Stiegler, Kelley, Nickerson to Start Soelden

SOELDEN, Austria (Oct. 21) - The U.S. Ski Team finalized their starting lineup for Saturday's 2010 Audi FIS Alpine World Cup kick off with Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, WY) Jessica Kelley (Starksboro, VT) and Warner Nickerson (Gilford, NH) receiving the green light for the annual giant slalom opener.

Following a string of injuries Stiegler rocketed to a top 20 slalom finish at the 2009 Audi FIS Alpine World Championships and will start only her second race since December of 2007. Kelley is also on the mend from injury and will get her second consecutive start in Soelden.

The pair joins two-time World Cup overall champion Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO), 2006 Olympic giant slalom gold medalist Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA), World Cup winner Sarah Schleper (Vail, CO) and Megan McJames (Park City, UT).

"We've had a good preparation period and now it's time to see how the Team can execute," said women's Head Coach Jim Tracy. "This race is always the first gauge for every Team and every athlete."

Nickerson, who posted a bronze medal GS performance at the 2009 Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships snagged the final men's spot by winning a best-of-three run time trial over Dane Spencer (Boise, ID). He will race along side World Championships bronze medalist Ted Ligety (Park City, UT), Tim Jitloff (Reno, NV), Jake Zamansky (Aspen, CO) and Tommy Ford (Bend, OR).

It will be the first World Cup start since 2006 for the former NCAA All-American.

"I put down a pretty solid run on the top and really nailed the line coming onto the flats," said Nickerson. "It hasn't quite set in, but I'm just psyched to still be skiing and ready for whatever comes."

Live timing will be available Saturday and Sunday at www.fis-ski.com starting at 3:45 a.m. ET followed by the second run at 7:45 a.m. ET.

Additionally, Universal Sports will broadcast same-day coverage of both races at 10 a.m. ET on their 24-hour television network with on-demand streaming also available later each day on UniversalSports.com.