Women’s Combined at the Winter Olympics – Live Updates and Results

By Alex Azzi and Lisa AntonucciFeb 17, 2022, 4:01 AM EST

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On Her Turf provided live updates during the women’s combined – the final individual alpine skiing event at the 2022 Winter Olympics. The two-run event (one run downhill, one run slalom) was won by Switzerland’s Michelle Gisin, who successfully defended her 2018 Olympic title in this event.

2022 WINTER OLYMPICS: LIVE UPDATES FROM ALPINE SKIING’S TEAM EVENT

Here’s how the race unfolded:

Women’s Combined – Live Updates from the Downhill Run:

9:30pm ET: American Isabella “Bella” Wright is the first athlete out of the gate. She crosses the line in 1:33.72… We’ll see how that holds up!

9:39pm ET: Strong downhill run from the Czech Republic’s Ester Ledecka. The dual skier/snowboarder skis into first. Ledecka is much stronger in downhill than slalom so she will likely need a solid lead in this portion of the competition in order to contend for a medal.

Video of Ester Ledecka’s downhill run in women’s combined:

Ester Ledecká takes over the lead in women's combined downhill 💫

📺: @NBC & @peacockTV | #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/nTqFlBVOOw

— On Her Turf (@OnHerTurf) February 17, 2022

9:45pm ET: Switzerland’s Michelle Gisin, the defending Olympic gold medalist, skis into third, 0.99 seconds behind Ledecka. The 28-year-old Swiss skier is strong in the slalom and should be able to work with that margin.

MORE ALPINE SKIING COVERAGE: In alpine skiing, women compete, but that’s about it

9:47pm ET: American Keely Cashman with a solid downhill run. She skis into second, 0.66 seconds behind Ledecka.

9:49pm ET: Very good run from Mikaela Shiffrin. She skis into second, 0.55 seconds behind Ledecka. Given Shiffrin’s strength in the slalom, she is in a very strong position heading into the slalom.

Video of Mikaela Shiffrin’s downhill run in the women’s combined:

Mikaela Shiffrin has a solid downhill run 👏 She currently sits in second place.

📺: @NBC & @peacockTV | #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/9gpD8MQgZA

— On Her Turf (@OnHerTurf) February 17, 2022

9:51pm ET: Austria’s Christine Scheyer with a speedy downhill run, posting the fastest time of the day so far (1:32.42). Scheyer is stronger in downhill than slalom so she needed that to have any hope of winning a medal in the combined.

10:00pm ET: Austra’s Ramona Siebenhofer and France’s Romane Miradoli both with good downhill runs, skiing into third and fourth, respectively. Shiffrin currently sits in fifth, 0.56 seconds off the lead.

10:25pm ET: After her downhill run, Mikaela Shiffrin tells NBC Olympics reporter Todd Lewis that she was skiing on a pair of Sofia Goggia‘s skis. Goggia, who won silver in the downhill, left a post-it note for Shiffrin, telling her: You can fly on these skis.

10:33pm ET: That’s it for the downhill portion of the combined. While you wait for the slalom (1am ET), be sure to watch the USA-Canada gold medal hockey game at 11:05pm ET (NBC, Peacock, NBCOlympics.com).

Video of Mikaela Shiffrin talking about skiing on Sofia Goggia’s skis:

Mikaela Shiffrin competed wearing Sofia Goggia's skis in downhill today.

Sofia wrote a sweet message for Mikaela on the skis: "You can fly." ❤️#WomenSupportingWomen | #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/Q8xKDPp0um

— On Her Turf (@OnHerTurf) February 17, 2022

Women’s Combined – Live Updates from the Slalom Run:

1:04am ET: Austria’s Christine Scheyer is first out of the gate in the slalom portion of the combined, posting a time of 55.89 to finish at 2:28.32. Czech Republic’s Ester Ledecka takes over the lead with a 56.83, 2:29:25.

1:06am ET: Mikaela Shiffrin, fifth after the downhill portion of the combined, skis out again in the slalom, not finishing her third race in this Olympics.

1:09am ET: Slovenia’s Marusa Ferk Saioni is the next skier down and sits fourth at 2:30.12. Austria’s Ramona Siebenhofer sits in third after a 57.13, 2:29.69 total. American Keely Cashman has also skied out.

