Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
Nordic
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Skiers Move Into Tie For 6th At Midway Point Of NCAA Championships
March 10, 2005 | Skiing
STOWE, Vt. -Â The University of Colorado ski team needed a big day to get back into the hunt for the title here at the 52nd NCAA Championships, but things did not go the Buffaloes way despite moving up three spots into a tie for sixth place.
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Western schools ruled the roost Thursday, claiming 14 of the top 20 spots in the classical cross country races; central schools earned five of the remaining places and the east just one as the standings flip-flopped from the first day. Western schools now own five of the top seven spots, the exact opposite following Wednesday's giant slaloms when the east placed five in the top seven.
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Denver erased a 43-point deficit in rallying to take the lead at the midway point with 369 points. Host Vermont, the day one leader, slipped into second with 348 points in what at first glance now appears to be a two-team race at this juncture. Dartmouth (296), Utah (289) and defending champion New Mexico (274) round out the top five, with Colorado and Alaska-Anchorage tied for sixth with 231.
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However, in the net point standings, it's still no less than a five-team race. Denver still leads with 312 points, but the top five are separated by just 54 points, with Vermont second (300), followed by Utah (264), New Mexico (262) and Dartmouth (258). Since teams can only count a maximum 21 scores, those will full 12-skier teams must drop their low three (11-man teams drop one). The remainder of the field held their point totals and positions since they can't post the maximum number of scores.
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Denver used a strong performance in the men's 10-kilometer classical race to vault into the overall lead, as the Pioneers posted a 1-2-4 finish to pickup 122 team points, just one under the maximum. Rene Reisshauer won the individual title in a 30:49.1 time, followed by teammate John Stene in second place in 31:10.9.Â
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CU junior Henrik Hoye finished third in a 31:16.4 clocking, earning first-team All-America honors with the effort, his second best performance this winter. Denver's Havard Selseng was fourth in 31:21.4 to give DU three of the top four finishers.
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"I was feeling pretty good on the first lap and a little behind the second," Hoye said. "I was struggling, especially in the middle, but I had good skis and overall a good day. I felt the winds a little bit, but it was the same conditions for everyone. It didn't matter much in the woods. But overall, I'm very happy with my result."
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Junior Erling Christiansen was 12th for the Buffaloes, completing the course in 32:11.1, with senior Tor Erik Schjellerud finishing 15th in 32:30.3. Both had been hoping for top 10, if not higher, finishes.
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In the women's 5K version, Alaska Anchorage senior Mandy Kaemp posted a near 10-second victory in winning in 17:19.3, the seventh race she has won this winter. Northern Michigan's Lindsay Williams was the runner-up in 17:29.1.
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Colorado was led by senior Muriele Huberli, who turned in an 18:42.5 time to place 16th, snapping a string of five straight top five finishes for her. Junior Brooke Rygg finished 33rd in 19:48.4, with senior Jessica Gray right behind her in 34th in 19:51.9.
"I didn't feel good today; I haven't felt good since we got here," Huberli said. "I got stiff really fast in the legs and felt like I didn't have any power at all. I skated pretty well over the last hill and gained a little bit of time there, but I just couldn't push. There's not a lot of time until Saturday, but I'll try and rest up and do better."
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"I'm disappointed in how we skied as a team," CU Nordic coordinator Bruce Cranmer said. "We came in with much higher expectations because we've been skiing better and more consistently as the year has progressed.Â
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"Henrik Hoye was the only bright spot for us today," he continued. "I had hoped for a podium finish for him, though I thought he could have won. Everyone else, for various reasons, didn't have that good a race. But we've got another race to get fired up for and hopefully we can have a better day Saturday."
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Unlike Wednesday's alpine event, which weather played a factor, Thursday was cold (18 degrees) and a bit breezy, but with sunny skies.
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"I don't think the conditions were an issue," he added. "We all had pretty good skis and this kind of race was pretty easy to wax for and we have good equipment. The best people won today. There was nothing tricky about the course or race. It was an extremely fair race and the conditions didn't impact anyone."
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               "You never want to think you're out of it until mathematically you are," CU head coach Richard Rokos said. "And not with the slalom yet to be run. We've endured years where we lost three or four skiers in slalom, so if we can ski with calculated risks and get everyone down the mountain, if other teams struggle, we could sneak back into it."
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               The slalom is next up Friday as the alpine teams are back in action. The first runs are at 7:30 (men) and 8:30 (women); second runs follow at 10:15 and 11:15, respectively, at Hayride at the Stowe Mountain Resort. Competition wraps up Saturday with the freestyle cross country races, with the women's 15K at 8:00 and the men's 20K at 10:00.
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NCAA Championship Team Scores-1. Denver 369;  2. Vermont 348; 3. Dartmouth 296; 4. Utah 289; 5. New Mexico 274; 6 (tie). Colorado & Alaska-Anchorage 231; 8 (tie). Colby & Northern Michigan 186; 10. Nevada 170; 11. Middlebury 163; 12. Williams 142; 13. Montana State 125; 14. New Hampshire 110; 15. Alaska-Fairbanks 84; 16 (tie). Boise State & Whitman 44; 18. Michigan Tech 36; 19. Western State 29; 20. Wisconsin-Green Bay 28; 21. Bates 24; 22. St. Lawrence 22.   Â
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Team Leaders (Net Points)-1. Denver 312;Â 2. Vermont 300;Â 3. Utah 264; Â 4. New Mexico 262;Â 5. Dartmouth 258;Â 6 (tie). Colorado & Alaska-Anchorage 231;Â 8 (tie). Colby & Northern Michigan 186;Â 10. Nevada 170.
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Men's 10K Classical-1. Rene Reisshauer, DU, 30:49.1; 2. John Stene, DU, 31:10.9; 3. Henrik Hoye, CU, 31:16.4; 4. Havard Selseng, DU, 31:21.4; 5. Bryan Cook, NMU, 31:34.2;  6. Dirk Grimm, UNM, 31:38.9; 7. Magnus Carlsson, UU, 31:43.0; 8. Zachary Violett, UAA, 31:46.1; 9. Benjamin Sonntag, UAA, 31:52.4; 10. Jed Kallen-Brown, UAF, 32:01.4.  Other CU Finishers: 12. Erling Christiansen, 32:11.1; 15. Tor Erik Schjellerud, 32:30.3.
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Women's 5K Classical-1. Mandy Kaempf, UAA, 17:19.3; 2. Lindsay Williams, NMU, 17:29.1; 3. Martina Stursova, UNM, 17:49.3; 4. Alison Crocker, DAR, 17:51.2; 5. Laura Valaas, Whitman, 18:04.4; 6. Tara Hamilton, DU, 18:05.2; 7. Kristina Owen, MTU, 18:09.1; 8. Lindsey Weier, NMU, 18:12.1; 9. Trine Lundamo, UNM, 18:14.5; 10. Sarah Hansen, UAA, 18:15.7.  CU Finishers: 16. Muriele Huberli, 18:42.5; 33. Brooke Rygg, 19:48.4; 34. Jessica Gray, 19:51.9.
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(Associate SID Colleen Reilly Krueger contributed to this report.)