Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
NCAA Championships (FS-5/10K-1)
Skiers Move Into Fourth At Halfway Point Of NCAA Championships
March 10, 2016 | Skiing
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — A strong Nordic showing thanks to a win and a runner-up finish helped the defending national champion University of Colorado ski team move up a spot into fourth place here Friday as the 63rd NCAA Skiing Championship reached the midway point.
Montana State maintained its lead, extending it from 10 to 18 points as the Bobcats have 282 team points through four of eight events. Utah overtook Denver for second place, but just barely as the NCAA West Regional champion Utes have 264 points and the Pioneers 263; Colorado is the only other team over 200 as the Buffaloes have 214.5. East region champ Vermont is in a distant fifth with 154.
MSU, which was just the 10th different school to hold the first day lead, as well as at any point since the sport went coed, became only the seventh to be in front at the midway point, joining (in order) Wyoming, Colorado, Vermont, Utah, Denver and Dartmouth. The Bobcats have never finished higher than seventh at the NCAA's, which they have done twice, in 2012 as the host and last year at Lake Placid.
Colorado junior Mads Stroem easily won the men's 10-kilometer freestyle race, finishing two laps around the Howelsen Hill course in 22:06.8, far ahead of Northern Michigan's Ian Torchia, who was timed in 22:17.4. It was the second NCAA title for Stroem, who captured the freestyle as a freshman two years ago in Soldier Hollow, Utah.
The No. 1 seed out of the west, it was Stroem's seventh win this winter and his fifth in a row. He made some CU history in the process, snapping a tie for the most wins in a season by male Buff Nordic skier, as he came in tied with Per Kare Jakobsen (six in 1989) and Ove Erik Tronvoll (six in 1999). Two male CU alpine performers also have seven wins in a single winter, John Skajem (1986) and Toni Standteiner (1991). The victory also earned him first-team All-America honors and was the 89th all-time individual win by a Buffalo, the most by any school in NCAA history.
Freshman Petter Reistad bolstered Stroem's finish by taking sixth place in 22:41.9, an effort that earned him second-team All-America honors. Senior Arnaud DuPasquier was CU's other performer, finishing down the line in 33rd place with a 24:25.3 time. Both have been a little stronger this winter in the classical format which comes up Saturday.
“It feels awesome, it feels amazing,” Stroem said. “For ten months this has been my goal and to accomplish my goal is amazing. I was so nervous (beforehand). I knew there was going to be a mass crowd out. I just had to find good skis, good pacing, and push it as hard as possible. It was definitely the best win of the year. Pulling it off when it matters the most is great.”
“I had to push it in the end,” he continued. “I had to push it all the way and it really paid off. I was so tired in the end. As soon as I crossed the finish line, I had to lie down (he actually got sick). It was nice pulling it off when it really matters.”
He was also proud of his freshman teammate's effort, which was very similar to former Buff Rune Oedegaard's as a frosh in 2011. “It was really good. He was only seven or eight seconds off of the top four, and 15 seconds out of the top three. Putting two guys in the top six is really good (Oedegaard, one of the most successful Nords in CU history, finished fifth and seventh in his first two NCAA races). I am excited because he is just a freshman. It is a great accomplishment.”
The women's 5-kilometer freestyle actually was up first, and Montana State kept up its first day performances with Anika Miller winning in a 13:06.1. CU sophomore Petra Hyncicova finished in second with a 13:14.0 time; Thursday's races featured a 30-second interval start, so unlike Saturday in the classical races, there was no sprint at the end.
It was the Hyncicova's best finish of the season and matched her top career effort, which also was in the freestyle at CU's own invitational in Steamboat last year. She earned first-team All-America honors with her finish, with sophomore Ane Johnsen recording CU's best next effort, as she was ninth in 13:20.8, which netted her second-team All-America accolades. Junior Jesse Knori rounded out the CU women here with a 14:10.0 time, finishing 32nd overall.
“It was so hard, but it was really nice in the end. I didn't hope for getting second, so it's really nice,” Hyncicova said. “I really didn't have any idea what I was hoping for. In each race you want to win, but I didn't expect that I would win here because I was always around fifth (place) this season. I went to Romania a couple of weeks ago (for the U-23 World Championships), so I was really tired and didn't feel that great.”
“I was really nervous before the start,” she added. “But once I saw everyone here — the alpine 's and everyone who cheered for us — I was like, 'yes I have to do it. I have to do it for the team.' Usually there are faster conditions, but I think we had some pretty good conditions. The boys had slower snow than us.”
“I feel somewhat relieved but happy,” CU Nordic coach Bruce Cranmer said. “Compared to racing, coaching is way more stressful. You are worried about everyone and getting the right wax. I am still trying to calm down. I get so fired up.
