Colorado University Athletics
Skiers Bolt To Lead At Western State Invitational
February 10, 2006 | Skiing
Bolstered by the first 1-2-3 finish in a women's alpine race in school history, the University of Colorado ski team continued its recent roll here Friday, as the Buffaloes own a 24-point lead at the midway point of the Western State Invitational.
The No. 2 ranked Buffaloes put 309 points into the books to grab a comfortable lead on top-ranked Denver, as the Pioneers hold down second place with 285. New Mexico (259), Utah (229) and Montana State (198) round out the top five, with host Western State in seventh (148).
Colorado sophomore Lucie Zikova won for the fourth time in seven races, as she edged teammate, freshman Lisa Perricone, in the women's slalom. Zikova, the leader after the morning run, finished in 2:36.98, just ahead of Perricone's 2:37.03; when junior Sabrina Mocellin finished third in 2:37.28, it marked the first time the Buffaloes occupied the top three spots in a women's alpine race?slalom or giant slalom?and just the second time for either alpine team, joining a 1-2-3 effort by Fritz Schlopy, Ian Witter and Willie Raine in the GS at the 1989 Utah Invitational.
Zikova was also the runner-up in the three events that she did not win. Junior Kristin Taylor gave CU a fourth top 10 effort by claiming tenth in 2:40.14, with sophomore Rachel Roosevelt right behind her in 11th in 2:40.42.
In the men's slalom, Nevada's Cameron Barnes won in a two-run time of 1:13.12, edging Utah's Scott Veenis by .06 of a second. CU freshman Josh Bryan placed 10th in 1:14.22 to lead the Buffs, which had four skiers finish in the second 10 of the standings: freshmen Jonas Kryzl was 12th in 1:14.39 and Jean-Francois Ferreira 14th in 1:15.77, with sophomore Joel Adams 17th (1:14.93) and frosh Tony Cesolini 20th (1:15.18).
"It was one of the best days we've ever had, observing it from what we could immediately see on the mountain," head coach Richard Rokos said. "We're so very consistent with the girls. In alpine, peaking is not as important as a matter of confidence. The girls have that confidence know they can accomplish what they did today every time out, and the guys are getting there. They were on top of things, especially in the second run, and even though we're still a little inconsistent, I think they will keep improving.
"Everything continues to go right for Lucie, things are just fitting in for her everywhere she skis this year," Rokos added.
Colorado again shined in Nordic competition, amassing 164 team points (84 women, 80 men), with Denver second with 146. The Buffaloes had four top 10 finishes by the women and three by the men.
A CU woman won for the fourth straight race, as senior Jana Rehemaa finally broke through for her first career victory as she claimed the 5-kilometer freestyle in a 15:29.3 time. That easily bested runner-up Anna-Karin Maeki of Denver, who completed the course in 15:50.2. Rehemaa had 18 top five finishes, including eight runner-up efforts, in 21 career races prior to making it to the top of the podium for the first time Friday. She won one race last year when she was redshirting, so the result did not count toward her college resume.
"It felt good, finally I got it," Rehemaa said. "It feels way better than all those second and fourth places. Everyone was skiing well, and I just felt right. The course was kind of flat, and I usually don't like that, but I didn't let it bother me. I started a little bit slower, and then picked it up in the middle. I heard at the split that I was leading by 18 seconds, which was a lot for two-and-half (kilometers) at that point. I just continued to go as hard as a I could."
"It was awesome," CU Nordic coordinator Bruce Cranmer said. "It's her final year, she finally gets an official college win as a scorer for us. So it was pretty neat and it was pretty convincing, too. That amount of time for margin of victory was very decisive in a 5K. Most 5k races come down to a few seconds. She had the lead for the most of the race, she skied well within herself and this should boost her confidence for the NCAA's, coming up that extra little notch."
Sophomore Maria Grevsgaard bolstered Rehemaa's win with a third place finish in 15:58.1, with freshman Lenka Palanova grabbing fifth in 16:08.5. Palanova owns two wins and Grevsgaard one on the year, and collectively own 11 top five finishes in seven races this winter. Sophomore Kristin Soenstegaard finished 10th in 16:43.7, with another CU sophomore, Mia Gaw, finishing a career best 14th in 16:51.2.
In the men's 10-kilometer freestyle event, sophomore Kit Richmond matched his career best finish by finishing second in 27:16.1, a little under eight seconds behind Denver's Rene Reisshauer, who won in 27:08.4. Seniors Henrik Hoye (fifth, 27:34.3) and Erling Christiansen (sixth, 27:47.0) to give the Buffs three top 10 finishers in a men's race for the fourth straight event, the first time all three have placed within the top six.
