Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
RMISA Alpine Qualifier
Skiers Place Six In Top 12 At RMISA Qualifier
February 05, 2009 | Skiing
WINTER PARK, Colo. ? After nearly a three-week layoff, the University of Colorado ski team took to the slopes again here Thursday and posted six top 12 finishes in the men's and women's giant slalom in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association Alpine Qualifier No. 2.
The event was not scored for team standings, as this was designed to create additional opportunities for alpine skiers to score qualification points toward their individual NCAA seedings, matching the number of races that eastern skiers utilize.
In the men's GS, junior Gabriel Rivas had CU's best finish on the day, as he finished third in 1:47.10; Utah's Nick Cohee won in 1:46.76, with New Mexico's Nikolai Finne almost exactly in the middle between the pair in 1:46.96.
“This was my second time on this hill, I had one race about a month ago,” Rivas said. “I like the speed and pitch and it's pretty technical. I felt good. I didn't have a good first run but fixed what I needed to on the second run. I knew I was within reach (after finishing 10th in the first run) so I tried to push as hard as I could. If I can get another top finish, I think I will be in a good spot for NCAAs.
Senior Tony Cesolini was eighth in 1:48.24 and freshmen Eric Davis 11th in 1:48.41 and Taggart Spenst 15th in 1:48.91; about one and one-quarter second separated fifth and 15th place in a closely contested second wave of the race. Other Buff finishers included juniors Arman Serebrakian (20th, 1:49.34), Drew Roberts (22nd, 1:49.53) and Stefan Hughes (23rd, 1:49.72). Another junior, Patrick Duran, did not finish his first run.
In the women's GS, sophomore Katie Hartman logged CU's best performance, taking sixth in a two-run time of 1:57.03; Alaska-Anchorage freshman Alexandra Parker won in 1:56.59, her fifth win of the year. Senior Lisa Perricone was ninth in 1:58.00 and sophomore Carolina Nordh 12th in 1:58.70.
“Today was good because I've had some issues with giant slalom and haven't been finishing,” Hartman said. “I was comfortable today because this is a hill I've grown up on, had a lot of races on and every time I race on this hill I'm pretty confident. My first run was good, the second one I had a big mistake that hurt me a little bit. This was important for me, especially in GS looking at the qualifying points. I'm confident about qualifying for NCAAs, but today for seeding should really help.”
Freshman Jennifer Allen (24th, 2:00.77) and junior Heidi Hillenbrand (30th, 2:07.52) also posted finishes, with two other Buffs unable to finish their second runs, sophomore Ashley Babcock and freshman Joelle Chevalier, who suffered a nasty crash and injured her knee.
“Our goal here was to improve the seeding,” CU head coach Richard Rokos said. “We've qualified pretty well in the ranking and in the slalom, they are where they should be. In GS, we needed to jump on it and make sure we improve. It doesn't make a big difference or impact where we go usually in the east (for the NCAA Championships) because it is always hot (fast), so the difference between first and 20th isn't that much in terms of the quality of the course. It's a demanding and difficult hill and the number of runs and practice on this hill makes a lot of difference.
“Gabriel moved up solidly and he got the result we were hoping for and expecting,” Rokos continued. “For him not having the opportunity to ski on this hill a lot, it's a big accomplishment and from here on out it gets easier. Katie was gone for a while with some high profile races in Canada, so for her today was good to get a jump in the seeding.”
On if Chevalier would ski Friday, Rokos probably will hold her out. “She will walk out of (the medical clinic) but I don't think she'll ski tomorrow. She had a major crash and it doesn't look like there is any ligament damage so hopefully she just hyper-extended her knee. She came out of the gate and ended up on her inside and caught an edge and then she spilled her marbles and started tumbling straight down hill pretty fast.
The Denver Invitational starts tomorrow, with alpine events at Winter Park and Nordic races just up U.S. 40 in Fraser at Devil's Thumb Ranch. The giant slalom is set for Friday and the slalom on Saturday, with the classical Nordic races (5K women, 10K men) Friday to be followed by the freestyle events (10k/15k) a day later.