1:12am ET: Italy’s Federica Brignone takes over the lead. Brignone won silver in the giant slalom earlier this month in Beijing.

1:17am ET: Italy’s Nicol Delago and Switzerland’s Priska Nufer ski out. Five skiers have now skied out in the slalom.

1:20am ET: Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener, who won Olympic bronze in the 2018 combined, takes over first with a 53.31 (2.26.72).

1:22am ET: Swiss teammate and defending combined gold medalist Michelle Gisin edges into the lead, 1.05 seconds ahead of Holdener.

1:24am ET: Italy’s Marta Bassino, considered the last skier to realistically contend for a medal in the combined, skis out. A gold for Gisin would make Switzerland the first country to win five individual Olympic gold medals in these Games. There will be no individual gold medal for U.S. skiers in Beijing, with Ryan Cochran-Siegel‘s silver in the men’s super-G being the lone alpine medal for the Americans.

1:35am ET: After her slalom run, Mikaela Shiffrin tells NBC Olympics reporter Todd Lewis, “Oh man, I don’t know if anyone has ever failed that hard with so many opportunities, maybe in the history of the Olympics.”

1:45am ET: Switzerland wins gold and silver with Michelle Gisin defending her 2018 title and Wendy Holdener earning her fifth career Olympic medal. The win marks Gisin’s second career gold medal and her second medal of these Games, after her bronze in super G. Holdener, who won three medals in 2018, won bronze in the slalom in Beijing. Federica Brignone, in her fourth Olympics, earns her third career medal to go along with GS bronze in 2018 and GS silver in 2022.

Video of Mikaela Shiffrin’s interview after skiing out in the slalom portion of the women’s combined:

"I had some of the best skiing I've ever done – here, in Beijing."

Mikaela Shiffrin reflects on the good that's happened in the last couple weeks ❤️ #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/K4w6jGnLhb

— On Her Turf (@OnHerTurf) February 17, 2022

How to watch the women’s combined at the 2022 Winter Olympics:

Event	Date / Time (U.S. Eastern)	Date / Time (Beijing, China)	How to Watch
Women’s Combined (Downhill Race)	2/16/22 9:30 PM	2/17/22 10:30 AM	NBC \| Peacock \| NBCOlympics.com
Women’s Combined (Slalom Race)	2/17/22 1:00 AM	2/17/22 2:00 PM	NBC \| Peacock \| NBCOlympics.com

What is the combined in alpine skiing?

The combined features one run of downhill (the fastest alpine skiing event) with one run of slalom (the event with the most turns). The winner is the skier with the lowest combined time.

The top 30 athletes from the downhill portion of the competition go in reverse order for the slalom portion of the race. That is a change from the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, when the fastest downhill skiers skied in reverse order for the slalom (from 30-1).

MORE WINTER OLYMPICS: USA-Canada hockey gold medal preview, rivalry history

Women’s Combined – Beijing Olympic Course Stats:

Downhill Race:

Course Name: Rock
Vertical Drop: 765m
Course Length: 2704m

2018 Olympic podium in the women’s combined:

Gold: Michelle Gisin (SUI)
Silver: Mikaela Shiffrin (USA)
Bronze: Wendy Holdener (SUI)

Women’s Combined – Start List:

1 – USA – Isabella WRIGHT
2 – AUS – Greta SMALL
3 – AUT – Katharina HUBER
4 – SRB – Nevena IGNJATOVIC
5 – CZE – Ester LEDECKA
6 – ITA – Nicol DELAGO
7 – SUI – Michelle GISIN
8 – USA – Keely CASHMAN
9 – USA – Mikaela SHIFFRIN
10 – AUT – Christine SCHEYER
11 – AUT – Ramona SIEBENHOFER
12 – FRA – Romane MIRADOLI
13 – ITA – Elena CURTONI
14 – CAN – Roni REMME
15 – ITA – Marta BASSINO
16 – ITA – Federica BRIGNONE
17 – FRA – Laura GAUCHE
18 – SUI – Priska NUFER
19 – SLO – Marusa FERK
20 – SUI – Wendy HOLDENER
21 – BIH – Elvedina MUZAFERIJA
22 – ROC – Julia PLESHKOVA
23 – AND – Cande MORENO
24 – CHN – Fanying KONG
25 – USA – Tricia MANGAN
26 – CZE – Tereza NOVA

