Skiers Second At DU Invite

February 06, 2009 | Skiing

By: David Plati, Associate AD/Sports Information

WINTER PARK, Colo. ? The University of Colorado ski team is in second place at the midway point of the Denver Invitational, which through four events is shaping up as one of the most closely contested event deep into the standings in well over four decades.

Utah leads the meet with 270 points, followed by the Buffs with 254 and host Denver in third (241). Seven of the nine competing teams have over 200 points, which has not occurred in the previous nine years of the current scoring format, with just 61 points separating the group (and 32 between third and seventh).

It was kind of a weird day all around, as CU overcame one of its worst days on the alpine side in years to still place second in the standings after four events. Yet it did so without being particularly dominant in Nordic, with just two top five finishers combined in each discipline, though one was a victory.

“Today wasn't a good day for our alpine team,” head coach Richard Rokos said. “I know they can ski far better and as to why this happened in mass, it puzzles me. We have to deal with it, move on and hope for better tomorrow. I'm expecting a major improvement. We still have a good chance to win the meet, and we've been a better slalom team than GS. This is a familiar hill and we've raced well in slalom here before.”

In two tightly contested races, CU finished fifth in men's giant slalom and sixth in women's as a team. Utah won both, but if CU had just seven more points in each race, it would have taken second in both. “There wasn't a lot of gap in there, but we'll have to catch up (in the slalom),” Rokos said.

The Nordic team is holding the water for the team right now,” Rokos added. “With Reid Pletcher finishing second, that's just another guy they have that has circulated to the podium. That's just another demonstration of their strength.”

Senior Maria Grevsgaard added to her school record win count, cruising to a 21-second win in the women's 5-kilometer classical race. She zipped around the course in 18:34.8, easily besting New Mexico's Polina Ermoshina (18:55.7). It was her third straight win, the fourth in the last five, and her 23rd for her career, seven ahead the next closest in Buff history.

“I really don't count the number of races I've won, I don't think about it like that,” Grevsgaard modestly said. “I just try to go out and do my best race on each day. As a team, we have been gearing up for March the whole season and I think we're coming along great. If we continue like we are, we will really have a good chance to do very well at NCAAs.”

Sophomore Alex Turzian finished eighth in 20:14.2, with freshman Katie Stege 24th in 22:15.9 and senior Megan Wilder 36th in 25:39.8 as the Buffaloes continue to ski this winter with just four active members on the women's cross country side.

On the men's side, CU skied without junior Matt Gelso, who the coaches decided to rest Friday. But as Rokos pointed out, the team depth is such where freshman Reid Pletcher answered the challenge and finished second in the men's 10k, the best finish of his young collegiate career (in fact, his first top 10 effort). Utah's Even Sletten won in a 34:31.8 time, but Pletcher was on his heels in 34:36.9.

“In Alaska (season openers), I was doing sprinting and the college distance racing,” Pletcher said. “I was more focused on the sprinting to make the World Cup in Canada. Because of that, I wasn't able to race in Aspen so this is my first race of the year that I could focus only on distance racing and it went well. It wasn't a matter of what I was doing today, but rather what I wasn't doing before in Alaska. So far this year my best races have been at altitude and I feel good this weekend and regionals will also be at altitude so hopefully that will be beneficial for my finishes.”

Senior Josh Smith posted his third straight top 10 finish, a career best seventh place, in 35:44.3, with freshman Vegard Kjoelhamar right behind him in eighth in 35:52.35. Sophomore Jesper Ostensen, who has been ill, finished 17th (36:21.4), junior Karl Nygren was 25th (37:46.5) and sophomore Patrick Neel 26th (37:48.2).

“I thought we had a good day overall, not a great day,” CU Nordic coach Bruce Cranmer said. “I think a lot of people were struggling a little bit just from not racing for a few weeks and some of the athletes having just returned from Europe and back up to altitude. There are a lot of different things going on and it was cool to see Josh all the way up to seventh, second on the team; it's good for him. And Reid almost winning a race, I think makes it a good day. Jesper has been a little bit sick and hasn't gotten back to 100 percent which is hard for him for sure, but it's neat for the other guys that can pick up those spots and get in the mixture.

