Colorado University Athletics
Buffs In Third At NCAA Championships
March 05, 2003 | Skiing
(Associate SID Colleen Reilly Krueger On Site)
HANOVER, N.H. - The University of Colorado ski team is in third place after two races of the 50th Annual NCAA Championships, and because of a day where no team overly dominated, the Buffs run at their first title since 1999 is very much alive.
Western skiers dominated the cross country course as New Mexico emerged as the leader after two events with 169 points, followed by Utah with 145. Then came the Buffaloes in third with 138, and Alaska-Fairbanks with only nordic participants here in fourth with 137. Three-time defending NCAA champion Denver is ninth with 107.5.
Only five schools participating qualified full 12-member teams however, and with no other team qualifying more than 10, it should come down to those five. Since school can count only a maximum 21 skiers toward their team score, when the low three scores Wednesday were kicked out things tightened up a bit, with New Mexico (108), Utah (102) and CU (94) separated by just 14 points; Dartmouth (74) and DU (71.5) are further back. All other teams in the field will eventually have no need to have their scores adjusted as they will be counting 20 scores at best, and in most cases, not even that many.
How dominant was the west? In the women's 5k freestyle race, 12 of the top 15 finishers were out of the NCAA West region, with two others from Alaska-Fairbanks, which competes in the NCAA Central. And western skiers claimed five of the top 10 spots in the men's 10k race, with another two posted by central skiers.
In the women's race, Utah's Katrin Smigun made it 11-for-11 on the year, as she was crowned the NCAA freestyle champion after winning all 10 races in the west. She won in 13:29.7, topping Alaska-Anchorage's Mandy Kaempf time by 11 seconds. Alaska-Fairbanks' Sigrid Aas was third (13:41.1), with CU sophomore and Smigun's first cousin Jana Rehemaa just missing the awards podium with a fourth place time of 13:47.4, but still earned first-team All-America honors.
Rehemaa, seeded 10th out of the west for the staggered start with 30-second intervals, was in first when she completed the course and watched just three skiers finish after her with a faster time. A light but steady rain started falling about midway through the women's race and continued well beyond the last finisher.
"I felt pretty good, though I felt that I could have gone faster, and it wasn't enough," Rehemaa said. "When it started to rain, I got scared because I thought my skis wouldn't work, but it didn't last long and it was okay."
Colorado senior Claire Critchley was 14th in 14:26.8, with sophomore Muriele Huberli 21st in 14:39.1 in the tight event, as the stretch of 14 finishers between 13th and 26th were separated by only 16 seconds.
"It wasn't such a good race for me. I didn't fell well... sluggish and sloppy," Critchley said of her first-ever time in the NCAA Championships. "The rain didn't affect me and didn't last long. I was quite nervous today and didn't know what to expect. Maybe my nerves got to me and I can use today as a "practice run." I don't feel that I raced smart but hopefully I will take what I learned and race better Friday."
Huberli, who had CU's best freestyle seed (No. 8), was in fourth when she finished, but saw many of the skiers who took off after her top her time. "I'm not very happy, I think I was just nervous and I've been struggling for a month now," she said. "I just didn't have the energy to ski fast, but it will be a better, stronger race for me Friday."
"For Jana to finish in the top five at NCAA's is great," CU nordic coordinator Bruce Cranmer said of her first-ever NCAA title race. "I wish that Muriele and Claire could have been closer to the top 10. I didn't think the rain would really make a difference and we were ready for it."
Earlier in the day, New Mexico's Jimmy Vika won the men's 10k event in easy fashion, as his 24:03.9 time was nearly 30 seconds better than runner-up Lowell Bailey of Vermont. CU was paced by freshman Erling Christiansen, who took eighth in 25:21.9, the first of a pack of six skiers who were separated by just eight seconds.
"I fell on the first turn; my skis crossed in deep snow and I went into the woods... it was really sad," Christiansen said. "I lost 20 seconds, but some of the uphill climbs helped to make up time. It's just not encouraging to fall right away." Christiansen was afforded second-team All-American honors for his finish.
Another Buff freshman, Henrik Hoye, finished 19th in 25:44.4, with senior Norbert Pelc struggling to a 36th place effort in 26:53.6.
