Skiers Claim Own Invitational

January 20, 2008 | Skiing

CU Ski Invitational Final Results

By: David Plati, Assistant AD/Sports Information

WINTER PARK - The University of Colorado ski team used a strong performance in the women's classical race to clinch the title as the Buffaloes won the 14th Annual Laura Sharpe Flood Memorial/CU Invitational here Sunday at the Snow Mountain Ranch Nordic Center.

Colorado took over the lead at the midway point of the meet and did not relinquish it, finishing with 549 team points. Utah won the last race, the men's classic, of the 8-event meet to leap-frog Denver for second place, totaling 522 points, while the Pioneers, which led after giant slalom races back on January 5 in Steamboat Springs, took third with 515.

New Mexico (464), Nevada (429), Alaska-Anchorage (416) and Montana State (401) followed in the 10-school event, the first time seven schools have eclipsed the 400-point mark since the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA) adopted the current scoring format in 2000.

It was CU's first win since claiming the Montana State Invitational last February, a span of five meets, and it marked the ninth time the Buffs have won the event since it was named for Flood beginning in 1991, a year after she crashed, hit a tree and was killed instantly while on a training run at Eldora.

Encouraging for CU was the fact that the Buffs still managed to win by a fairly comfortable margin despite posting only two results out of a maximum of six here this weekend from three of their top Nordic skiers. Sophomore Matt Gelso did not make the trip from Boulder due to illness; senior Kit Richmond, who is also sick, gave it a go Saturday and actually tied for 12th, but thought it was best to sit out Sunday; and freshman Karoline Borgnes, also feeling some ill effects, managed a 17th place effort in the freestyle but was unable to finish the classic race.

Colorado senior Maria Grevsgaard continued her torrid pace this winter, as she has now won all four Nordic races to date after claiming the 10-kilomtere classic in 30:32.9. She once again blistered the field, as runner-up Polina Ermoshina of New Mexico was some 80 seconds behind her in 31:52.9. Grevsgaard's four wins have come by a combined total of 5 minutes and 42 seconds, none less than 30 seconds as she has been the most dominant performer in the NCAA West at the one-third mark of the season.

The victory was the 12th of her career, tying the second most overall career wins in CU history as she has caught teammate Lucie Zikova (12 alpine wins). Both are chasing the all-time leader, Per Kare Jakobsen, who claimed 13 cross country events from 1988-90. John Skajem also won 12 events in his career, which spanned 1985 through 1987.

Grevsgaard has now won four straight races for the first time in her career, and is the first Colorado skier to win the first four races in RMISA competition since 1999, when Ove Erik Tronvoll won the first five (cross country races). It's longest individual streak by a CU skier since 2006, when Jana Rehemaa, now CU's assistant Nordic coach, won the last six races of the season. The school record for the most consecutive wins is eight, by Nordic skier Line Selnes in 1998, her only year in the CU program.

ALL-TIME INDIVIDUAL WINS BY CU SKIERS

13 Per Kare Jakobsen, 1988-90 (9 FS/XC, 4 CL)

12 John Skajem, 1985-87 (8 SL, 4 GS)

12 Lucie Zikova, 2005-08 (9 SL, 3 GS)

12 Maria Grevsgaard, 2006-08 (8 CL, 4 FS)

11 Anette Skjolden, 1991-93 (7 CL, 4 FS)

11 Line Selnes, 1998 (6 FS, 5 CL)

10 Bjorn Svensson, 1990-93 (6 FS, 4 CL)

Junior Lenka Palanova was third in a 31:54.3 clocking, the second of four Buffaloes in the top 10. Senior Mia Gaw captured ninth place in 32:42.7, her best collegiate finish, topping a 10th place effort in last year's Montana State meet. Another senior, Jenny Hamilton nabbed 12th place in 33:35.2. Sophomores Kristin Ronnestrand (22nd, 35:03.1) and Maisha Goodpaster (36th, 39:33.9) completed the CU women's effort Sunday.

Palanova, who struggled as a sophomore last winter after overtraining, is back to the form of her freshman year, when she posted 12 top 10 finishes in as many races. Her third place finish in Sunday's classic was her best ever in the discipline, and coupled with a sixth place effort in the classic event at last week's Utah Invitational, gives her two top six efforts after not finishing higher than 23rd in a classic race in 2007. She had two fourth place efforts in classical as a frosh, when she won a pair of freestyle events.

In the men's 15-kilometer classical race, Utah used a 1-2 finish from Snorri Einarsson (39:53.6) and Even Sletten (39:56.1) to win the event as a team, and in doing so outscored Denver by 15 points in the final competition of the invite and passed the Pioneers in the standings. DU's Rene Reisshauer was third in 39:56.9 and was just edged by Sletten in a sprint at the finish. The Pioneers also did not have one of its top Nords score Sunday, as John Stene suffered from the effects of a stomach ailment.

The CU men had two top 10 efforts, led by freshman Jesper Ostensen with a season best fifth place as he was timed in 40:46.1. Junior Karl Nygren snared 10th place in 41:34.3, with sophomore Joshua Smith grabbing 17th in 42:22.8.

Colorado's only other official finish was by sophomore Joaquin Goodpaster, who was 27th a second straight day, traversing the course in 43:58.0. Sophomore Patrick Neel, fifth in Saturday's freestyle, was the 28th collegian to cross the finish line but his result is moot since he transferred to CU from Western State without an official release from the Mountaineers; he can't officially ski for the Buffs until 2009.

"It's great to see other people, who often don't or aren't always asked to, step up and score," CU Nordic coordinator Bruce Cranmer said. So it was both good and kind of cool to see. There's not much more I can say about Maria, she's still on a roll, but Lenka had a great race, her best finish ever in classic, and Mia had a career best effort and Jenny skied well, too."

"Considering we were without Kit and Matt on the men's side, I was especially pleased with the results," he added. "Josh was in the mid-20s in the standings last week in Utah, and he really stepped up to the challenge and improved 10 spots with just seven days in-between. Kit considered racing today, but he really wouldn't have been able to push. We concurred that it would probably be a good idea to sit out and get healthy."

There is no competition next weekend, as the schools will resume with the Western State Invitational in Gunnison, set for February 1-2.

On their "open" Saturday (Jan. 26), the Buffs are teaming up with Eldora Mountain Resort for the inaugural "CU Ski with the Team Day." Tickets are available for CU students, faculty, staff and alumni for just $27, over half off regular admission at Eldora Mountain Sports, located at 28th and Canyon. Each ticket includes a lift ticket and a BBQ lunch. Events begin with a meet and greet at 9 a.m., followed by an Alpine vs. Nordic team competition, an Alumni vs. Varsity race, and then a session of ski tips from CU racers with a chance to ski with the Buffs. For more information, call 303-492-5401.

Colorado Invitational Team Scores-1. Colorado 549; 2. Utah 522; 3. Denver 515; 4. New Mexico 464; 5. Nevada 429; 6. Alaska-Anchorage 416; 7. Montana State 401; 8. Western State 180; 9. Whitman 166; 10. Wyoming 41.