“It was obviously at little warmer for the men's race,” he said. “But as a whole, I thought it was great. I think they were really fair conditions. I don't think it turned into a big wax race, where you can have people having bad skis or good skis. In general, I thought it was a really fair race. The best people came out on top today. It didn't come down to some quirk of nature. It stayed really stable, good and fair.”
“Mads did great,” Cranmer added. “The guy that got second is one of the top U.S. (skiers) that went to World Juniors. He was on really good form before he got here, so I had high expectations without trying to get too caught up. I figured he was definitely fighting for a top four spot because he is just that consistent. The wins can always be allusive. It could have been closer, it could have been farther, you never really know. I am super happy with his performance. We knew he would be up there we just didn't know which step on the podium he would be on.”
“As for Petra, we were hoping for a top five finish,” he continued. “That is we thought she was capable of. She's done a bunch of traveling; she went to the U-23 World Championships. And for her to finish in second is awesome. It's really a great race, I was super happy with it. She is a strong skier. She does really well in skating.”
Action returns to the slopes Friday night with the slalom races; for third time in NCAA history – all at Steamboat – the event will be in prime time with over 1,000 spectators expected to attend. The women's first run is at 6:30 p.m., with the men's at 7:15 p.m.; the second runs follow at 9 p.m. (women) and 9:30 p.m. (men).
“We are still far behind, we need to catch up in points,” Rokos said. “But tomorrow – the slalom – we call it the great equalizer because in slalom anything can happen and almost usually does. It's like the third round in a golf tournament where they refer to it as 'moving day.' We will see how we do.”
“It was a holiday compared to yesterday,” CU head coach Richard Rokos said in comparing the Nordic results after a day of disappointment in the giant slalom. “They go like machines (when asked about the mindset of the team). Almost all season they have finished in top seeds or top places. Obviously they were even more motivated and you see that in where we finished today. They put everything behind what they had.”
“It was a continuous effort by the team to strive for their best,” he continued. “Mads is the perfect example of that. Petter was not too far behind him. The two countrymen have been pushing each other all season. It was really good for them. And Petra was absolutely fabulous to get second place in this competition. Overall, I'm happy and looking forward to tomorrow.”
The classical races will finish off the NCAA meet on Saturday, March 12: the men are first with their 20-kilometer run at 9 a.m., with the women's 15k to follow at 11 a.m. The mass start for these races is what most skiers prefer, at least Stroem and Hyncicova do.
“While we get split reports (from the interval starts), I like the mass start because you can always see the leader and you how far behind you are,” Stroem said.
“We are really excited about Saturday because our team is better in mass starts, so hopefully we will get more points,” noted Hyncicova.
NCAA Skiing Championship Team Scores (4 of 8 events)— 1. Montana State 282; 2. Utah 264; 3. Denver 263; 4. Colorado 214½; 5. Vermont 154; 6. New Mexico 139½; 7. Dartmouth 126; 8. Alaska-Anchorage 124; 9. Northern Michigan 122; 10. Middlebury 81; 11. New Hampshire 75; 12. Alaska-Fairbanks 38; 13. Colby 30; 14. St. Michaels' 23; 15. Williams 21; 16. Michigan Tech 19; 17. Plymouth State 8; 18. St. Scholastica 6. Have not scored: Bates, Harvard, Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Women's 5-Kilometer Freestyle (40 finishers)— 1. Anika Miller, MSU, 13:06.1; 2. Petra Hyncicova, CU, 13:14.0; 3. Sloan Storey, Utah, 13:14.1; 4. Cambria McDermott, MSU, 13:15.5; 5. Emilie Cedervaern, UNM, 13:18.9; 6. Natalia Mueller, Utah, 13:19.2; 7. Taeler McCrerey, DU, 13:19.5; 8. Linn Eriksen, DU, 13:19.7; 9. Ane Johnsen, CU, 13:20.8; 10. Mary Kate Cirelli, UVM, 13:23.6. Other CU Finisher: 32. Jesse Knori, 14:10.0.
Men's 10-Kilometer Freestyle (40 finishers)— 1. Mads Stroem, CU, 22:06.8; 2. Ian Torchia, NMU, 22:17.4; 3. Moritz Madlener, DU, 22:26.6; 4. Adam Martin, NMU, 22:35.2; 5. Saywer Kesselheim, MSU, 22:35.4; 6. Petter Reistad, CU, 22:41.9; 7. Nick Hendrickso, Utah; 22:47.4; 8. Lars Hannah, DU, 22:56.9; 9. Jake Brown, NMU, 23:02.9; 10. Jack Hegman, UVM, 23:03.7. Other CU Finisher: 33. Arnaud DuPasquier, 24:25.3.
(Student Assistant SID Jessica Malknecht contributed to this report.)
Players Mentioned