Follow Alex Azzi on Twitter @AlexAzziNBC

2023 March Madness: Utah Utes engineer dramatic turnaround for third-ever Sweet Sixteen appearance

By Lisa AntonucciMar 19, 2023, 11:27 PM EDT

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SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The No. 2-seeded Utah (27-4) women’s basketball team held off a pesky 10th-seeded Princeton squad on Sunday, winning 63-56 to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championships for the first time since 2005-06 and just the third time in the program’s history.

“I’m proud of our team,” said eighth-year head coach Lynne Roberts after the second-round win at Utah’s Hunstman Center. “We set out to do this a year ago. We lost in this game at University of Texas and the goal was to be able to host (this year) so that we could have that home-court advantage and it made a difference.”

Utah’s fourth-year junior Alissa Pili backed up her recent second-team All-American honor with another 20-plus-point performance, scoring 28 on 8-for 13 shooting with 10 rebounds and going 11-for 13 on free throws. Sophomore forward Jenna Johnson added 15 points and six rebounds.

There’s been a lot of talk this weekend about how the Utes’ previous few seasons have ended – beginning with a rough 14-17 season that was cut short in 2020 due to the pandemic, followed by an abysmal 5-16 record in 2020-21. But the tide turned last year, as Utah rebounded with a 21-12 season that ended with a 78-56 loss to Texas in Austin in the second round of the NCAA tournament one year ago.

So, what changed?

“Last year, everyone was new to the NCAA tournament, so I think everyone was just experiencing it for the first time,” mused Johnson. “Losing in the second round last year, we’re definitely a lot hungrier this year, and then obviously hosting in Salt Lake, it’s fun just being in your own environment, to be around your own fans. I think it gives us an elevated level of confidence, both knowing what it’s like it play in this tournament and also getting to be at home.”

“Yeah, freshman year was kind of rough,” added third-year sophomore Kennady McQueen, who chipped in nine points Sunday. “We did experience losing a lot. … Coach Roberts, she said we are not going to have another season like that. We all stood behind her — the people that stayed — and brought in great people like starting last year with Jenna and Gi (Gianna Kneepkens) and people like that who have had a huge impact in helping us to where we are today. …

“When you get together a group of people that have the same goal in mind and will do make anything to make it happen, I think that’s where we have seen our success rate going up. This past offseason, we just kept getting better, and of course, the addition of the Alissa Pili really helped. When you bring a group of girls that have the same dream and same goal at the end of the year and doesn’t care about personal stats more than winning, I think we get the season that we have today, and it prepares us for deep run in March.”

In particular, McQueen believe it was Utah’s improvement in their defense that was crucial to the turnaround. “Everyone knows how good we are on offense, but if we can’t get stops, it doesn’t matter how good you are on offense,” she said. “So that’s just been a key the whole past off-season and all of this season — just getting better on defense.”

MORE FROM ON HER TURF: Alissa Pili revives her love of basketball with record season at Utah

Roberts credits their defensive improvement with a “philosophical mindset change,” explaining, “We worked on [defense] a lot differently, a lot more intentionally. Strategically we made some changes of how we are going to defend, and I won’t bore you with that. But there was a lot, just different things because you have to play to your strengths. You can’t be a run-and-jump pressing team if you don’t have the depth and athletes to do it. You can’t be a zone team if you are not super big. You have to figure out what fits your personnel, and so that’s what we did.”

There’s also the undeniable impact of Pili, a transfer from USC who has found her stride as a Ute, where she recently was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year.

“She kind of is the straw that stirs the drink for us right now,” said Roberts of the 21-year-old Alaska native. “She’s a nightmare to defend because she can shoot the three, and she’s also really athletic and mobile, so it doesn’t matter who we are playing. I think you have to gameplan for her. But then with her three-point shooting, you know, you have to pick your poison.”

But Roberts also gave plenty of kudos to Johnson, whom she describes as “phenomenal.”

