Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
Seawolf Invitational
Buff Skiers In Fourth At Seawolf Invitational
January 08, 2009 | Skiing
GIRDWOOD, Alaska ? The University of Colorado ski team resumed action here Thursday, with the alpine teams taking to the slopes for the first time this season with a fourth place standing after the first day of events in the Seawolf Invitational.
The Nordic teams opened the season on Monday in Alaska Invitational, which will resume tomorrow with both alpine and cross country competition. For some inexplicable reason that has to do with scheduling on the mountain, meet officials decided to start the events of the second meet and then alternate events through Sunday. So in essence, two meets are being scored simultaneously is the easiest way to explain an interesting but confusing decision.
With that stated, Utah leads the Seawolf invite after Thursday's alpine races with 147 points, followed by host Alaska-Anchorage (135), Denver (132), Colorado (131) and Nevada (124). Alaska is the leader of the UAA Invitational after two Nordic events with 159 points, with CU second in that meet with 131 and DU third at 116.
Sophomore Katie Hartman posted her best collegiate finish in the slalom, and her second best overall, as she claimed runner-up honors in the slalom. Her two-run time of 1:40.15 was just .16 out of the lead, as Alaska freshman Alexandra Parker won her first time out as a collegian. Hartman had the second fastest time for the morning as well as afternoon runs, 49.95 and 50.20, respectively. She won the giant slalom at last year's New Mexico Invitational.
Sophomore newcomer Carolina Nordh claimed third in 1:41.20, as she matched Hartman's first run time down the hill and then held off the field for the bronze finish. Junior Heidi Hillenbrand was CU's third and final scorer, finishing 13th in 1:43.86, while soph Ashley Babcock was 22nd (1:50.50). Two Buff women fell on the first run, freshman Jennifer Allen and senior Lisa Perricone; Allen skied the second run in the 13th fastest time (52.09) to finish 26th; Perricone decided not to go on.
In the men's giant slalom, Utah dominated with a 1-2 finish from Nick Cohee (1:43.69) and Kyle Kung (1:43.72) and six racers in the top 10. CU's best finish was by freshman Eric Davis, who finished 12th in 1:45.03. Freshman Taggart Spenst (15th, 1:45/30), juniors Stefan Hughes (16th, 1:45.51) and Arman Serebrakian (19th, 1:46.08) were joined by senior Tony Cesolini (20th, 1:46.31) in snaring top 20 finishes, with junior Drew Roberts 22nd (1:46.74). Juniors Pat Duran and Gabriel Rivas also suffered falls; Duran was 11th after a morning run time of 57.6, but had to hike the second time down and finished 35th (1:58.67). Rivas had the second slowest time for the first run after having to hike, but bounced back with a 47.18 time the second run, the 14th fastest time despite some 48 skiers going ahead of him the second time down.
“We didn't have that great of day, but didn't ski ourselves out of it, either,” head coach Richard Rokos said. “Some of our stronger performers went out of commission early on for us. So things didn't go well for us overall, but there were some good positives. Katie skied like a train, as did Carolina; they really went after it, and Heidi did a good job in moving up from a poor start position into 13th.”
The remaining schedule is as follows for the two competitions:
Friday, January 9 ? UAA Invitational: Nordic classical races (5/10km), women's giant slalom, men's slalom
Saturday, January 10 ? Seawolf Invitational: Nordic classical races (10/15 km)
Seawolf Invitational: women's giant slalom, men's slalom
Sunday, January 11 ? Seawolf Invitational: Nordic freestyle races (10/15 km)
UAA Invitational: men's giant slalom, women's slalom
The action will then shift to Colorado next week for the CU Invitational, which will run Wednesday through Saturday in both Eldora and Aspen.
5. Nevada 124; 6. Montana State 79; 7. New Mexico 77; 8. Whitman 56.
