Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
RMISA Qualifer (GS)
Skiers Post Six Top 10 Finishes In RMISA GS Qualifier
February 10, 2011 | Skiing
WINTER PARK ? The University of Colorado ski team fared well here Thursday in the second Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association Alpine Qualifier, as Buffalo skiers racked up six top 10 finishes in the giant slalom, three apiece on the men's and women's side.
The non-scoring competition marked the first of four consecutive days of racing for the seven members of the RMISA. The Denver Invitational follows.
Had the day been scored, the CU men had 120 points, topping DU (116), while the Buff women scored 112, just behind Utah (114). But being an extra qualifier, schools didn't necessarily put their best performers into the best positions, choosing rather to improve seeds for next month's NCAA Championships. In addition, the top 30 were flipped here, instead of the usual 15, meaning the skier in 30th place after the morning run skied first, the 29th second, and so on.
That benefitted Buff junior Eric Davis the most, as he was 30th after the first run, skied first in the second and posted the fastest run in a 59.00 time, finishing ninth overall in 1:55.74.
“The flip definitely helped, Davis said. “In the first run, bib 1 (Utah's Ryan Wilson) won the first run too, so it helped being the first one down the hill. I definitely pushed a lot harder the second run. It felt good to get that. It'll help me tomorrow knowing I can ski as fast as anybody here and it should help my seeding tomorrow so that will help, too.”
Senior Gabriel Rivas finished third in 1:55.05, while freshman Andreas Haug was sixth in 1:55.54; DU's Seppi Stiegler won in 1:54.12. Three other Buffs finished between 17th and 27th out of the 29 who completed the race.
In the women's GS, sophomore Erika Ghent finished third in 2:02.53, the top three finishers separated by just .17 of a second. Lindsay Cone (DU) won in 2:02.36, just one one-hundredths of a second ahead of Alaska's Alexandra Parker. Ghent's finish came just three days after she and six teammates returned from Erzurum, Turkey, where she had four top 10 finishes, including two runner-up efforts, in the World University Games.
“We were only home two days after getting back from Turkey,” Ghent said. “We're all fighting off sickness and travel and our bodies are out of synch right now. We're just trying to stay hydrated. We knew the turnaround would be tough, so we were preparing mentally for it. The snow was soft, the second run was a little big tough, but I think it was for everybody.”
Junior Sara Hjertman was fifth in 2:02.99, with freshman Kirsten Cooper right behind her in sixth in 2:03.13 to lead six CU women finishers in the event.
“In general, today was about skiing as fast as possible,” CU head coach Richard Rokos said. “Today was just qualifying, no team scoring, so everybody was on their own. Given the conditions and the fact we don't train on this hill, it was a good performance. It's obvious this isn't our home hill. For Eric to move from 30th to ninth and win the second run was outstanding. Gabby and Andreas both had two good runs.
“Both Sara and Erika and actually Ashley Babcock finished high in the second run after being a little lower after the first,” Rokos added. “Both Ashley and Eric benefited from the flip and being one of the first skiers down the hill in the second run, and you don't expect that much of an improvement from one run to the other, so that's a good accomplishment for both of them.”
Next up is DU's Invitational, which will span the next three days in two ski areas. On Friday, the schools will compete in another giant slalom at Winter Park, followed by the slalom on Saturday, when the Nordic events begin in Aspen. The classical races are set for that day, with the meet to conclude Sunday with the freestyle event, a 21K race known as the Owl Creek Chase where the competitors race from Snowmass Village to Aspen.
Men's Giant Slalom (29 finishers)?1. Seppi Stiegler, DU, 1:54.12; 2. Jeremy Elliott, Utah, 1:54.92; 3. Gabriel Rivas, CU, 1:55.05; 4. Petter Brenna, UNM, 1:55.21; 5. Nick Cohee, Utah, 1:55.52; 6. Andreas Haug, CU, 1:55.54; 7. Geoffrey Irwin, MSU, 1:55.70; 8. Armin Triendl, UNM, 1:55.72; 9. Eric Davis, CU, 1:55.74; 10. Kitt Flowers, DU, 1:55.82. Other CU Finishers: 17. Taggart Spenst, 1:56.95; 18. Max Lamb, 1:56.99; 27. Fletcher McDonald, 2:01.71.
Women's Giant Slalom (27 finishers)?1. Lindsay Cone, DU, 2:02.36; 2. Alexandra Parker, UAA, 2:02.37; 3. Erika Ghent, CU, 2:02.53; 4. Tii-Maria Romar, Utah, 2:02.83; 5. Sara Hjertman, CU, 2:02.99; 6. Kirsten Cooper, CU, 2:03.13; 7. Jennie VanWagner, DU, 2:03.37; 8. Aude Aguilaniu, WC, 2:03.38; 9. Sterling Grant, DU, 2:03.72; 10. Sofia Smith, Utah, 2:03.88. Other CU Finishers: 13. Jennifer Allen, 2:04.48; 18. Carolina Nordh, 2:06.37; 21. Ashley Babcock, 2:07.15. Did Not Finish (1st run): Khyla Burrows.