“She’s 19 going on 40,” Roberts said of Johnson. “She’s the most mature, even-keeled consistent player we have. What I love about her is she is who she is. She’s confident in who she is. She knows who she is. She also is incredibly busy off the court.

“We were talking as we were getting ready to watch film, just shooting the breeze a bunch of us, we were talking about movies. And she was like, Oh, I don’t watch movies. Why not? I don’t have time. I get bored. What do you mean you don’t have time? Do you watch shows? No, I don’t ever watch TV. It is because she is doing all of these other extracurricular activities.”

As for guiding to the Utes to becoming a championship program, Roberts still sees it as an uphill battle – but one that she and her players are ready for.

“I always use the analogy of pushing the boulder up the hill,” she said. “And doing things for the first time, you have to have that mindset. You have to keep pushing. It’s been incredibly fun to see the support, and I think the swell is a perfect word for it. Most importantly, our players feel it.

“This is why you play, right? And it means so much. I know I say it over and over, but this is not going to be a flash-in-the-pan [season]. This isn’t going to be a ‘Oh, remember that year they had such an incredible year?’ We are going to keep doing it.”

RELATED: 2023 March Madness 2023 — Updated bracket, scores and schedule for NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship

2023 March Madness: Updated bracket, scores and schedule for NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship

By Lisa AntonucciMar 19, 2023, 12:35 AM EDT

Editor’s note: We’ll keep this page updated, so be sure to check back here for winners, scores and next-round details as the tournament progresses.

The bracket for 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship is officially set and defending champion South Carolina earned the No. 1 overall seed for the second straight season. A total of 68 teams will see tournament action, beginning with the “First Four” games on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by Round 1 play kicking off on Friday.

On Her Turf has compiled the matchups, sites and schedule for the tournament, which culminates Sunday, April 2 with the title game from American Airlines Center in Dallas.

2023 tournament No. 1 seeds:

South Carolina Gamecocks
Indiana Hoosiers
Virginia Tech Hokies
Stanford Cardinal

Last four teams in the tournament:

Illinois
Mississippi State
Purdue
St. John’s

First four teams out of the tournament:

Columbia
Kansas
UMass
Oregon

RELATED: South Carolina nabs No. 1 overall seed in NCAA women’s basketball tournament

‘First Four’ game schedule

Wednesday, March 15

7 p.m. ET: 11. Illinois vs. 11. Mississippi State (South Bend, Indiana)
- Winner: Mississippi State, 70-56
9 p.m. ET: 16 Southern U vs. 16 Sacred Heart (Stanford, California)
- Winner: Sacred Heart, 57-47

Thursday, March 16

7 p.m. ET: 11 Purdue vs. 11 St. John’s (Columbus, Ohio)
- Winner: St. John’s, 66-64
9 p.m. ET: 16 Tennessee Tech vs. 16 Monmouth (Greenville, S.C.)
- Winner: Tennessee Tech, 79-69

**Bracket, schedule* by region**

*Includes scores, game time and TV network, if available

GREENVILLE 1

Columbia, S.C.

Round 1 — Friday, March 17:
- 1. South Carolina 72, 16. Norfolk State 40
- 8. South Florida 67, 9. Marquette 65
Round 2 — Sunday, March 19:
- 1. South Carolina 76, 8. South Florida, 45

Los Angeles, California

Round 1 — Saturday, March 18:
- 5. Oklahoma 85, 12. Portland 63
- 4. UCLA 67, 13. Sacramento State 45
Round 2 — Monday, March 20:
- 4. UCLA vs. 5. Oklahoma, 10 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

South Bend, Indiana

Round 1 — Friday, March 17:
- 6. Creighton 66, 11. Mississippi State 81 (First Four winner)
- 3. Notre Dame 82, 14. Southern Utah 56
Round 2 — Sunday, March 19:
- 3. Notre Dame 53, 11. Mississippi State 48

College Park, Maryland

Round 1 — Friday, March 17:
- 7. Arizona 75, 10. West Virginia 62
- 2. Maryland 93, 15. Holy Cross 61
Round 2 — Sunday, March 19:
- 2. Maryland 77, 7. Arizona 64

