CU’s Nordic Team Leads Buffs To UNM Meet Victory
February 04, 2018 | Skiing
Colorado’s alpine team carried the Buffs on Saturday, Nordic returned the favor on Sunday; Buffs have now won 2-of-3 team meets this season
RED RIVER, N.M. and CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. — On the backing of Sunday's 5K classic race victories from both the men's and women's Nordic teams, and an individual slalom race victory from junior Nora Christensen on the alpine side, the Colorado ski team went on to claim a 6½-point victory at the New Mexico/Drew Judycki Memorial/Jade Enterprises Invitational.
The women's Nordic team placed four finishers inside the top five of the standings of the 5K classic held at Crested Butte to give them a 19-point margin of victory in the race. It was a bit closer on the men's side, but with three Buffalo finishers in the top six, Colorado won the men's race by a four-point margin over Utah.
"In general it was a solid day and nice to bounce back and leave here on an upbeat note," head Nordic coach Bruce Cranmer said.
That gave Colorado a 57-point lead in the meet after 6-of-8 events, with the men's and women's slalom races still running down at Red River, N.M. And it is the slalom races that are the great equalizer in collegiate skiing.
Thanks in large part to Christensen's second slalom victory of the winter, the alpine teams scored just enough to hang on for the meet victory, CU's second in three team meets this year. Colorado's 6½-point winning margin over Denver was the closest margin of victory for the Buffs since winning the 1999 NCAA West Regional Championship by four points over DU.
The win was also CU's 60th regular season meet victory since the sport went coed back in 1983 and the Buffs moved past Utah (59½) for the most regular season wins in the West region.
"Nordic saved the show today, absolutely, they made it happen for us," head coach Richard Rokos said. "It was one of those days when everything goes right and then turns to be wrong (on the alpine side).
MEN'S 5K CLASSIC RACE: The men's race was the first one completed on Sunday and the Buffs helped build off the five-point lead CU carried in the team meet standings from Saturday. Colorado won the race with 92 points, a four-point margin over Utah and a 17-point margin over Denver.
CU got the win in the men's race thanks to placing three finishers in the top six.
Freshman Alvar Alev led the Buffs with a third-place finish, recording the first podium finish of his career. Junior Petter Reistad was right behind in fourth and freshman Sondre Bollum placed sixth.
Senior Ian Boucher finished in 20th, his best classic result of the season, and freshman Tyler Terranova was 21st, recording his best result in any race of either discipline this winter.
WOMEN'S 5K CLASSIC RACE: The women followed the men's lead and had a dominant showing in their 5K classic, going 2-3-4-5 atop the leaderboard. That scored 102 points for the women and the Buffs have now scored 100 or more points in all three team 5K classic races this winter. No other RMISA women's Nordic team has scored over 100 points in any race this year.
"It is hard to put a finger on it because I wouldn't say off the top of my head we are much better in classic, but the results certainly show we have done well in all the classic races for whatever reason," Cranmer said of the success in classic races this winter. "We feel good about it, maybe there is a little confidence there too, but beyond that I don't know, maybe everything it just dialed in there a little bit better on those days."
It ended up being a 19-point margin of victory for the CU women's Nordic team, as Utah was second with 83 points and the Utes were led by race winner Guro Jordheim.
Colorado freshman Hedda Baangman was second and sophomore Anne Siri Lervik came in third to record her second podium finish of her career. For Baangman, she has now hit the podium in all three 5K classic races this season (won the other two).
Christiana Rolandsen placed fourth, her best classic result of the season, and Ane Johnsen was fifth, her top result since the Montana State Invitational in January of 2017.
WOMEN'S SLALOM RACE: Christensen's win helped CU as a team pick up 79 points to finish second in the women's race. Isabella Fidjeland placed ninth, her first top 10 of the season, to earn 22 points and Megan McGrew was 15th, netting 17 points for the Buffs.
Tonje Trulsrud, who won the women's slalom on Saturday, did not finish her second run Sunday.
MEN'S SLALOM RACE: Colorado as a team finished in fifth place in the men's race with 52 points.
Saturday's race winner Ola Johansen started out strong and posted the fastest time in the field on the first run, but did not finish his second run. Bobby Moyer also did not finish run No. 2.
CU then only had three finishers – Max Luukko in eighth, David Ketterer in 10th and Joey Young in 29th. Young was troubled in his first run when he had to climb back up the hill to get a missed gate.
WHAT IT MEANS: Colorado has now won two of the three team meets completed this winter and with just one more remaining before the RMISA Championships/NCAA West Regional, Colorado is close to securing its sixth RMISA regular season title since 2006. The Buffaloes enter next weekend's Denver Invitational with an 90-point lead on the second-place Pioneers (1,946 to 1,856) in the league standings.
QUOTEABLE
Head Coach Richard Rokos
On A Couple of Bright Moments From Sunday
"David started skiing faster and accumulating to the conditions and Max maintaining his momentum from yesterday and kept moving up in starting position. For the girls, Isabella (Fidjeland), she had a very strong second run finishing fourth on the second run and overall ninth, so she is improving her starting position for next slalom race as well."