All six Buff skiers placed in the top 20, as freshman Josh Smith (14th, 28:57.5) and Garrett Reid (18th, 29:19.9) sandwiched a 15th place finish by senior Nick Sterling (28:59.2). It was a career best finish for Smith, while Reid posted his second best college effort.
The Buffaloes had 12 top 10 finishes in the four races (Denver and New Mexico were next with eight each), coming on the heels of 21 such efforts in their own invitational last weekend in Steamboat Springs. The Buffs snapped a 17-meet drought with a victory in that meet, and are gunning for their first back-to-back victories since winning four in a row in the 2000 season.
"The Nordic side had similar results, so what else can you ask for as a coach when you get this many top five and top 10 efforts on the same day," Rokos said. "The women finish one-three-five, and the men get three in the top 10 with a breakthrough race from a freshman. Seeing Josh Smith finish 14th is really encouraging for the future, as he will have to help replace those seniors as soon as next year."
The Nordic classical races and the men's and women's slalom on Saturday will conclude the meet. The NCAA West Regional follows at the end of the month, with the NCAA Championships set for Steamboat Springs, March 8-11.
WESTERN STATE INVITATIONAL TEAM SCORES-1. Colorado 309; 2. Denver 285; 3. New Mexico 259; 4. Utah 229; 5. Montana State 198; 6. Nevada 181; 7. Western State 148; 8. Whitman 93; 9. Alaska-Anchorage 88; 10. Boise State 23.
Men's Slalom-1. Cameron Barnes, UN, 1:13.12; 2. Scott Veenis, Utah, 1:13.18; 3. Scott Hume, UN, 1:13.27; 4. Lars Loeseth, UNM, 1:13.81; 5. Gaspar Perricone, Utah, 1:13.96; 6. John Buchar, DU, 1:13.97; 7.Todd Ligare, DU, 1:14.09; 8. Luke Patterson, UN, 1:14.16; 9. Will McDonald, Utah, 1:14.18; 10. Josh Bryan, CU, 1:14.22. Other CU Finishers: 12. Jonas Kryzl, 1:14.39; 14. Jean-Francois Ferreira, 1:14.77; 17. Joel Adams, 1:14.93; 20. Tony Cesolini, 1:15.18; 27. Ben Babbitt, 1:19.33; 40. Pat Duran, CU, 1:29.21. Did Not Start (second run)?Miles Cooke.
Women's Giant Slalom-1. Lucie Zikova, CU, 2:36.98_; 2. Lisa Perricone, CU, 2:37.03; 3. Sabrina Mocellin, CU, 2:37.28; 4. Jennifer Tank, DU, 2:37.4; 5. Florence Roujas, DU, 2:39.1; 6. Kristina Repcinova, UAA, 2:390.3; 7. Spela Bertoncelj, MSU, 2:39.5; 8. Vibeke Vilhelmsen, UNM, 2:39.9; 9. Amy Beresford, UNM, 2:40.1; 10. Kristin Taylor, CU, 2:40.14. Other CU Finishers: 11. Rachel Roosevelt, 2:40.42.
Women's 5K Freestyle-1. Jana Rehemaa, CU, 15:29.3; 2. Anna-Karin Maeki, DU, 15:50.2; 3. Maria Grevsgaard, CU, 15:58.1; 4. Laura Vanalst, UNM, 16:06.0; 5. Lenka Palanova, CU, 16:08.5; 6. Mandy Bowden, MSU, 16:12.7; 7. Ashley McQueen, Utah, 16:19.9; 8. Marit Rognmo, UNM, 16:24.5; 9. Crystin Jaques, UNM, 16:42.3; 10. Kristin Soenstegaard, CU, 16:43.7. Other CU Results: 14. Mia Gaw, 16:51.2; 37. Megan Wilder, 20:06.3.
Men's 10K Freestyle-1. Rene Reisshauer, DU, 27:08.4; 2. Kit Richmond, CU, 27:16.1; 3. John Stene, DU, 27:17.0; 4. Geir-Endre Rogn, UNM, 27:18.0; 5. Henrik Hoye, CU 27:34.3; 6. Erling Christiansen, CU, 27:47.0; 7. Dirk Grimm, UNM, 28:12.1; 8. Fabian Figi, Utah, 28:15.7; 9. Haavard Selseng, DU, 28:37.0; 10. Mark Iverson, MSU, 28:41.9. Other CU Results: 14. Josh Smith, 28:57.5; 15. Nick Sterling, 28:59.2; 18. Garrett Reid, 29:19.9.
