, Troy Murphy (Bethel, ME), Tom Rowley (Long Beach, NY), Troy Tully (Pleasantville, NY) and Ryan Dyer (Steamboat Springs, CO) into the finals. Murphy emerged as the top finisher, continuing to build on past success with a fifth place finish.
Troy Murphy flies down the Champion mogul run. (U.S. Ski Team - Steve Earl)
“My skiing is where it needs to be now,” stated Murphy. “I can kind of play the game and do the tricks that I’ve always been able to do. Now it’s just a matter of putting it all together in a nice, clean package. I was super close tonight, just a couple of small mistakes. Today was one of the only times I really heard the crowd in the start before my run, which was pretty cool. It really hypes us up.”
Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury landed yet another win, with France’s Benjamin Cavet in second and Canada's Philippe Marquis in third.
The Visa Freestyle International continues on Friday with the men’s and women’s aerials competition, the first qualifying event for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang. Moguls action concludes on Saturday with the fan-favorite dual moguls. Both remaining events will be live streamed on nbcsports.com.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Morgan Schild won her second-career World Cup at the Putnam Investments Freestyle Challenge at Deer Valley Resort.
- It was Schild’s fourth competition back after a 22-month hiatus due to injury.
- Troy Murphy was the top U.S. men’s athlete, finishing fifth.
- The U.S. Ski Team sent a total of eight athletes into the final rounds.
- The Visa Freestyle International continues on Feb. 3 with men’s and women’s aerials. It will be the first qualification event for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
- The event concludes with dual moguls on Feb. 4.
QUOTES
Morgan Schild
I looked back to my strengths of being tough in the big moguls. People can struggle with that, and it makes me feel more confident to get to those places in the course that a lot of girls don’t go, which is usually filled with a lot of soft snow. To be able to just commit and go as fast as I can into the bottom air, that’s really what went well for me today. I feel like my old self, it’s amazing.
[on having her family watch her win]
My win in Tazawako was amazing, but I just broke down in tears when I was able to hug my mom and dad here. To see them out here, after knowing what I went through those 22 months, it just fills me up inside – I don’t even know what to say.
Troy Murphy
My skiing is where it needs to be now. I can kind of play the game and do the tricks that I’ve always been able to do. Now it’s just a matter of putting it all together in a nice, clean package. I was super close tonight, just a couple of small mistakes. Today was one of the only times I really heard the crowd in the start before my run, which was pretty cool. It really hypes us up.
RESULTS
Men’s Results
Women’s Results
Men’s World Cup Standings
Women’s World Cup Standings
EVENT SCHEDULE (times MST)
Friday, Feb. 3
2:45 p.m. – Women’s Aerials Qualifications
5:00 p.m. – Men’s Aerials Qualifications
8:00 p.m. – Men’s and Women’s Aerials Finals
Saturday, Feb. 4
4:55 p.m. – Men’s and Women’s Dual Moguls Prelims
7:00 p.m. – Men’s and Women’s Dual Moguls Finals
BROADCAST AND LIVE STREAMING (times EST)
Friday, Feb. 3
10:00 p.m. – Men’s and Women’s Aerials Finals – nbcsports.com – LIVE STREAM
Saturday, Feb. 4
9:00 p.m. – Men’s and Women’s Dual Moguls Finals – nbcsports.com – LIVE STREAM
9:00 p.m. – Men’s and Women’s Moguls – NBCSN and nbcsports.com
10:00 p.m. – Men’s and Women’s Aerials – NBCSN
Sunday, Feb. 5
4:00 p.m. – Men’s and Women’s Dual Moguls – NBC
