Skiers Slip Into Fourth At Alaska Invite

Friday, January 14

Jackson Hole, Wyo.

All Day

Colorado

Alaska Anchorage Invitational (SL/CL)

Photo by: CUBuffs.com

January 14, 2005 | Skiing

JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. - The University of Colorado ski team slipped from third into fourth place here Friday as three-fourths of the Alaska Invitational has been completed.

Denver took over the lead from Utah, as the Pioneers have 414 points with two events remaining. The Utes hold down second with 374, while defending NCAA champion New Mexico barely vaulted the Buffaloes, as the Lobos are in third with 353.5 points and CU fourth with 350. Host Alaska-Anchorage is in fifth at 329.5.

CU senior Tor Erik Schjellerud won the men's 10-kiometer classical race Friday, as his time of 32:14.2 was good for better than a 15-second win over Denver's Rene Reisshauer. It marked the first win by a Buff skier in an individual race this winter. Juniors Henrik Hoye and Erling Christiansen also posted top 10 finishes, with Hoye snaring sixth in 33:12.3 and Christiansen ninth in 33:38.1.

The Buffs didn't fare as well in the women's 5K version with junior Brooke Rygg posting CU's best finish, coming in 12th in 20:20.1. Senior Jessica Gray was the only other Buff in the top 20, claiming 19th in 20:42.7. Alaska-Anchorage's Mandy Kaempf posted a 28-second win in the race with a time of 19:00.1.

In the slalom, the Buffs had two top 10 efforts, both in the women's race. Freshman Lucie Zikova finished fourth in a two-run time of 1:31.66, while junior Erika Hogan grabbed ninth in 1:33.16; sophomore Kristin Taylor added a 16th place time in 1:34.71. Freshman Rachel Roosevelt finished 31st in 1:49.94, as she suffered a fall in the morning run but came back to post the 15th best second run time of 46.51 despite starting 40th out of 41 skiers in the afternoon. Denver's Pia Rivelsrud won the race in 1:30.25.

Roosevelt, Hogan, Taylor and Zikova are now headed to the World University Games in Innsbruck, Austria. They will join CU head coach Richard Roko, who is already over there and is a member of the U.S. coaching staff.

In the men's slalom, senior Fritz Ernemann and freshman Joel Adams finished 15th and 16th respectively in times of 1:43.02 and 1:43.09; Western State's Timothee Theaux won in 1:39.81, an impressive win as he was won by over 61 seconds.

The men's and women's classical races on Saturday will conclude the competition.

Alaska Invitational Team Scores 1. Denver 414; 2. Utah 374; 3. New Mexico 353.5; 4. Colorado 350; 5. Alaska-Anchorage 329.5; 6. Nevada 298; 7. Montana State 280; 8. Western State 195; 9. Whitman 103; 10. Boise State 44.

Men's Slalom?1. Timothee Theaux, WSC, 1:39.81; 2. Cameron Barnes, UNR, 1:40.95; 3. Sean Higgins, DU, 1:41.08; 4. Lars Loeseth Sunde, UNM, 1:41.26; 5. Will McDonald, Utah, 1:41.28; 6. Gregory Besse, WSC, 1:41.64; 7. Gaspar Perricone, Utah, 1:41.66; 8. Cory Harris, MSU, 1:41.95; 9. Mark Heinrich-Wallace, Utah, 1:42.12; 10. Benjamin Thornhill, Utah, 1:42.31. CU Finishers: 15. Fritz Ernemann, 1:43.02; 16. Joel Adams, 1:43.09; 28. Tahir Bisic, 1:58.78. DNF Miles Cooke (1st run); DQ Brad Hogan (2nd run).

Women's Slalom 1. Pia Rivelsrud, DU, 1:30.25; 2. Tiina Salo, UNR, 1:30.53; 3. Karine Falck Pedersen, DU, 1:31.63; 4. Lucie Zikova, CU, 1:31.66; 5. Lina Johansson, Utah, 1:32.53; 6. Quiny Young, UNR, 1:32.79; 7. April Mancuso, Utah, 1:32.79; 8. Smaranda Munteanu, MSU, 1:33.10; 9. Erika Hogan, CU, 1:33.16; 10. Julie-Pierre LeClerc, UAA, 1:33.41. Other CU Finishers: 16. Kristin Taylor, 1:34.71; 21. Janicke Brusletto, 1:38.36; 31. Rachel Roosevelt, 1:49.94. DNF Ashley Woodworth (1st run), Catherine Brown (2nd run).

Men's 10K Classical 1. Tor Erik Schjellerud, CU, 32:14.2; 2. Rene Reisshauer, DU, 32:29.6; 3. John Stene, DU, 33:02.9; 4/ Haarvard Selseng, DU, 33:08.2; 5. Zach Violett, UAA, 33:11.6; 6. Henrik Hoye, CU, 33:12.3; 7. Andre Haugsboe, DU, 33:16.7; 8. Magnus Carlsson, Utah, 33:33.0; 9. Erling Christiansen, CU, 33:38.1; 10. Geir-endre Rogn, UNM, 34:05.1. Other CU Finishers: 20. Tim Damrow, 35:41.5; 25. Nick Sterling, 36:11.3.

Women's 5K Classical 1. Mandy Kaempf, UAA, 19:00.1; 2. Tara Hamilton, DU, 19:28.1; 3. Trine Lundamo, UNM, 19.33.1; 4. Emily Robins, MSU, 19:48.9; 5. Barbro Hatlevik, Utah, 19:50.6; 6. Laura Valaas, Whit., 19:52.6; 7. Nicole Deyong, UAA, 19:56.3; 8. Sarah Hansen, UAA, 19:56.4; 9. Tiffany Callahan, UNM, 20:02.3; 10. Pirkko Pulkkanen, UNM, 20;12.1. CU Finishers: 11. Brooke Rygg, 20:20.1; 19. Jessica Gray, 20:42.7; 24. Muriele Huberli, 20:53:5; 35. Maria Malmin, 23:29.8.