Buff Skiers Rally To Win CU Invitational

January 17, 2009 | Skiing

By: David Plati, Associate AD/Sports Information

ASPEN, Colo. ? The University of Colorado ski team lied in wait the first three days of the 15th Annual CU Invitational/Laura Sharpe Flood Memorial ski meet, and then pounced on the rest of the field here Saturday in rallying to win its own meet for the third straight time, and the sixth in the last seven.

Colorado, which entered the last day of the meet a point-and-a-half behind Denver, used a dominant performance in the men's race and the best effort overall by the women this winter to come from behind for the win. The Buffaloes, who were in second place after each of the first three days of competition, finished with 564.5 points, topping the Pioneers (541) with New Mexico a distant third (506). Utah (468.5) and Alaska-Anchorage (451) rounded out the top five.

Saturday's races were part of the 22nd Annual Owl Creek Chase, which started in Snowmass and went through Buttermilk before ending in Aspen, covering some 21 kilometers (12.5 miles). It began at the Snowmass Cross Country Center and followed a loop around the Snowmass Club Golf Course before connecting to the Owl Creek Trail. After a time on trail and crossing Buttermilk, and the Tiehack Bridge, there was another loop around the Moore Property and the Aspen Public Golf Course before finishing at the Aspen Cross Country Center.

Junior Matt Gelso won his second career race, the first since the second event of his freshman season, as he was timed over the 21k course in 53:38.8. It was his fifth straight top three finish this winter, bouncing back from a frustrating sophomore campaign where illness sidelined him for half of the season. His previous win also covered a distance, a 20K freestyle at the Utah Invitational some 24 months ago.

Senior Maria Grevsgaard pulled off the Aspen sweep, adding Saturday's freestyle title to the 5K classic she won on Friday. In winning her 22nd career race, adding to her own school all-time record, she won in a 1 hour, 1 minute and 16.3 seconds time and defeated sophomore teammate Alex Turzian in the process. Turzian, who was 11th Friday and is still mending from hip surgery, showed no ill effects as she skied the course in 1:02:45.0.

“It really pushes everyone when our guys do well,” Gelso said. “Everyone wants to make sure that they're up in the top. It's clear to all of the other schools that even if someone gets hurt or sick, we still have such a solid team.”

“I felt really good today, I was skiing smooth and relaxed,” he continued. “I got out to the front in the beginning and a couple of non-college guys started to pick it up. One of them when out front for awhile but I was able to catch him at the top of the course. After that it was just me and I hammered through the flat to put a bunch of time on the field. I didn't know how long I was ahead or how much of the course I had left so I just went out hard through the finish.

Gelso had no explanation why his wins came on long courses in the freestyle, or skate, discipline. “The two college races that I've won have been 20K or more mass start skate races and usually if I'm going to have a good race it's classic not skate,” he said. “So I don't know if I am better, but for whatever reason, I guess I have just had better days those times.”

“I am just really happy that we did so well in our own meet,” Grevsgaard said, ever the team player. “I was skiing with two girls from Salomon and one girl was on really fast skis and she made a gap on the downhill so I stayed with the other one. I finally was able to make a good gap on her to get by myself and skied with some of the guys until the finish.”

“I have just been loving life up here in Aspen,” she offered. “This concept was different and really a lot of fun. But most important, I am very happy with how I did and how we did as a team this weekend, it feels great.”

The wins by Gelso and Grevsgaard give CU 11 in the 26 races this winter, tops in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association; New Mexico is next with seven. Gelso was also the third different Buff male to win a race this season, a school historical first; on several occasions, two different Buffs won cross country races, the last time in 2007 when Gelso and Kit Richmond did so.

Gelso had plenty of support in the men's race, with four Buffs in the top nine and all six in the top 25. Sophomore Patrick Neel, whose previous best finish was ninth in the season opening race (10k freestyle in the Alaska Invitational), posted his collegiate best finish in taking fourth Saturday in 55:16.2. Freshman Vegard Kjoelhamar was fifth (55:28.8), which was actually his first time out of the top two in six races, and senior Josh Smith ninth for the second straight day, as he was clocked in 55:43.9

“I felt really good today, some days you wake up and everything seems to be in perfect place,” Neel said. “I really just tried to stay in contact with the head group. It felt really good to be second on the team in our home race.”

Sophomore Jesper Ostensen (20th, 58:03.2) and junior Karl Nygren (25th, 59:47.1) rounded out the action for the CU men here. Ostensen and Kjoelhamar each have two wins this winter, with Gelso now joining the twosome in top of the podium finishes.

Turzian, who skied for Middlebury as a freshman, is enjoying the change of scenery. “I felt really good. I think these races have a lot to do with your mentality as far as enjoying the course, your technique and long distance,” she said. “I am more of a long distance person and I like hills. I am still getting back into it with my hip, I was a little sore from driving in the early races, but I am experimenting this season to see what is best for my hip and trying to deal the best I can with rehab by stretching and getting rest.”

Freshman Katie Stege improved on her 31st place finish Friday, winding up 26th in 1:13.21.5, with senior Megan Wilder 39th in 1:22:32.3 to wrap up the CU women's performers.

“It's always nice to do well at your home meet, even though it's in Aspen, it's still the CU Invitational,” CU Nordic coordinator Bruce Cranmer said. “It's great to see our girls 1-2. Maria has been going so well the past two days and it was great to see Alexa up there, it really will help with her confidence. When you have two girls in the top two, it's a good day.”

“Matt just got out there today and felt good and looked good,” Cranmer added. “He hit the wax perfectly and he was able to get a good race going from the start. Not only did he win collegiately but this is his first SuperTour win which means that beyond the college skiers it was a very tough field. We're all excited for him.”

Head coach Richard Rokos, while happy with the win, is glad for the upcoming extended break.

“It's good to have some time off since we've spent so much time on the road,” Rokos said. “And included in there, hosting a meet is no walk in the park. It means we have to do extra work related to it. I was unable to see most of the races in Eldora just because I had extra duties with organizing the race.

“The whole Nordic team is like a dream team,” he added. “Since we don't have a great third skier on the women's side, having Maria and Alexa scoring so well means they can collect enough points to offset a strong three-woman team. It will buy us some time to develop a third skier, and who knows, maybe someone will rise to the occasion.”

“On the men's side, everybody has rotated through and taken a first place. Vegard, Jesper and now Matt have all won this season. And Pat finishing fourth after coming from 22nd yesterday is great. It shows that there are no green pastures for our opponents when at any time any of our guys can step forward and do well, and that is quite comforting.”

The skiers finally get a bit of a rest and won't resume competition for nearly three weeks, as next up on the western schedule is the Denver Invitational, set for Feb. 5-7 at Winter Park (alpine) and Fraser (Nordic).

Colorado Invitational Final Team Scores?1. Colorado 564.5; 2. Denver 541; 3. New Mexico 506; 4. Utah 468?;

5. Alaska-Anchorage 451; 6. Nevada 437; 7. Montana State 382; 8. Whitman 165; 9. Wyoming 91.