On The Alpine And Nordic Teams Both Carrying Their Weight On Separate Days
"That's the name of the game. We are racing against a little bit different teams on alpine than Nordic's main competition might not be the same team as alpine on the other side. When you draw the line and calculate the result it might come as a surprise and it definitely came as a surprise for me today because I did not imagine that Nordic can collect so many points."
On Nora Christensen
"She put together two solid runs and just again proved her dominancy. That is one thing that I am thrilled and excited to see. She looks good and it is a good confidence builder for everybody."
Head Nordic Coach Bruce Cranmer
On Sunday's Strong Performances
"It was kind of nice after yesterday was a little rough, but basically the whole group did pretty well today so we are excited about that."
On The Men's Race
"It was 5K, good conditions and seemed like a real fair race. The guys went first and were all in there in the hunt."
On Ian Boucher and Tyler Terranova
"Both of them were solid and it is great to get your best result going. They all felt pretty good about their day, especially on the heels of yesterday being a little quirky and funky in general for most of the team."
On Hedda Baangman bouncing back after falling ill in Saturday's race
"Obviously it was nice to see Hedda bounce back because she was on the border line of whether to race or not. I just said, 'well, you can try and just see, but I don't want you to hurt yourself or if it doesn't feel right just stop,' but she was running in first for a lot of the race and it is probably tricky to quit when you are winning. She was happy that she raced and happy she finished. She said she felt tired and her body was a little beat up from yesterday, but that was nice to see."
On Ane Johnsen
"Ane has started coming back in form where she has been more used to being in the top 10 for sure. She has been dealing with some back issues and that has been her biggest problem, a sore back."
Full Quote On The Women Dominating 5K Classic Races This Year
"It just seems like we have been solid on classic. I would say Hedda for sure is better at classic, but beyond that I think Ane is better skating and everyone is kind of in a mix. I don't know, maybe we just get the waxing right or they just feel more comfortable. It is hard to put a finger on it because I wouldn't say off the top of my head we are much better in classic, but the results certainly show we have done well in all the classic races for whatever reason. We feel good about it, maybe there is a little confidence there too, but beyond that I don't know, maybe everything it just dialed in there a little bit better on those days."
THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO/DREW JUDYCKI MEMORIAL/JADE ENTERPRISES INVITATIONAL
MEET TEAM STANDINGS (FINAL):
1. Colorado 652; 2. Denver 645.5; 3. Utah 547.5; 4. New Mexico 537; 5. Montana State 527.5; 6. Alaska Anchorage 351.5; 7. Westminster College 203; 8. Wyoming 135; 9. Colorado Mountain College 43.
Official and complete results on the link at the top of the page.
The women's Nordic team placed four finishers inside the top five of the standings of the 5K classic held at Crested Butte to give them a 19-point margin of victory in the race. It was a bit closer on the men's side, but with three Buffalo finishers in the top six, Colorado won the men's race by a four-point margin over Utah.
"In general it was a solid day and nice to bounce back and leave here on an upbeat note," head Nordic coach Bruce Cranmer said.
That gave Colorado a 57-point lead in the meet after 6-of-8 events, with the men's and women's slalom races still running down at Red River, N.M. And it is the slalom races that are the great equalizer in collegiate skiing.
Thanks in large part to Christensen's second slalom victory of the winter, the alpine teams scored just enough to hang on for the meet victory, CU's second in three team meets this year. Colorado's 6½-point winning margin over Denver was the closest margin of victory for the Buffs since winning the 1999 NCAA West Regional Championship by four points over DU.
The win was also CU's 60th regular season meet victory since the sport went coed back in 1983 and the Buffs moved past Utah (59½) for the most regular season wins in the West region.
"Nordic saved the show today, absolutely, they made it happen for us," head coach Richard Rokos said. "It was one of those days when everything goes right and then turns to be wrong (on the alpine side).
MEN'S 5K CLASSIC RACE: The men's race was the first one completed on Sunday and the Buffs helped build off the five-point lead CU carried in the team meet standings from Saturday. Colorado won the race with 92 points, a four-point margin over Utah and a 17-point margin over Denver.
CU got the win in the men's race thanks to placing three finishers in the top six.
Freshman Alvar Alev led the Buffs with a third-place finish, recording the first podium finish of his career. Junior Petter Reistad was right behind in fourth and freshman Sondre Bollum placed sixth.
Senior Ian Boucher finished in 20th, his best classic result of the season, and freshman Tyler Terranova was 21st, recording his best result in any race of either discipline this winter.
WOMEN'S 5K CLASSIC RACE: The women followed the men's lead and had a dominant showing in their 5K classic, going 2-3-4-5 atop the leaderboard. That scored 102 points for the women and the Buffs have now scored 100 or more points in all three team 5K classic races this winter. No other RMISA women's Nordic team has scored over 100 points in any race this year.
"It is hard to put a finger on it because I wouldn't say off the top of my head we are much better in classic, but the results certainly show we have done well in all the classic races for whatever reason," Cranmer said of the success in classic races this winter. "We feel good about it, maybe there is a little confidence there too, but beyond that I don't know, maybe everything it just dialed in there a little bit better on those days."
