Saturday, February 2
Red River, NM
All Day
Colorado
vs
Slalom/Freestyle (5/5K)
Buffs Finish Second At UNM Invitational
February 02, 2019 | Skiing
RED RIVER, N.M.—The University of Colorado ski team battled back and forth all day with Pac-12 rival Utah, and in the end the Utes edged the Buffaloes by just 14.5 points at the New Mexico Invitational here at the Red River and Enchanted Forest Cross Country Ski Areas.
The Buffs did rack up nine top 10 performances on the day, six in Nordic and three in alpine. Senior Nora Christensen and junior Anne Siri Lervik both earned podium performances for the second straight day to lead their respective races. After the Buffs edged the Utes by 6.5 points at the Montana State Invitational, the two teams are now just separated by eight points combined over the last two meets.
"We have to get out of the slump on the men's (alpine) side," CU coach Richard Rokos said. "What's hurting us is the seeding, how they're starting. Joey Young is the only one in the top seed in slalom. We also need to get healthy and get Filip (Forejtek) back, that will help."
TEAM: Utah outscored the Buffs by 36 points, turning a 21.5 point deficit into a 14.5 point victory, 605.5-591. In Nordic action, the Utes edged the Buffs by 14 points as the two teams went 1-2 in the women's race with Utah scoring 100 points to the Buffs 84. CU then edged the Utes in men's Nordic, 79-77, as the teams finished second and third in that race. The Utes outscored the Buffs men's alpine team by 30, 76-46, and while the women's alpine team outscored the Utes 80-72, it wasn't enough to bring the rollercoaster all the way back to even. Host New Mexico took third place with 563 points, 42.5 behind Utah, while Montana State took fourth with 534 points and Denver rounded out the top five with 497 points.
NORDIC WOMEN: Anne Siri Lervik earned her second straight podium and after winning Friday's classic race, she took third place in Saturday's 5K freestyle race in a time of 17:16.9. She got off to a bit of a slow start, as she was 10th at the 2.5K split, but was in the lead pack and then had the third-best time on the second half of the race to move up seven spots. Senior Christina Rolandsen finished sixth in a time of 17:32.0, within a minute of race winner Guro Jordheim (16:35.3). Freshman Ezra Smith picked up another top 10 finish in eighth place in 17:47.2 while sophomore Hedda Baangman was 11th in 17:59.9. Rolandsen was fourth at the midpoint of the race and slipped two spots while Smith was consistent, coming in at eighth at the split and finish line. Junior Quinn Lehmkuhl finished the race in 20th in 19:06.7 to round out the Buffs racers.
NORDIC MEN: Freshman Wyatt Gebhardt continued his impressive rookie campaign, coming in fourth in a time of 14:34.5 and was just 7.6 seconds behind race winner Kornelius Grov from New Mexico and just six-tenths of a second off the podium. In the women's race, Jordheim won by 38.7 seconds, which was the exact same margin between first and 10th place in the men's race with three Buffs in that mix. Freshman Erik Dengerud was sixth in 14:40.2, just 13.3 seconds behind the race winner and senior Alvar Alev, who won the classic race on Friday, took 10th in this one in a time of 15:05.6. Junior Andrew Potyk took 19th in 15:21.0 and freshman Tyler Terranova rounded out the Buffs squad in 24th in 15:31.9. Sophomore Sondre Bollum did not race Saturday.
ALPINE WOMEN: Nora Christensen hit the podium for the second straight day and third straight race, finishing third in a time of 1:34.61, just three-hundredths behind second place Tuva Norbye of Denver (1:34.58). Christensen was seventh after the first run but was able to move onto the podium with the fifth-fastest second run. Freshman Stef Fleckenstein had her best slalom performance of her young career, taking sixth in 1:35.05. She took in 13th after the first run but then moved up an impressive seven spots on the strength of the third-fastest second run in the field. Freshman Olivia Gerrard finished 12th in 1:36.02 with freshman Kaitlyn Harsch taking 19th in 1:38.49. Andrea Arnold did not finish her second run and the Buffs were without the services of Mikaela Tommy, who was overseas skiing in a World Cup race, and Isabelle Fidjeland and Megan McGrew, both still out injured.
ALPINE MEN: Sophomore Joey Young turned in another solid performance with a 10th place finish in a time of 1:32.39. Freshman Teddy Takki took 23rd in 1:33.51 with senior Max Luukko just behind him in 24th in 1:34.32 to round out the team scoring for the Buffs. Junior Bobby Moyer finished 29th in 1:35.23 and freshman Max Bervy took 31st in 1:35.92. The Buffs are also short-handed on the men's side without the services of freshman Filip Forejtek, who suffered an injury at the start of the collegiate season.
