KOENIGSSEE, Germany --- American Tony Benshoof (White Bear Lake, Minn.) raced to this fifth men’s singles luge World Cup medal of the season when he slid to silver during Saturday’s, Jan. 7, series stop in Koenigssee, Germany. Benshoof, a 2006 Olympic team nominee, captured his second consecutive second place finish, and fourth of the season, with a combined time of 1 minute, 36.160 seconds.

“He had a real shot of winning today,” remarked national team manager, Fred Zimny. “A couple of small mistakes at the bottom of the track cost him a gold medal, but he had a real solid race and I know he’s pleased with the result.”

Italy’s Armin Zoeggeler slid to his second straight victory, and third win of the season, with a two-run time of 1:36.072 and took the overall series lead from Russia’s Albert Demtschenko, who crashed during his first run. Germany’s Georg Hackl rounded out the top-three sleds after scoring a total time of 1:36.235 on his home course.

USA Luge’s Jonathan Myles (Rumney, N.H.) and Christian Niccum (Woodinville, Wash.,), both 2006 Olympic nominees, finished 21st and 27th, respectively.

After six races, Zoeggeler leads both Benshoof and Demtschenko in the overall standings, 444 points to 410. German David Moeller sits in fourth place with 351 points.

Benshoof also came away with two more medals Saturday when he helped lead Team USA to a bronze medal finish in the World Cup team competition. The result allowed USA Luge to finish the four-race series tied for second overall, with 290 points, with Germany and Austria.

Benshoof, Courtney Zablocki (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), and the doubles team of Preston Griffall (Salt Lake City, Utah) and Dan Joye (Carmel, N.Y.) combined to race to a three-heat, total time of 2:25.617. Team Germany used a little home-track advantage to claim its only series win of the season when Hackl, Silke Kraushaar, and the doubles team of Patric Leitner and Alexander Resch teamed together to race past the 12-nation field in a time of 2:24.785. Team Italy, which won the overall series crown with 315 points, finished in Saturday’s silver medal spot after clocking a combined time of 2:25.304.

The squad featured Zoeggeler, Anastasia Oberstolz-Antonova, and the duo of Gerhard Plankensteiner and Oswald Haselrieder.

Two more luge World Cup stops remain on the schedule before the February’s Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. Next weekend, Jan. 13-15, the world’s top sliders will visit Igls, Austria before the eight-race series concludes in Oberhof, Germany, Jan. 27-29.