Colorado University Athletics
Photo by: Cliff Grassmick
Rokos Says Goals Remain The Same
October 18, 2017 | Skiing
Colorado’s head ski coach, entering year 28 at the helm of CU’s most successful program, has the Buffs ready to chase after a 21st national championship
BOULDER — The Colorado Buffalo ski program is gearing up for another winter and another run at a national championship.
This year the championships come to CU's backyard, so to speak, as the Buffs will be hosting both the RMISA Championships (Feb. 23-25) and NCAA Championships (March 7-10) in Steamboat Springs.
Wednesday at CU's winter sports media day that featured the men's and women's basketball programs along with the ski team, 28-year Colorado head coach Richard Rokos talked about the upcoming season and hosing the championships.
"Coming from second place (at NCAAs last year), we were sort of deficient on our goals. Our goals never change," Rokos said of the teams expectation to win a national title. "It is a challenging year. We are home. We are competing in Steamboat Springs, the place where we have hosted the NCAA championships six or seven times in the past 30 years.
"Just looking ahead, it is a very exciting season. We are recycling a lot of esteemed athletes – two double national champions (in David Ketterer and Petra Hyncicova). On the alpine side, we have just one new addition to the team. On the Nordic side, we are bringing back all of last year's good athletes."
Although the goals remain the same of winning the national championship, Rokos and his student-athletes feel no pressure in competing to win it all.
"It's the fact that it is a well-established program and well known," Rokos said. "Recruiting is relatively easy. We don't need to go too far and convince someone to come to CU because it is a well-developed and well maintained program.
"Another thing is the spirit of the team and the relationships between athletes. That is very consistent. If you look at our Ski Ball, we bring year after year close to 500 former Buffs in one place at one time, having fun and meeting generation after generation of people with the same experiences, which is very honorable."
Colorado returns a strong contingent off of last year's squad, which includes six different All-Americans (three alpine and three Nordic). Highlighting the returnees are 2017 NCAA champions Petra Hyncicova and David Ketterer, who both swept the national titles for women's Nordic and men's alpine, respectively. Hyncicova and Ketterer were also named the National Skiers of the Year for their respective disciplines last winter.
The alpine teams return all six Buffs who competed at the NCAA Championships a year ago and boasts just one newcomer, Joey Young from Kitchener, Ontario. Max Luukko and Ola Johansen have both finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships in their careers and are now entering their third seasons with the Buffs. Same can be said for two women off the alpine team – Nora Christensen and Tonje Trulsrud. Isabella Fidjeland, who was injured for much of last season but returned for the RMISA and NCAA Championships, is now healthy for her second season with the Buffs.
On the Nordic side, gone is eight-time All-American and three-time NCAA champ Mads Stroem. Now a junior, Petter Reistad headlines the returnees on the men's squad, as he has earned four All-American honors in his first two seasons with the program. The men's Nordic team has three newcomers in Alvar Alev, Sondre Bollum and Tyler Terranova.
On the women's Nordic side, returning with Hyncicova is 2017 first-team All-American Christina Rolandsen along with Ane Johnsen, who earned two first-team All-America accolades in 2016, and Anne Siri Lervik, who placed in the top five in both races at the 2017 RMISA Championships. Two newcomers, Hedda Baangman and Quinn Lehmkuhl, join what is a very deep and talented women's Nordic team.
The Buff alpine squads are headed to the snow for the first time this year, training up at Copper Mountain over the weekend. The Nordic teams are continuing with their dryland training in Boulder, roller skiing up Sunshine and Lefthand Canyons this week.
The season will kick off for the Buffaloes in January – the Nordic squads opening up in Alaska at the U.S. Cross Country Nationals on Jan. 2 and the first event for the alpine team is on Jan. 6 in Big Sky, Mont.
This year the championships come to CU's backyard, so to speak, as the Buffs will be hosting both the RMISA Championships (Feb. 23-25) and NCAA Championships (March 7-10) in Steamboat Springs.
Wednesday at CU's winter sports media day that featured the men's and women's basketball programs along with the ski team, 28-year Colorado head coach Richard Rokos talked about the upcoming season and hosing the championships.
"Coming from second place (at NCAAs last year), we were sort of deficient on our goals. Our goals never change," Rokos said of the teams expectation to win a national title. "It is a challenging year. We are home. We are competing in Steamboat Springs, the place where we have hosted the NCAA championships six or seven times in the past 30 years.
"Just looking ahead, it is a very exciting season. We are recycling a lot of esteemed athletes – two double national champions (in David Ketterer and Petra Hyncicova). On the alpine side, we have just one new addition to the team. On the Nordic side, we are bringing back all of last year's good athletes."
Although the goals remain the same of winning the national championship, Rokos and his student-athletes feel no pressure in competing to win it all.
"It's the fact that it is a well-established program and well known," Rokos said. "Recruiting is relatively easy. We don't need to go too far and convince someone to come to CU because it is a well-developed and well maintained program.
"Another thing is the spirit of the team and the relationships between athletes. That is very consistent. If you look at our Ski Ball, we bring year after year close to 500 former Buffs in one place at one time, having fun and meeting generation after generation of people with the same experiences, which is very honorable."
Colorado returns a strong contingent off of last year's squad, which includes six different All-Americans (three alpine and three Nordic). Highlighting the returnees are 2017 NCAA champions Petra Hyncicova and David Ketterer, who both swept the national titles for women's Nordic and men's alpine, respectively. Hyncicova and Ketterer were also named the National Skiers of the Year for their respective disciplines last winter.
The alpine teams return all six Buffs who competed at the NCAA Championships a year ago and boasts just one newcomer, Joey Young from Kitchener, Ontario. Max Luukko and Ola Johansen have both finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships in their careers and are now entering their third seasons with the Buffs. Same can be said for two women off the alpine team – Nora Christensen and Tonje Trulsrud. Isabella Fidjeland, who was injured for much of last season but returned for the RMISA and NCAA Championships, is now healthy for her second season with the Buffs.
On the Nordic side, gone is eight-time All-American and three-time NCAA champ Mads Stroem. Now a junior, Petter Reistad headlines the returnees on the men's squad, as he has earned four All-American honors in his first two seasons with the program. The men's Nordic team has three newcomers in Alvar Alev, Sondre Bollum and Tyler Terranova.
On the women's Nordic side, returning with Hyncicova is 2017 first-team All-American Christina Rolandsen along with Ane Johnsen, who earned two first-team All-America accolades in 2016, and Anne Siri Lervik, who placed in the top five in both races at the 2017 RMISA Championships. Two newcomers, Hedda Baangman and Quinn Lehmkuhl, join what is a very deep and talented women's Nordic team.
The Buff alpine squads are headed to the snow for the first time this year, training up at Copper Mountain over the weekend. The Nordic teams are continuing with their dryland training in Boulder, roller skiing up Sunshine and Lefthand Canyons this week.
The season will kick off for the Buffaloes in January – the Nordic squads opening up in Alaska at the U.S. Cross Country Nationals on Jan. 2 and the first event for the alpine team is on Jan. 6 in Big Sky, Mont.
Players Mentioned
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