By USSA

CORTINA d’AMPEZZO, Italy -– Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley) continued to gain momentum toward Sochi with seventh place Thursday in an Audi FIS Alpine World Cup super G in Cortina for her best race of the season.

Stacey Cook (Mammoth Mountain) added to the U.S. momentum with ninth, her best super G finish since 2007. Austria’s Elisabeth Goergl won the race, which was a replacement for the canceled super G race last weekend due to a powerful winter storm that sidelined the weekend’s speed events.

The athletes take on downhill Friday, another replacement event, followed by a downhill and super G scheduled Saturday and Sunday in Cortina. The U.S. Olympic selection period ends on Sunday and official team nominations will be announced that afternoon. Leanne Smith (N. Conway, N.H.) was on track for a solid result when she was bumped wide while clearing a gate in the middle of the course and did not finish.

Julia Ford (Holderness, N.H.) and Jackie Wiles (Aurora, Ore.) just missed scoring points with 31st and 34th respectively. Laurenne Ross (Bend, Ore.) finished 36th.