Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Finish Second In Montana
January 18, 2003 | Skiing
BOZEMAN, Mont. - The University of Colorado ski team used its strongest performance of the year in either nordic discipline in riding it to a second place finish in the Montana State Invitational.
Utah won with 575.5 points, followed by Colorado with 538. Defending NCAA champion Denver was third with a 518 total, while New Mexico, winner of the first meet of the season last week, captured fourth (481 points).
Colorado scored 77 points in the men's 15k freestyle race, easily its most of the season in any nordic race, men's or women's, as three Buffaloes finished in the top seven. Alaska-Anchorage's Tobias Schwoerer easily won for the second straight day, and again by half a minute, in posting a 38:08.3 time. But CU freshman Erling Christiansen skied the course in 38:58.1 to grab third, topping his best collegiate finish of fifth he posted Friday in the classical. He was joined in the top 10 by teammates Henrik Hoye, a fellow freshman who posted a 39:07.1 clocking, and senior Norbert Pelc who was seventh in 39:09.1.
CU didn't fare as well in the women's 10k version, though sophomore Muriele Huberli matched her career best finish from earlier this season with a fifth place effort in 29:26.5. Utah's Katrin Smigun has now won all four races this winter, adding Saturday's event to her collection, posting a 28:13.0 time to win by six seconds. Junior Claire Critchley was CU's next finisher, 14th, in 30:47.1, with the Buffs' only other female nordic skier, frosh Brooke Rygg, finishing 31st (34:33.8). The trio will be joined by Jana Rehmaa, who is from Estonia, for the remainder of the year upon their return to Boulder.
The next collegiate meet will be the Colorado Invitational/Laura Sharpe Flood Memorial at Eldora, January 31-February 1.
WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES at Tarvisio, Italy--In the first day of alpine skiing competition, three University of Colorado skiers competed among the best collegians in the world in the downhill. CU freshman Amy Beresford finished 13th in 1:40.77, with frosh Erika Hogan nabbing 16th (1:41.10) and junior Mia Cullman 27th (1:43.22); Gabriela Martinovova of the Czech Republic won in 1:36.70 as over 3,000 jammed the outdoor arena to witness the competition. "It was a great job on all levels, especially because of the fact that we don't ski it (the downhill) as it's not in our format," CU head coach Richard Rokos said, as he is tutoring the 13-member U.S. contingent participating here. "We did very well in the first race, a good start that we3 didn't even count on." All six American women finished in the top 30, with New Mexico's Helen Woodrow's sixth place finish the best, followed by Beresford's.
Montana Invitational Team Scores--1. Utah 575.5; 2. COLORADO 538; 3. Denver 518; 4. New Mexico 481; 5. Nevada 399.5; 6. Alaska-Anchorage 364; 7. Western State 304; 8. Whitman 257; 9. Montana State 140.
Men's 15K Freestyle--1. Tobias Schwoerer, UAA, 38:08.3; 2. Zack Simons, Utah, 38:38.1; 3. Erling Christiansen, CU, 38:58.1; 4. Amund Hansen, DU, 38:59.1; 5. Eric Strabel, UAA, 39:02.1; 6. Henrik Hoye, CU, 39:07.1; 7. Norbert Pelc, CU, 39:09.1; 8. Jess Kiesel, Utah, 39:32.1; 9. Zach Violett, UAA, 39:35.2; 10. Martin Bartnes, DU, 39:56.2. Other CU Finishers: 16. Nick Sterling, 41:10.9.
Women's 10 Freestyle--1. Katrin Smigun, Utah, 28:13.0; 2. Jenny Wissting, UNM, 28:19.6; 3. Sara Svendsen, Utah, 28:30.6; 4. Mandy Kaempf, UAA, 28:50.1; 5. Muriele Huberli, CU, 29:26.5; 6. Kristina Strandberg, UNM, 29:30.4; 7. Barbro Hatlevik, Utah, 29:37.2; 8. Karin Camenisch, DU, 29:38.7; 9. Abby McAllister, UNR, 29:29.6; 10. Ashley McQueen, Utah, 29:51.4. Other CU Finishers: 14. Claire Critchley, 30:47.1; 31. Brooke Rygg, 34:33.8.
