January 16, 2011 (Sapporo, Japan) – Teen Peter Frenette (Saranac Lake, NY) put down the best U.S. ski jumping performance in over seven years Sunday, finishing 18th in Sapporo in only his second World Cup.

With each passing ski jumping event, Frenette is showing continued improvement. He was 23rd following the first round Sunday and moved up to finish 18th. It was the best U.S. finish since Clint Jones – now his coach – was 13th at Kuusamo, Finland in November of 2003.

Frenette soared a 113.5 on his first ride, bumping it up a notch on his second flight good to 120.0 meters.

The winner of the second competition in Sapporo in as many days, was Austrian Andreas Kofler, who narrowly missed the podium Saturday. Kofler was the picture of consistency with a pair of long rides of 131.0 and 132.5 meters. German Severin Freund celebrated a sensational weekend with a second place. Overall World Cup leader Thomas Morgenstern of Austria placed third.

USA Ski Jumping coach Clint Jones said this was a big step forward for Frenette.

“This was a great day for Peter and our team,” said Jones. “With two good jumps and a little bit of luck, Peter scored his first World Cup points. This is such a positive step forward and should hopefully take some pressure off of Peter in upcoming competitions.”

Frenette had been second on the same hill in Sapporo earlier in the week in a Continental Cup. He set himself up well for the weekend, finishing 28th in qualifying to give himself a starting spot for the pair of World Cups. In Saturday’s opener, he was 33rd after the first jump – just missing the top 30 cut.

Next up for Frenette will by the FIS World Junior Nordic Championships in Estonia.

FIS World Cup Sapporo, Japan – Jan. 16, 2011
Large Hill – HS134

1. Andres Kofler, Austria, (131.0, 132.5), 232.9
2. Severin Freund, Germany, (134.5, 120.0), 224.7
3. Thomas Morgenstern, Asutria, (110.0, 136.5), 222.4

18. Peter Frenette, Saranac Lake, NY, (113.5, 120.), 159.1

Full results HERE.