It ended up being a 19-point margin of victory for the CU women's Nordic team, as Utah was second with 83 points and the Utes were led by race winner Guro Jordheim.
Colorado freshman Hedda Baangman was second and sophomore Anne Siri Lervik came in third to record her second podium finish of her career. For Baangman, she has now hit the podium in all three 5K classic races this season (won the other two).
Christiana Rolandsen placed fourth, her best classic result of the season, and Ane Johnsen was fifth, her top result since the Montana State Invitational in January of 2017.
WOMEN'S SLALOM RACE: Christensen's win helped CU as a team pick up 79 points to finish second in the women's race. Isabella Fidjeland placed ninth, her first top 10 of the season, to earn 22 points and Megan McGrew was 15th, netting 17 points for the Buffs.
Tonje Trulsrud, who won the women's slalom on Saturday, did not finish her second run Sunday.
MEN'S SLALOM RACE: Colorado as a team finished in fifth place in the men's race with 52 points.
Saturday's race winner Ola Johansen started out strong and posted the fastest time in the field on the first run, but did not finish his second run. Bobby Moyer also did not finish run No. 2.
CU then only had three finishers – Max Luukko in eighth, David Ketterer in 10th and Joey Young in 29th. Young was troubled in his first run when he had to climb back up the hill to get a missed gate.
WHAT IT MEANS: Colorado has now won two of the three team meets completed this winter and with just one more remaining before the RMISA Championships/NCAA West Regional, Colorado is close to securing its sixth RMISA regular season title since 2006. The Buffaloes enter next weekend's Denver Invitational with an 90-point lead on the second-place Pioneers (1,946 to 1,856) in the league standings.
QUOTEABLE
Head Coach Richard Rokos
On A Couple of Bright Moments From Sunday
"David started skiing faster and accumulating to the conditions and Max maintaining his momentum from yesterday and kept moving up in starting position. For the girls, Isabella (Fidjeland), she had a very strong second run finishing fourth on the second run and overall ninth, so she is improving her starting position for next slalom race as well."
On The Alpine And Nordic Teams Both Carrying Their Weight On Separate Days
"That's the name of the game. We are racing against a little bit different teams on alpine than Nordic's main competition might not be the same team as alpine on the other side. When you draw the line and calculate the result it might come as a surprise and it definitely came as a surprise for me today because I did not imagine that Nordic can collect so many points."
On Nora Christensen
"She put together two solid runs and just again proved her dominancy. That is one thing that I am thrilled and excited to see. She looks good and it is a good confidence builder for everybody."
Head Nordic Coach Bruce Cranmer
On Sunday's Strong Performances
"It was kind of nice after yesterday was a little rough, but basically the whole group did pretty well today so we are excited about that."
On The Men's Race
"It was 5K, good conditions and seemed like a real fair race. The guys went first and were all in there in the hunt."
On Ian Boucher and Tyler Terranova
"Both of them were solid and it is great to get your best result going. They all felt pretty good about their day, especially on the heels of yesterday being a little quirky and funky in general for most of the team."
On Hedda Baangman bouncing back after falling ill in Saturday's race
"Obviously it was nice to see Hedda bounce back because she was on the border line of whether to race or not. I just said, 'well, you can try and just see, but I don't want you to hurt yourself or if it doesn't feel right just stop,' but she was running in first for a lot of the race and it is probably tricky to quit when you are winning. She was happy that she raced and happy she finished. She said she felt tired and her body was a little beat up from yesterday, but that was nice to see."
On Ane Johnsen
"Ane has started coming back in form where she has been more used to being in the top 10 for sure. She has been dealing with some back issues and that has been her biggest problem, a sore back."
Full Quote On The Women Dominating 5K Classic Races This Year
"It just seems like we have been solid on classic. I would say Hedda for sure is better at classic, but beyond that I think Ane is better skating and everyone is kind of in a mix. I don't know, maybe we just get the waxing right or they just feel more comfortable. It is hard to put a finger on it because I wouldn't say off the top of my head we are much better in classic, but the results certainly show we have done well in all the classic races for whatever reason. We feel good about it, maybe there is a little confidence there too, but beyond that I don't know, maybe everything it just dialed in there a little bit better on those days."
THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO/DREW JUDYCKI MEMORIAL/JADE ENTERPRISES INVITATIONAL
MEET TEAM STANDINGS (FINAL):
1. Colorado 652; 2. Denver 645.5; 3. Utah 547.5; 4. New Mexico 537; 5. Montana State 527.5; 6. Alaska Anchorage 351.5; 7. Westminster College 203; 8. Wyoming 135; 9. Colorado Mountain College 43.
Official and complete results on the link at the top of the page.
Players Mentioned
NORDIC
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NORDIC
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NORDIC
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NORDIC
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ALPINE
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ALPINE
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ALPINE
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NORDIC
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ALPINE
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NORDIC
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ALPINE
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ALPINE
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ALPINE
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NORDIC
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NORDIC
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ALPINE
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ALPINE
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