January 03, 2015 (Denver, CO) – The defending NCAA Champion Denver Pioneers are the top ranked team in the pre-season according to the United States Collegiate Ski Coaches Association.  The 2015 Pre-season SYNC Coaches Poll, the first of its kind, was released Friday by the coaches association.

The Pioneers compiled nine of the 12 first place votes en route to 112 points, ranking first in both the alpine and Nordic top 10 lists.  Utah is ranked second with 94 points while Colorado and Vermont tied for third with 90 points.  New Mexico is ranked fifth with 68 points, ahead of Dartmouth (60) with Northern Michigan coming in at No. 7 with 36 points.  New Hampshire (31), Alaska Anchorage (29) and Montana State (24) rounded out the top 10.

Denver collected five of six first place votes in the alpine poll, earning 59 of a possible 60 points, 10 ahead of No. 2 Utah, who had three more points than No.3 Vermont (46).  Colorado (38) and New Mexico (36) rounded out the top 5 on the alpine side.

On the Nordic side, the Pioneers were also ranked No. 1 and had four first place votes and 53 overall points, narrowly edging out the Colorado Buffaloes, who had the other two first place votes and a point total of 52.  Utah had 45 points, edging out Vermont, who had 44 points for third place.  Northern Michigan from the central region was ranked fifth with 36 points.

The poll, sponsored by SYNC Performance, is in its first season thus making the preseason ranking the inaugural ranking from the coaches association.

“We felt it was important as a coaches association to help better promote our sport, and a coaches poll was at the top of the list to create,” said Andy LeRoy, president of the USCSCA.  “SYNC is a company focused on the needs of athletes in the ski community.  We are proud of this new partnership and couldn’t be more appreciative of their support.”

SYNC is a new performance ski race wear company offering products for competitive racers and mountain athletes.  The company is a group of passionate athletes dedicated to the best products for your best performance.

“We saw a need to create a purpose built performance gear for the alpine ski racer,” said Phil Shettig, SYNC President.  “SYNC Is 100 percent focused on the needs of these athletes from the time they get up in the morning until they go to bed that night.”

The SYNC Coaches Poll is voted on by coaches from around the nation.  There are 12 coaches who vote, six each in alpine and Nordic, and those coaches rank only their own discipline.  The rankings are then combined for an overall coaches poll.

2015 SYNC Coaches Poll
Preseason (January 2, 2015)
Rank   Team (First Place Votes)        Points

1.     Denver (9)                                     112
2.     Utah                                                94
3.     Colorado (2)                                    90
4. Vermont                                          90
5.     New Mexico (1)                              68
6.     Dartmouth                                       60
7.     Northern Michigan                          36
8.     New Hampshire                              31
9.     Alaska Anchorage                          29
10.     Montana State                                24
Others Receiving Votes: Middlebury 15, Alaska Fairbanks 8.

SYNC Coaches Preseason Nordic Top 10               SYNC Coaches Preseason Alpine Top 10
1. Denver (4)                                           53
2. Colorado (2)                                        52
3. Utah                                                     45
4. Vermont                                               44
5. Northern Michigan                               36
6. New Mexico                                        32
7. Dartmouth                                           31
8. Alaska Anchorage                               15
9. Alaska Fairbanks                                  9
10. Montana State                                    9

Others Receiving Votes: Middlebury 3, New Hampshire 3

SYNC Coaches Preseason Alpine Top 10

1.      Denver (5)                                       59
2.      Utah                                                49
3.      Vermont                                          46
4.      Colorado                                         38
5.      New Mexico (1)                              36
6.      Dartmouth                                       29
7.      New Hampshire                              28
8.      Montana State                                16
9.      Middlebury                                      15
10.      Alaska Anchorage                          14

Others Receiving Votes: None

About the USCSCA
The United States Collegiate Ski Coaches Association promotes collegiate Nordic and alpine skiing in the United States and abroad by bringing a unified voice to coaches to represent the best interests of the sport.

About SYNC
SYNC is performance ski race wear company with a group of passionate athletes dedicated to the best products for competitive racers and mountain athletes based in Edwards, Colo.  They work with elite athletes and companies such as the U.S. Ski Team, the University of Denver and Snowboard Club Vail, among others.  Their mountain location is ideal for R&D and innovation in mountain sports.  Check them out at syncperformance.com.