Buffs Host CU Invitational To Open 2019 Season

BOULDER—The University of Colorado ski team and the rest of the schools in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association will open the 2019 season this week with the CU Spencer James Nelson Memorial Invitational. The alpine events will take place at Eldora Mountain Resort Wednesday to Friday with Nordic events happening at Howelsen Hill in Steamboat Springs on Saturday and Sunday.

The Buffs will host an RMISA Alpine Qualifier giant slalom race on Wednesday with the men set to begin and run to completion at 8:30 a.m. followed by the women at 12:45 p.m. Thursday will see another giant slalom race with the women skiing first and the men second, officially opening the team event. Friday morning will see alpine races in the morning and a new event, the dual slalom, on Friday night at 6 p.m. Several events have been scheduled around the night dual slalom races (link to story).

Saturday the action will turn to Steamboat Springs and Howelsen Hill where the 5K women's and 10K men's freestyle races will take place with an interval start. Sunday will conclude the Invitational with 10K classic mass start races. On both days, races will start at 10 a.m.

BUFFS ADD STEF FLECKENSTEIN TO ALPINE ROSTER

Coach Richard Rokos added Canadian skier Stef Fleckenstein to the alpine roster earlier this week ahead of the 2019 season and the spring semester for the University of Colorado. Fleckenstein comes to Boulder from Whistler, British Columbia, and the Whistler Ski Club. She has been a member of the Canadian National Ski Team since 2016 and has six World Cup starts to her credit. She has finished second on the NorAm Cup circuit in the Downhill each of the past two seasons and in the top five for both Super G and Alpine Combined. In Slalom, she finished sixth on the NorAm circuit in 2016 and 10th in 2018, and she has improved upon her GS ranking each of the past four years, coming in 12th this past season. She won the Downhill race at the Canadian National Championships in 2016. She has 12 total podiums in NorAm Cup races with one win in 2017 at Lake Louise in a Downhill race. In all, she has 45 podium appearances with 19 race victories.

2019 OUTLOOK

The 2019 season will see the Colorado Ski Team having the same goals and expectations as each of the previous 28 teams coached by Richard Rokos: to win a National Championship. The Buffs have won three of the four NCAA Championships in the east this decade and look to close out with a championship the same place they opened the decade in 2011 at Stowe, Vt. The Buffs have the necessary depth and a nice blend of experience and youth that, should the team come together, will make a strong push at winning a championship in March.

A look at each team:

Women's Alpine Returning Skiers: Andrea Arnold, Nora Christensen, Isabella Fidjeland, Megan McGrew

Women's Alpine Newcomers: Stef Fleckenstein, Olivia Gerrard, Kaitlyn Harsch, Mikaela Tommy

Women's Alpine Quick Outlook: A bit injury ridden, the women's alpine team has seven strong skiers when healthy led by senior Nora Christensen and junior Isabella Fidjeland who both have skied at the NCAA Championships for the Buffs, and infused with Canadian NorAm stars Stef Fleckenstein and Mikaela Tommy.

Men's Alpine Returning Skiers: Max Luukko, Bobby Moyer, Teddy Takki, Joey Young

Men's Alpine Newcomers: Max Bervy, Filip Forejtek

Men's Alpine Outlook: Senior Max Luukko leads a solid men's alpine team that's relatively young given the fact he's the only skier who's participated at NCAA Championships prior. Newcomer and Olympian Filip Forejtek should make an immediate impact for the Buffaloes.

Women's Nordic Returning Skiers: Hedda Baangman, Quinn Lehmkuhl, Anne Siri Lervik, Christina Rolandsen

Women's Nordic Newcomers: Ezra Smith

Women's Nordic Outlook: The Buffs lose seven-time All-American and Olympian Petra Hyncicoav, but still return one of the top teams in the nation as Baangman, Lervik and Rolandsen all finished in the top 6 alongside Hyncicova in last year's MVP and NCAA Qualification points. Baangman won two races, Lervik hit the podium four times and Rolandsen had a pair of podium appearances and didn't finish lower than seventh in any race last year.

Men's Nordic Returning Skiers: Alvar Alev, Sondre Bollum, Andrew Potyk, Tyler Terranova

Men's Nordic Newcomers: Erik Dengerud, Wyatt Gebhardt

Men's Nordic Outlook: The Buffs were boosted by an additional year of eligibility for Alvar Alev, who finished third in NCAA Qualification last year with two wins and five podiums on the season. Sondre Bollum missed some races but finished in the top 10 in seven of eight races ahead of NCAAs. Potyk, Terranova return to action for the Buffs and newcomers Dengerud and Gebhardt will be looked upon to contribute for the Buffs.

Players Mentioned

Alvar Alev

Andrea Arnold

Hedda Baangman

Max Bervy

Sondre Bollum

Nora Christensen

Erik Dengerud

Isabelle Fidjeland

Stef Fleckenstein

Filip Forejtek

Wyatt Gebhardt

Olivia Gerrard

Kaitlyn Harsch

Quinn Lehmkuhl

Anne Siri Lervik

Max Luukko

Megan McGrew

Bobby Moyer

Andrew Potyk

Christina Rolandsen

Ezra Smith

Teddy Takki

Tyler Terranova

Mikaela Tommy

Joey Young

Colorado University Athletics