WHAT IT MEANS: With the regular season now 75 percent compete with three of four meets in the books, the Buffs now have a few weeks before the final regular season meet and the RMISA Championships, both in Alaska at the end of February. This break is much needed both to continue to get some solid training in and to further heal up some injuries. The Nordic team seems to be on track to be a formidable foe for any other team in the nation and there are signs on the alpine side to be encouraged about. Christensen has finished in the top five in every slalom race, Fleckenstein has been a regular in the top 10 in both disciplines with the ability to improve even further and Tommy will join the Buffs in Alaska while Arnold, Gerrard and Harsch have all shown signs of breaking through. On the men's side, Young has been a regular in the top 10 with three such finishes in both disciplines while Luukko and Takki have both had impressive GS results this season. Forejtek is hopeful to return for Alaska, the first time the Buffs will be at full strength for the collegiate season.
NOTEWORTHY: Christensen's third place is her third straight podium, the longest stretch of her career, and she now has nine career podium performances. She and Luukko both skied in their 50th career race Saturday. Luukko has finished an amazing 49 of those 50 races while Christensen has finished an impressive 45 of her 50 career races. Fleckenstein had her best career finish for the second straight day, taking sixth, and she now has two top 10 finishes in both GS and slalom this season. Gerrard's 12th place finish and Harsch's 19th are both career bests and are both their respective second career top 20 finish. Young earned his sixth top 10 of the season, taking 10th in the slalom, and he now has 12 top 10s in 19 career finished races. Lervik earned her second straight podium and eighth of her career, taking third in the women's freestyle race. Christensen took sixth and continued her consistent run of finishes, having now finished between fifth and ninth in all six races this season. She has 29 career top 10 finishes in 38 career races. Smith continues her stellar rookie season with an eighth place finish, her best in a freestyle race and first career top 10 for the discipline. WIth Utah's win, they now come within a half-meet lead for the most since skiing went coed in 1983. In that time, the Buffs have won 62 meets and the Utes 61.5. The two have won all three meets in 2019.
QUOTEWORTHY:
Richard Rokos: "It was an excellent day, the weather was perfect and the snow was good. Our women's alpine team did well today with three in the top 10 or 12 and the Nordic teams seem invincible. They seem to always be getting at least three in the top 10 with some different skiers stepping up at different points."
"On the men's alpine side, we're hurting a little with the seeding, not starting early in races. That and injuries, we still have several skiers at varying stages of rehab. Good health will be the key element and the rest will straighten it out. When we get to Alaska it may not be much better, but if we can all get a good results in the first two races, we'll be in better shape for Regionals. A lot of that depends on how good the snow will be at Girdwood (in Alaska). Hopefully Filip will be back for Alaska and Mikale will rejoin us, so we will be at full strength for the first time this college season. I'm really looking forward to that."
UP NEXT: The Buffs have two weeks before the start of the UAA Invitational. The teams will be in Alaska from Feb. 17-24 with the UAA Invite serving as the final regular season meet and then the Buffs will partake in the 2019 RMISA Championships while in Alaska. On the Nordic side, the teams will race in shorter freestyle races on Feb. 17 and then sprint races will be the other half of Nordic for that meet. The teams will then take a day off before the RMISA Championship races on Feb. 20 and 22, those two mirroring the NCAA Championships with 5/10K freestyle races followed by 15/20K classic races. The alpine schedule is more condensed and will take place Feb. 21-24. GS races will take place Feb. 21-22 followed by slalom races on Feb. 23-24. The first race of each discipline will count toward the UAA meet while the second will be the RMISA Championship and NCAA Western Regional.
NEW MEXICO INVITATIONAL TEAM RESULTS (FINAL)—1. Utah 605.5; 2. Colorado 591; 3. New Mexico 563; 4. Montana State 534; 5. Denver 497; 6. Alaska Anchorage 377.5; 7. Alaska Fairbanks 191; 8. Westminster 172; 9. Colorado Mountain 56.
MEN'S SLALOM (38 collegiate finishers)—1. Simon Fournier, DU, 1:30.55; 2. Louis Muhlen-Schulte, MSU, 1:30.97; 3. Joachim Lein, UU, 1:31.38; 4. Martin Arene, WMC, 1:31.43; 5. Jett Seymour, DU, 1:31.50; 6. Aage Solheim, MSU, 1:31.65; 7. Vegard Busengdal, UNM, 1:31.83; 8. Mark Engel, UU, 1:32.06; 9. Tyler Theis, UNM, 1:32.25; 10. Joey Young, CU, 1:32.39. Other CU Finishers: 23. Teddy Takki, 1:33.51; 24. Max Luukko, 1:34.32; 29. Bobby Moyer, 1:35.23; 31. Max Bervy, 1:35.92.
