Phil McNichol stepped down as head coach of the U.S. alpine men's team following a season of domination by American skiers on the World Cup circuit.

McNichol joined the U.S. program in 1997 and worked his way through the development and Europa Cup teams before taking over as head coach in 2002-03, transforming the U.S. men, led by Bode Miller and Daron Rahlves, into a World Cup force.

"I'm proud of what we've done with the Team since '03, giving Bode (Miller) and Daron (Rahlves) the platform to perform," McNichol said in a statement on the U.S. ski team website.

"And with Ted (Ligety), we've developed a champion from scratch.

"You could see this year, through consistency and ability to handle pressure, that now he'll be able to branch out to other events and challenge for the overall."

While McNichol can take credit for many things he was not part of Miller's run to a second overall World Cup title this season. Miller split with the U.S. team before the start of season to race independently.

Ligety, however, established his credentials as a future contender for the overall crown by taking the giant slalom title.

"Phil has done an unbelievable job with the U.S. Ski Team," said U.S. alpine director Jesse Hunt. "The World Cup results we've had in the last six years under his leadership are significant."

Reuters