Hoye was in fifth when he finished, but had to watch 14 others put up a better time. "I felt good at the very beginning, the first kilometer, then the guy behind me (Northern Michigan's Dave Duede) caught up to me. My ski got stuck in some snow and I fell to my one knee just after that 1k. I was a little stiff after that, but I felt really good in the second loop. I think I had a good race for 3k, but it wasn't enough. It was a close, tough race, and I'm hoping that classical will be much better."
Pelc was the only one of the three CU men with previous NCAA experience. "Yeah, I was (relaxed), but I'm just disappointed. I was hoping for a better finish. I wasn't in good shape and sometimes raced good, sometimes bad; it didn't go so well. I'm hoping that Friday is much, much better. That's my last college race and I want a better result."
"In reality, Erling had a pretty good race, but that fall cost him some time," Cranmer said. "I was hoping for two top tens, and thought that Henrik would have been there. It's a little disappointing, not how you want to start. Norbert's four points are probably a throw out, but we'll have to live with the others.
"I think it's a good course that lends itself to the east having the advantage," Cranmer added about the course. "I think you always have the advantage on your home course, whether it's psychological or just knowledge. Our biggest problem is adjusting from altitude to near sea level. We're moving at a slower tempo and have to ski at a higher one and get our movement faster. All I can do is hope for better results Friday. That race is more in our favor. It going to be a hard course in classical, but we're pretty good for sure. I'm expecting a pretty different results."
CU head coach Richard Rokos was training with the alpine skiers and did not watch the race, but isn't concerned with Colorado's third place standing. "Things are very tight, and it's set up this year to end with an exciting slalom on Saturday, arguably our best discipline. Teams will start to separate a bit after the giant slalom tomorrow, we just have to ski smart and be sure we don't put ourselves in a position where we have to come from far behind."
The giant slalom races take center stage on Thursday at the Dartmouth Skiway in Lyme, with the men's first run at 7:30 a.m. mountain time (the second run is at 10:30), with the women set to ski at 9:00 and Noon. What remains to be seen is what effect Wednesday's rainfall will have on both the alpine mountain as well as for Friday's cross country classical competition.
NCAA Championship Team Scores--1. New Mexico 169; 2. Utah 145; 3. Colorado 138; 4. Alaska-Fairbanks 137; 5. Alaska-Anchorage 129.5; 6. Northern Michigan 129; 7. Nevada 127; 8. Vermont 114; 9. Denver 107.5; 10. New Hampshire 88; 11. Dartmouth 85; 12. Middlebury 70; 13. Bates 48; 14. Williams 22; 15. Western State 16; 16. Harvard 13; 17. Michigan Tech 13; 18. Montana State 5; 19. Wisconsin-Green Bay 2; 20. St. Cloud State 1.
Adjusted Team Scores Of Five Schools Qualifying Full Teams--1. New Mexico 108; 2. Utah 102; 3. Colorado 94; 4. Dartmouth 74; 5. Denver 71.5. (The low three scores are eliminated for each team, as a maximum 21 skier finishes count toward a team score; all other teams in the field qualified 10 or less skiers, thus their team scores will have no need to be adjusted come Saturday.)
Men's 10K Freestyle--1. Jimmy Vika, UNM, 24:03.9; 2. Lowell Bailey, UVM, 24:33.5; 3. Tobias Schwoerer, UAA, 24:36.1; 4. Christopher Cook, NMU, 24:50.9; 5. Michael Malak, UAF, 24:52.6; 6. Lars Krogsveen, UNM, 24:54.1; 7. Ethan Foster, UVM, 24:56.8; 8. Erling Christiansen, CU, 25:21.9; 9. Brayton Osgood, Dart., 25:22.0; 10. Ryan Quinn, Utah, 25:22.5. Other CU Finishers: 19. Henrik Hoye, 25:44.4; 36. Norbert Pelc, 26:53.6.
Women's 5K Freestyle--1. Katrin Smigun, Utah, 13:29.7; 2. Mandy Kaempf, UAA, 13:40.9; 3. Sigrid Aas, UAF, 13:41.1; 4. Jana Rehemaa, CU, 13:47.4; 5. Martina Stursova, UNM, 13:54.8; 6. Jenny Wissting, UNM, 13:57.1; 7. Sara Svendsen, Utah, 14:02.0; 8. Karin Camenisch, DU, and Hilary Patzer, NMU, 14:08.1; 10. Abby McAllister, UN, 14:16.8. Other CU Finishers: 14. Claire Critchley, 14:26.8; 21. Muriele Huberli, 14:39.1.
