Fourth-Straight Moguls Title for Kearney

LA PLAGNE, France (March 21) – Olympic bronze medalist Hannah Kearney (Norwich, VT) claimed her fourth-straight FIS Freestyle World Cup moguls title Friday with her gold-medal run under the lights at the World Cup Finals competition. Only five points separated Kearney and Canadian Justine Dufour-Lapointe going into Friday’s competition, where Dufour-Lapointe crashed and paved the way for Kearney’s victory and career fifth moguls title. Bradley Wilson (Butte, MT) advanced to the men’s final, finishing fourth behind winner and World Cup champion Alex Bilodeau of Canada. U.S. Ski Team athletes now return to Park City, UT for the USANA U.S. Freestyle Championships at Deer Valley March 28-29.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Olympic bronze medalist Hannah Kearney (Norwich, VT) claimed her fourth-straight FIS Freestyle World Cup moguls title Friday with her gold-medal run under the lights at the World Cup Finals competition in La Plagne, France.
• Only five points separated Kearney and Canadian Justine Dufour-Lapointe going into Friday’s competition, where Dufour-Lapointe crashed and paved the way for Kearney’s victory and career fifth moguls title.
• In 2014 Kearney skied to six wins, stood on nine podiums, earned an Olympic bronze medal and took both the moguls globe as well as her third FIS Freestyle overall World Cup title.
• Heather McPhie (Bozeman, MT) was taken out in the quarterfinals by Canadian Maxime Dufour-Lapointe after she over-rotated her D-spin in the bottom air. McPhie finished fifth Friday as well as fifth in the moguls standings.
• Sophia Schwartz (Steamboat Springs, CO) skied into sixth, which boosted her into eight in the moguls standings.
• Eliza Outtrim (Hamden, CT) took 10th in the moguls competition and finished sixth on the season.
• Canadian sisters Chloe Dufour-Lapointe and Maxime Dufour-Lapointe took silver and bronze in the moguls finale.
• Bradley Wilson (Butte, MT) was the only U.S. athlete to advance to the men’s final, where he skied into fourth place. Wilson also posted fourth in the moguls standings.
• Patrick Deneen (Cle Elum, WA) ended his season ranked third, just 14 points ahead of Wilson, despite skiing into ninth on Friday.
• Joe Discoe (Telluride, CO), Bryon Wilson (Butte, MT) and Jeremy Cota (Carrabassett Valley, ME) finished 12th, 13th and 15th respectively.
• Canadians Alex Bilodeau and Mikael Kingsbury dueled for World Cup Finals gold, where Bilodeau emerged with the win but Kingsbury took the moguls title for 2014.
• Benjamin Cavet beat out Bradley Wilson for the third spot on the podium.
• The riveting moguls final took place under the lights with soft snow and a rowdy crowd that encouraged the athletes to put it all down for one last shot at a World Cup podium.
• U.S. Ski Team athletes now return to Park City, UT for the USANA U.S. Freestyle Championships at Deer Valley March 28-29.

QUOTES
Hannah Kearney
The globe always represents a season-long battle, but this season it definitely means more. It almost helps with the disappointment of the Olympics. It's definitely a wonderful reward for what was an emotional season. The title has never been this close; it's never come down the final competition. I actually had a nightmare a few nights ago that I lost, so I'm glad that did not come true. 

I blew my knee out here in 2007, and I lost my first dual here in 2009, so this course hasn't been that lucky for me. It was nice to be able to undo that. I also had my whole family here, so that made it all the more meaningful. 

My overall feeling of the season was incredibly frustrating. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out why I was no longer as consistent as I've been in the past. Obviously the Olympics were a heartbreaker, but I’ve been able to enjoy many other parts of the season. I'm also planning what I'm going to do next. I still may ski another season, but retirement is around the corner. Luckily class starts on Monday, so I'm heading back to pick up some textbooks. 

RESULTS
Official Men’s Results
Official Women’s Results

FINAL WORLD CUP STANDINGS
Men’s Moguls Standings
Women’s Moguls Standings

LINKS
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