CARRABASSETT VALLEY – Lindsey Vonn brought the World Cup champion’s globe to the U.S. Alpine Championships.

Stacey Cook is the one carrying the broom.

Cook completed her sweep of the speed events in the national skiing showcase at Sugarloaf, edging Vonn by nine-hundredths of a second to capture the women’s downhill Monday afternoon.

“The downhill title is the big title to win at national championships,” said Cook. “It’s the most well-known to people that don’t know about skiing. Downhill has always had a place in my heart. It’s a special title for sure.”

One day earlier, Cook, 23, won her second U.S. super-G crown in three years on the same course. All three national titles in her career have come at Sugarloaf.

“My coaches have been telling me all year that I try too hard,” Cook said. “This is a relaxed environment. It’s easy for me to practice being relaxed.”

The men’s downhill produced a first-time champion.

T.J. Lanning applied an exclamation point to a rare, injury-free campaign with his triumph over Andrew Weibrecht and Christopher Beckmann. Lanning was second in super-G and sixth in downhill the last time Sugarloaf hosted nationals in 2006.

“This season in general was really breakthrough for me,” Lanning said.

Cook hopes her second win in 24 hours signals a similar momentum change in her career, and one that will persist throughout a summer of training and into 2009.

While Vonn became the first U.S. women’s World Cup overall champion since Tamara McKinney in 1983, Cook struggled to get out of the second tier. Her best finishes were a trio of 13ths – one each in super-G, super combined and downhill.

This time, it was Cook making her run of 1:11.69 immediately before Vonn and applying the pressure, instead of the other way around.

“It’s just day in and day out of practice. If you watch Lindsey ski, she’s so subtle. She never has any harsh movements or anything, and she always looks so perfect on the snow,” Cook said. “It’s experience. It’s practice. It’s being comfortable with the environment and with the hills that we’re on. I’ve been on this hill a little bit, so it’s an easy place for me to work on that.”

Vonn, who was fourth in Sunday’s super-G, left the scene quickly after her runner-up finish. She is not scheduled to compete Wednesday in the giant slalom.

“She’s bummed,” U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association publicist Doug Haney said of Vonn. “She’s a competitor, for sure.”

On the heels of her Saturday slalom victory, Vonn’s second in downhill locked up the combined title with ease.

Chelsea Marshall earned her first-ever national podium, finishing third at 1:11.84, only six-hundredths off Vonn’s pace.

“It’s nice to be up there with Lindsey and Stacey and be competitive with them,” Marshall said. “I think it brings my level up. Lindsey and I rode up the chair together. We were joking on the way up that she’d better watch out, but I didn’t get her today.”

Lanning (1:09.24) topped fellow U.S. Ski Team up-and-comers Weibrecht (1:09.26) and Beckmann (1:10.07) in the men’s competition.

Sam Sweetser of Cumberland Center was fifth for his best career finish at nationals.

“You always just go out and have fun. Especially here now, where it’s a little less serious and the camaraderie is lightened from when we’re racing in Europe, because we’re all best friends and teammates,” Lanning said. “It’s just a lot of fun. This is the best situation to be in, because whether you win or lose, you’re all going to be happy at the end of the day.”

Weibrecht celebrated the provisional lead after his early run by extending one of his ski poles high over his head and whooping to the crowd.

His time appeared even safer when Bryon Friedman, fastest in the morning training run, stumbled at the start and failed to finish. Lanning quickly doused Weibrecht’s upset hopes, however.

“I’m really happy to get a podium. I was expecting to hit a top-five,” Weibrecht said. “Once it gets to that point, it’s sort of dumb luck whether you’re on the right side by a couple tenths of a second.”