“Matt is just getting rest,” Cranmer added. “He's already qualified (for NCAAs), so we're just giving him a chance to get back to neutral and psyched up for the next two races. It was great to see Reid jump up there and be a real contender, five seconds out of winning.”

In the men's giant slalom, junior Gabriel Rivas finished third for the second straight day, posting a two-run time of 1:58.16. With two slalom wins and now two third place efforts in the GS, he is positioned very well for seeding at the NCAA Championships next month. Utah's Nick Cohee, who won the GS Thursday in the RMISA Qualifier, claimed the top of the podium again with a 1:57.97 clocking.

Colorado's next finisher was senior Tony Cesolini, who placed 13th in 1:59.11, followed by junior Arman Serebrakian in 15th (1:59.34). CU's five other skiers all had minor struggles and wound up between 19th and 26th in the standings. Freshman Eric Davis (19th, 1:59.97), juniors Stefan Hughes (20th, 2:00.03), Patrick Duran (24th, 2:00.82) and Drew Roberts (25th, 2:02.09) and frosh Taggart Spenst (26th, 2:02.46).

In the women's slalom, sophomore Carolina Nordh posted CU's top finish, grabbing eighth in 2:06.74 as Alaska's Alexandra Parker won her sixth race this winter in 2:02.69. Nordh was the only Buff in the top 15, and she improved into eighth after standing in 13th after the morning run. CU's other two scorers were senior Lisa Perricone, who was 16th in 2:09.30, and sophomore Ashley Babcock, 21st in 2:10.60.

Rounding out the CU women were freshman Jennifer Allen (22nd, 2:10.75) and junior Heidi Hillenbrand (26th, 2:18.60). Sophomore Katie Hartman did not finish her second run, and freshmen Joelle Chevalier was held out after suffering a knee injury on Thursday.

The meet concludes Saturday with the slalom races and the Nordic freestyle events (the men will ski 15 kilometers and the women 10).

Denver Invitational Team Scores (4 events)?1. Utah 270; 2. Colorado 254; 3. Denver 241; 4. Alaska-Anchorage 235;

5. Nevada 234; 6. Montana State 215; 7. New Mexico 209; 8. Whitman 88; 9. Wyoming 53.

Men's Giant Slalom?1. Nick Cohee, Utah, 1:57.97; Leif Haugen, DU, 1:58.09; 3. Gabriel Rivas, CU, 1:58.16; 4. Halfdan Falkum-Hansen, UAA, 1:58.46; 5. Gregory Berger, UN, 1:58.64; 6. Scott Veenis, Utah, 1:58.66; 7. Hermann Lager, Utah, 1:58.68; 8. Egil Ismar, UAA, 1:58.72; 9. John Buchar, DU, 1:58.74; 10. Shane Collins, UN, 1:58.92. Other CU Results?13. Tony Cesolini, 1:59.11; 15. Arman Serebrakian, 1:59.34; 19. Eric Davis, 1:59.97; 20. Stefan Hughes, 2:00.03; 24. Patrick Duran, 2:00.82; 25. Drew Roberts, 2:02.09; 26. Taggart Spenst, 2:02.46.

Women's Giant Slalom?1. Alexandra Parker, UAA, 2:02.69; 2. Stefanie Demetz, UNM, 2:04.28; 3. Estelle Pecherand-Charmet, UNM, 2:04.38; 4 Chirine Njeim, Utah, 2:05.04; 5. Amy Harris, UN, 2:05.16; 6. Mikaela Grassl, Utah, 2:05.24; 7. Ida Dillingoeen, DU, 2:06.05; 8. Carolina Nordh, CU, 2:06.74; 9. Carmel McElroy, MSCU, 2:06.89; 10. Chelsea Laswell, Utah, 2:06.96. Other CU Results?16. Lisa Perricone, 2:09.30; 21. Ashley Babcock, 2:10.60; 22. Jennifer Allen, 2:10.75; 26. Heidi Hillenbrand, 2:18.60. Did Not Finish?Katie Hartman (2nd run).