WOMEN'S SLALOM (22 collegiate finishers)—1. Sona Moravcikova, UNM, 1:33.16; 2. Tuva Norbye, DU, 1:34.58; 3. Nora Christensen, 1:34.61; 4. Kaitlyn Vesterstein, UU, 1:34.80; 5. Rebecca Fiegl, UNM, 1:35.01; 6. Stef Fleckenstein, CU, 1:35.05; 7. Amelia Smart, DU, 1:35.09; 8. Stephanie Gartner, MSU, 1:35.31; 9. Giulia Lorini, WMC, 1:35.50; 10. Kristine Aasberg, UU, 1:35.51. Other CU Finishers: 12. Olivia Gerrard, 1:36.02; 19. Kaitlyn Harsch, 1:38.49. Did Not Finish (Second Run): Andrea Arnold.
MEN'S 5K FREESTYLE (31 collegiate finishers)—1. Kornelius Grov, UNM, 14:26.9; 2. Ricardo Izquierdo-Bernier, UNM, 14:27.1; 3. Ti Donaldson, MSU, 14:33.9; 4. Wyatt Gebhardt, CU, 14:34.5; 5. 5. Logan Diekman, UU, 14:38.5; 6. Erik Dengerud, CU, 14:40.2; 7. Bjorn Riksaasen, UU, 14:47.0; 8. Ola Jordheim, UU, 14:47.4; 9. Eli Jensen, MSU, 14:59.0; 10. Alvar Alev, CU, 15:05.6. Other CU Finishers: 19. Andrew Potyk, 15:21.0; 24. Tyler Terranova, 15:31.9. Did Not Start: Sondre Bollum.
WOMEN'S 5K FREESTYLE (23 collegiate finishers)—1. Guro Jordheim, UU, 16:35.3; 2. Taeler McCrerey, DU, 17:14.0; 3. Anne Siri Lervik, 17:16.9; 4. Julia Richter, UU, 17:24.5; 5. Leah Lange, UU, 17:29.6; 6. Christina Rolandsen, CU, 17:32.0; 8. Ezra Smith, CU, 17:47.2; 9. Kathleen O'Connell, MSU, 17:48.6; 10. Savanna Fassio, UNM, 17:54.3. Other CU Finishers: 11. Hedda Baangman, 17:59.9; 20. Quinn Lehmkuhl, 19:06.7.
The Buffs did rack up nine top 10 performances on the day, six in Nordic and three in alpine. Senior Nora Christensen and junior Anne Siri Lervik both earned podium performances for the second straight day to lead their respective races. After the Buffs edged the Utes by 6.5 points at the Montana State Invitational, the two teams are now just separated by eight points combined over the last two meets.
"We have to get out of the slump on the men's (alpine) side," CU coach Richard Rokos said. "What's hurting us is the seeding, how they're starting. Joey Young is the only one in the top seed in slalom. We also need to get healthy and get Filip (Forejtek) back, that will help."
TEAM: Utah outscored the Buffs by 36 points, turning a 21.5 point deficit into a 14.5 point victory, 605.5-591. In Nordic action, the Utes edged the Buffs by 14 points as the two teams went 1-2 in the women's race with Utah scoring 100 points to the Buffs 84. CU then edged the Utes in men's Nordic, 79-77, as the teams finished second and third in that race. The Utes outscored the Buffs men's alpine team by 30, 76-46, and while the women's alpine team outscored the Utes 80-72, it wasn't enough to bring the rollercoaster all the way back to even. Host New Mexico took third place with 563 points, 42.5 behind Utah, while Montana State took fourth with 534 points and Denver rounded out the top five with 497 points.
NORDIC WOMEN: Anne Siri Lervik earned her second straight podium and after winning Friday's classic race, she took third place in Saturday's 5K freestyle race in a time of 17:16.9. She got off to a bit of a slow start, as she was 10th at the 2.5K split, but was in the lead pack and then had the third-best time on the second half of the race to move up seven spots. Senior Christina Rolandsen finished sixth in a time of 17:32.0, within a minute of race winner Guro Jordheim (16:35.3). Freshman Ezra Smith picked up another top 10 finish in eighth place in 17:47.2 while sophomore Hedda Baangman was 11th in 17:59.9. Rolandsen was fourth at the midpoint of the race and slipped two spots while Smith was consistent, coming in at eighth at the split and finish line. Junior Quinn Lehmkuhl finished the race in 20th in 19:06.7 to round out the Buffs racers.
