PARK CITY, Utah (AP) - Noelle Pikus-Pace made the U.S. skeleton team with one day of qualifying still to go. Meanwhile, Coloradan Katie Uhlaender was awarded a spot on the team due to an injury waiver.

Pikus-Pace secured her spot on the World Cup squad by being the fastest woman for the third straight qualifying session after finishing Friday's two runs at Utah Olympic Park 1.49 seconds ahead.

The format allows sliders to throw out their worst day from four days of qualifying. Pikus-Pace hasn't had one yet, also winning twice last week at Lake Placid on the opening days of the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton team trials.

A spot on the World Cup team puts Pikus-Pace in position to qualify for the Vancouver Games in February. She missed out on the 2006 Olympics after being hit by a bobsled.

"This year I just feel so excited to be here. I feel light and ready to compete," she said. "I feel like I did before the accident."

Pikus-Pace joins a team that already has Uhlaender. The two-time World Cup skeleton champion was awarded a spot on Saturday by the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation despite just getting back on the track last week as she recovers from a shattered kneecap.

Uhlaender wasn't competing, but did slide on Friday and said she was about .22 off her personal best on the 2002 Olympic track.

"It's definitely coming along," she said. "I've got about a month to knock that down, but considering I just started running a week ago, I'm pretty happy with that."

Uhlaender's waiver leaves one spot up for grabs in the women's skeleton competition when the trials wrap up Saturday. Rebecca Sorensen is the front-runner after finishing third on Friday and second in both Lake Placid races. Courtney Yamada-Anderson was second Friday and trailed Sorensen entering the weekend.

The men's skeleton standings were much tighter after Zach Lund finished first in Friday's qualifying on his home track, edging John Daly by 0.11 of a second. Matt Antoine, who led qualifying after the Lake Placid races, finished third. Daly had been second entering Friday and Lund third.

Photos of skeleton athlete Katie Uhlaender away from the track.

Although the top three finishers in the trials were supposed to make the national team, one spot has already been claimed by Eric Bernotas. The 2006 Olympian was leading after the first day of the trials and was excused for the rest of the competition because of a strained right quadriceps.

Lund is trying to make it to Vancouver after missing the 2006 Games because of a one-year suspension for a doping violation caused by a hair-restoration drug that didn't comply with World Anti-Doping Agency regulations. He entered the weekend in third.

His request for a medical waiver because of a strained hamstring was denied and Lund tweaked the injury on his first start Friday, but made up enough time at the bottom to lead after the first heat.

Lund wasn't sure where he was in the standings after Friday's runs and didn't want to know. The surest way to clinch a spot will be to win Saturday.

"I'm in the same place I was today," Lund said. "I've got to be good tomorrow."

Todd Hays was the top driver in men's bobsled, 0.62 seconds better than John Napier, who was coming off a win in the final qualifying race in Lake Placid.

Erin Pac won the women's bobsled on Friday, giving her two first-place finishes and one second in the three races. Bree Schaaf, who beat Pac in the second qualifier at Lake Placid, was second and Jamia Jackson third.