GREENEVILLE 2

Bloomington, Indiana

Round 1 — Saturday, March 18:
- 1. Indiana 77, 16. Tennessee Tech 47 (First Four winner)
- 8. Oklahoma State 61, 9. Miami 62 (FL)
Round 2 — Monday, March 20:
- 1. Indiana vs. 9. Miami, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

Villanova, Pennsylvania

Round 1 — Saturday, March 18:
- 5. Washington State 63, 12. FGCU 74
- 4. Villanova 76, 13. Cleveland State 59
Round 2 — Monday, March 20:
- 12. FGCU vs. 4. Villanova, 7 p.m. ET (ESPNU)

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Round 1 — Friday, March 17:
- 6. Michigan 71, 11. UNLV 59
- 3. LSU 73, 14. Hawaii 50
Round 2 — Sunday, March 19:
- 6. Michigan vs. 3. LSU, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Salt Lake City, Utah

Round 1 — Friday, March 17:
- 7. N.C. State 63, 10. Princeton 64
- 2. Utah 103, 15. Gardner-Webb 77
Round 2 — Sunday, March 19:
- 2. Utah vs. 10. Princeton, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

SEATTLE 3

Blacksburg, Virginia

Round 1 — Friday, March 17:
- 1. Virginia Tech 58, 16. Chattanooga 33
- 8. Southern California 57, 9. South Dakota State 62
Round 2 — Sunday, March 19:
- 1. Virginia Tech 72, South Dakota State, 60

Knoxville, Tennessee

Round 1 — Saturday, March 18:
- 5. Iowa State 73, 12. Toledo 80
- 4. Tennessee 95, 13. Saint Louis 50
Round 2 — Monday, March 20:
- 12. Toledo vs. 4. Tennessee, 6 p.m. (ESPN2)

Columbus, Ohio

Round 1 — Saturday, March 18:
- 6. North Carolina 61, 11. St. John’s 59 (First Four winner)
- 3. Ohio State 80, 14. James Madison 66
Round 2 — Monday, March 20:
- 3. Ohio State vs. 6. North Carolina, 4 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Storrs, Connecticut

Round 1 — Saturday, March 18:
- 7. Baylor 78, 10. Alabama 74
- 2. UConn 95, 15. Vermont 52
Round 2 — Monday, March 20:
- 2. UConn vs. 7. Baylor, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN)

SEATTLE 4

Stanford, California

Round 1 — Friday, March 17:
- 1. Stanford 92, 16. Sacred Heart 49 (First Four winner)
- 8. Ole Miss 71, 9. Gonzaga 48
Round 2 — Sunday, March 19:
- 1. Stanford vs. 8. Ole Miss, 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Austin, Texas

Round 1 — Saturday, March 18:
- 5. Louisville 83, 12. Drake 81
- 4. Texas 79, 13. East Carolina 40
Round 2 — Monday, March 20:
- 4. Texas vs. 5. Louisville, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Durham, N.C.

Round 1 — Saturday, March 18:
- 6. Colorado 82, 11. Middle Tennessee State 60
- 3. Duke 89, 14. Iona 49
Round 2 — Monday, March 20:
- 3. Duke vs. Colorado, 9 p.m. ET (ESPNU)

Iowa City, Iowa

Round 1 — Friday, March 17:
- 7. Florida State 54, 10. Georgia 66
- 2. Iowa 95, 15. Southeastern Louisiana 43
Round 2 — Sunday, March 19:
- 2. Iowa 74, 10. Georgia 66

Regionals/Final Four schedule, how to watch

Sweet 16: Friday and Saturday, March 24-25; Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, S.C., host: Southern Conference and Furman; and Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, hosts: Seattle and Seattle Sports Commission

Elite 8: Sunday and Monday, March 26-27; Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, S.C., host: Southern Conference and Furman; and Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, hosts: Seattle and Seattle Sports Commission

Final 4: Friday, March 31, 7 p.m. ET and 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN); American Airlines Center, Dallas; hosts: Big 12 Conference and Dallas Sports Commission

Championship Game: Sunday, April 2, 3 p.m. ET (ABC); American Airlines Center, Dallas; hosts: Big 12 Conference and Dallas Sports Commission