Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
Colorado Invitational (WSL) (Postponed from Jan. 8)
Skiers Slip Into Second in Own Invitational
January 11, 2012 | Skiing
BRECKENRIDGE - The defending national champion University of Colorado ski team had a rough go of it here Wednesday in the women's slalom, and as a result slipped into second in its own CU Invitational/Spencer Nelson Memorial.
Utah skiers finished 1-3-4 in the slalom, accumulating 135 teams points, six shy of the maximum in upping its total through three events to 371. Colorado scored 95 points in the race to hold second with 334, while New Mexico (282), Denver (278) and Alaska-Anchorage (254) round out the top five.
The slalom races originally were scheduled for last Sunday, but poor snow conditions forced the postponement until Wednesday for the women's event; the men's is set for Thursday with both races folded into previous FIS competitions on Breckenridge's Cimarron Run, along with both morning and afternoon races making for challenging conditions.
The Ute's Julie Bordeau claimed the top spot on the podium, posting a two-run time of 1:34.91; Denver's Sterling Grant was second in 1:35.80.
Senior Carolina Nordh paced CU's efforts on the day, as she took fifth in 1:37.08, with another Buff senior, Katie Hartman, finishing eighth in 1:37.89 after starting in the 20th position. But CU's next finisher and final scorer was senior Jennifer Allen, who was 21st in 1:56.78 after having to hike up the course a bit in her first run. Freshman Shane McLean, fourth after the morning run, suffered a fall in the afternoon and wound up 22nd in 2:02.81.
Junior Khyla Burrows was CU's other finisher Wednesday, claiming 25th in 2:27.38, while senior Erika Ghent (seeded 14th) did not finish her second run after having to hike during her first time down the hill. She had a great run in the morning FIS race but suffered the same fate twice, falling at the same point in both races, within five feet."
"It was a good course and good surface, but there was a race earlier in the day and that hill can handle one good race per day but not two back-to-back," head coach Richard Rokos said. "The second race was set against some existing ruts from the first race, so the higher seeded skiers had an immediate advantage. Utah had some good seeds and our seeds weren't quite as high. It was a good race but we had some bad luck with Erika not finishing and three having to hike."
"Carolina won the morning (FIS) race and had a good race in the afternoon," Rokos said of his top finisher. "There were just a couple of skiers faster than her in the afternoon and she may have been a little tired from racing earlier in the day."
"The impact of Katie's knee injury is most evident in the slalom races," Rokos continued, alluding to Hartman's return after undergoing major knee surgery for torn ligaments just 11 months ago. "We have to stay on top of that; she's still in the process of getting to top notch in slalom races. She's trained here before, she knows Cimarron pretty well and knows everybody here - one of her fifth grade teachers came up to me and said hi. She moved through the field pretty well in the first run and finished eighth, that's a good accomplishment on this course."
"There was a lot of pressure on both Katie and Carolina for the second run, they knew they were scoring for the team and had to finish. They stuck with the protocol and weren't going all out, but both did well and skied hard."
Rokos likes what he sees from his latest freshman phenom, McLean. "I was really impressed with Shane this morning," he said. "She took third overall and had the fastest time in the second run and followed with a great first run in the second race. The last run was going to be great too, she just had a little hick-up at the bottom and had to hike."
The men's slalom race on Thursday completes the alpine portion of the meet. The first Nordic action of the 2012 season commences Friday in Steamboat Springs at famed Howelsen Hill.
"I believe the guys can come tomorrow and make up some of the difference, we've been better in slalom than GS," Rokos said. "A lot of our guys know this hill very well. I'm not sure racing two races for those guys tomorrow is a good idea. I will talk with them tonight, right now we are planning on racing both races, but that may change."
Colorado's annual invitational has been renamed the Spencer Nelson Memorial, honoring the Buff sophomore who was killed in a hiking accident near Aspen in August 2010. The previous two decades the meet honored Laura Sharpe Flood, who was killed in a training run here at Eldora in April 1990.
CU Invitational/Spencer Nelson Memorial Team Scores (3 events)-1. Utah 371; 2. Colorado 334; 3. New Mexico 282; 4. Denver 278; 5. Alaska-Anchorage 254; 6. Montana State 213; 7. Westminster 202; 8. Colorado Mountain College 51.
Women's Slalom (27 collegiate finishers)- 1. Julie Bordeau, UU, 1:34.91; 2. Sterling Grant, DU, 1:35.80; 3. Anna Kocken, UU, 1:36.33; 4. Tii-Maria Romar, UU, 1:36.63; 5. Carolina Nordh, CU, 1:37.08; 6. Mary Hostetter, UNM, 1:37.59; 7. Stefanie Demetz, UNM, 1:37.70; 8. Katie Hartman, CU, 1:37.89; 9. Caroline Pernet, WC, 1:38.72; 10. Alexandra Parker, UAA, 1:38.74; 11. Stephanie Irwin, MSU, 1:39.21; 12. Maria Rizzieri, DU, 1:39.38; 13. Marissa Riopelle, MSU, 1:39.58; 14. Terra Moran, MSU, 1:40.34; 15. Anais Urbain, UAA, 1:40.55; 16. Kayla Fry, UAA, 1:41.90; 17. Anna Berecz, UAA, 1:42.68; 18. Sandra McDonald, UAA, 1:44.99; 19. Emily Danza, MSU, 1:46.01; 20. Ida Bjerka, UAA, 1:46.26; 21. Jennifer Allen, CU, 1:56.78; 22. Shane McLean, CU, 2:02.81; 23. Kendall Brown, WC, 2:08.83; 24. Devin Delaney, DU, 2:25.27; 25. Khyla Burrows, CU, 2:27.38; 26. Kate Williams, UNM, 2:43.15; 27. Kelly McBroom, MSU, 3:53.73. Other CU Skiers: Erika Ghent, DNF (second run).
(Associate SID Curtis Snyder contributed to this report.)
Players Mentioned