RMISA Alpine Qualifier No. 2 Results
Men's Giant Slalom?1. Nick Cohee, Utah, 1:46.76; 2. Nikolai Finne, UNM, 1:46.96; 3. Gabriel Rivas, CU, 1:47.10; 4. John Buchar, DU, 1:47.23; 5. Halfdan Falkum-Hansen, UAA, 1:47.69; 6. Thomas Zumbrunn, Utah, 1:47.90; 7. Martin Harris, UN, 1:48.06; 8. Tony Cesolini, CU, 1:48.24; 9. Gregory Burger, UN, and Ian Lochhead, DU, 1:48.29; 11. Eric Davis, CU, 1:48.31; 12. Hermann Lager, Utah, 1:48.56; 13. Scott Veenis, Utah, 1:48.68; 14. Ryan Wolosyn, UAA, 1:48.76; 15. Taggart Spenst, CU, 1:48.91; 16. Jonathan Hverven, UNM, 1:49.15; 17. Thomas Schwab, UNM, 1:49.21; 18. Oliver Lacaille, UNM, 1:49.27; 19. A.J. Avrin, DU, 1:49.31; 20. Arman Serebrakian, CU, 1:49.34; 21. Egil Ismar, UAA, 1:49.51; 22. Drew Roberts, CU, 1:49.53; 23. Stefan Hughes, CU, 1:49.72; 24. Jeff Crompton, UAA, 1:53.51; 25. Joey Nelson, MSU, 1:55.42; 26. Dylan Bryant, UN, 1:55.79; 27. Toby Lamar, MSU, 1:56.31; 28. Krisopher Shampeny, MSU, 1:57.28; 29. Alexander Van Roon, MSU, 1:58.98; 30, Seppi Stiegler, DU, 2:00.05; 31. Nathan Ord, WHT, 2:00.89; 32. Chris Machesney, WHT, 2:01.79; 33. Eric Andersen, UN, 2:06.96; 34. Tim Bak, UN, 2:07.83; 35. Chet Cook, MSU, 2:08.81; 36. Paul Britvar, MSU, 2:14.07; 37. Dan McKay, UAA, 3:03.80. Did Not Finish (CU): Pat Duran (1st run).
Women's Giant Slalom?1. Alexandra Parker, UAA, 1:56.59; 2. Estelle Pecherand-Charmet, UNM, 1:57.03; 3. Ida Dillingoeen, DU, 1:57.10; 4. Malin Hemmingsson, UNM, 1:57.38; 5. Stefanie Demetz, UNM, 1:57.43; 6. Katie Hartman, CU, 1:57.70; 7. Mikaela Grassl, Utah, 1:57.74; 8. Amy Harris, UN, 1:57.90; 9. Lisa Perricone, CU, 1:58.00; 10. Chelsea Laswell, Utah, 1:58.04; 11. Chirine Njeim, Utah, 1:58.42; 12. Carolina Nordh, CU, 1:58.70; 13. Jacqueline Hangl, UNM, 1:58.93; 14. Carmel McElroy, MSU, 1:59.12; 15. Allison Empey, UAA, 1:59.17; 16. Molly Ryan, DU, 1:59.23; 17. Sandra Macdonald, UAA, 1:59.47; 18. Sofia Smith, Utah, 1:59.82; 19. Georgia Wettlaufer, DU, 1:59.96; 20. Jennifer Tank, DU, 2:00.06; 21. Alison Leighton, MSU, 2:00.12; 22. Hannah Victory, MSU, 2:00.31; 23. Claire Abbe, DU, 2:00.40; 24. Jennifer Allen, CU, 2:00.77; 25. Karin Ohlin, UNM, 2:01.41; 26. Lacy Saugstad, UAA, 2:02.90; 27. Erika Horst, UN, 2:04.26; 28. Taryn O'Flynn, UN, 2:04.87; 29. Kristina Palovicova, UN, 2:05.38; 30. Heidi Hillenbrand, CU, 2:07.52; 31. Haley Reutimann, MSU, 2:10.16; 32. Polly Evans, WHT, 2:10.86; 33. Elizabeth Allen, WHT, 2:13.95; 34. Lexie Dreschsel, WHT, 2:14.81; 35. Torey Anderson, WHT, 2:14.82; 36. Breanna Huston, MSU, 2:23.18. Did Not Finish (CU): Joelle Chevalier (2nd run), Ashley Babcock (2nd run).
Players Mentioned