NORDIC MEN: Freshman Wyatt Gebhardt continued his impressive rookie campaign, coming in fourth in a time of 14:34.5 and was just 7.6 seconds behind race winner Kornelius Grov from New Mexico and just six-tenths of a second off the podium. In the women's race, Jordheim won by 38.7 seconds, which was the exact same margin between first and 10th place in the men's race with three Buffs in that mix. Freshman Erik Dengerud was sixth in 14:40.2, just 13.3 seconds behind the race winner and senior Alvar Alev, who won the classic race on Friday, took 10th in this one in a time of 15:05.6. Junior Andrew Potyk took 19th in 15:21.0 and freshman Tyler Terranova rounded out the Buffs squad in 24th in 15:31.9. Sophomore Sondre Bollum did not race Saturday.
ALPINE WOMEN: Nora Christensen hit the podium for the second straight day and third straight race, finishing third in a time of 1:34.61, just three-hundredths behind second place Tuva Norbye of Denver (1:34.58). Christensen was seventh after the first run but was able to move onto the podium with the fifth-fastest second run. Freshman Stef Fleckenstein had her best slalom performance of her young career, taking sixth in 1:35.05. She took in 13th after the first run but then moved up an impressive seven spots on the strength of the third-fastest second run in the field. Freshman Olivia Gerrard finished 12th in 1:36.02 with freshman Kaitlyn Harsch taking 19th in 1:38.49. Andrea Arnold did not finish her second run and the Buffs were without the services of Mikaela Tommy, who was overseas skiing in a World Cup race, and Isabelle Fidjeland and Megan McGrew, both still out injured.
ALPINE MEN: Sophomore Joey Young turned in another solid performance with a 10th place finish in a time of 1:32.39. Freshman Teddy Takki took 23rd in 1:33.51 with senior Max Luukko just behind him in 24th in 1:34.32 to round out the team scoring for the Buffs. Junior Bobby Moyer finished 29th in 1:35.23 and freshman Max Bervy took 31st in 1:35.92. The Buffs are also short-handed on the men's side without the services of freshman Filip Forejtek, who suffered an injury at the start of the collegiate season.
WHAT IT MEANS: With the regular season now 75 percent compete with three of four meets in the books, the Buffs now have a few weeks before the final regular season meet and the RMISA Championships, both in Alaska at the end of February. This break is much needed both to continue to get some solid training in and to further heal up some injuries. The Nordic team seems to be on track to be a formidable foe for any other team in the nation and there are signs on the alpine side to be encouraged about. Christensen has finished in the top five in every slalom race, Fleckenstein has been a regular in the top 10 in both disciplines with the ability to improve even further and Tommy will join the Buffs in Alaska while Arnold, Gerrard and Harsch have all shown signs of breaking through. On the men's side, Young has been a regular in the top 10 with three such finishes in both disciplines while Luukko and Takki have both had impressive GS results this season. Forejtek is hopeful to return for Alaska, the first time the Buffs will be at full strength for the collegiate season.
NOTEWORTHY: Christensen's third place is her third straight podium, the longest stretch of her career, and she now has nine career podium performances. She and Luukko both skied in their 50th career race Saturday. Luukko has finished an amazing 49 of those 50 races while Christensen has finished an impressive 45 of her 50 career races. Fleckenstein had her best career finish for the second straight day, taking sixth, and she now has two top 10 finishes in both GS and slalom this season. Gerrard's 12th place finish and Harsch's 19th are both career bests and are both their respective second career top 20 finish. Young earned his sixth top 10 of the season, taking 10th in the slalom, and he now has 12 top 10s in 19 career finished races. Lervik earned her second straight podium and eighth of her career, taking third in the women's freestyle race. Christensen took sixth and continued her consistent run of finishes, having now finished between fifth and ninth in all six races this season. She has 29 career top 10 finishes in 38 career races. Smith continues her stellar rookie season with an eighth place finish, her best in a freestyle race and first career top 10 for the discipline. WIth Utah's win, they now come within a half-meet lead for the most since skiing went coed in 1983. In that time, the Buffs have won 62 meets and the Utes 61.5. The two have won all three meets in 2019.
QUOTEWORTHY:
Richard Rokos: "It was an excellent day, the weather was perfect and the snow was good. Our women's alpine team did well today with three in the top 10 or 12 and the Nordic teams seem invincible. They seem to always be getting at least three in the top 10 with some different skiers stepping up at different points."
"On the men's alpine side, we're hurting a little with the seeding, not starting early in races. That and injuries, we still have several skiers at varying stages of rehab. Good health will be the key element and the rest will straighten it out. When we get to Alaska it may not be much better, but if we can all get a good results in the first two races, we'll be in better shape for Regionals. A lot of that depends on how good the snow will be at Girdwood (in Alaska). Hopefully Filip will be back for Alaska and Mikale will rejoin us, so we will be at full strength for the first time this college season. I'm really looking forward to that."
UP NEXT: The Buffs have two weeks before the start of the UAA Invitational. The teams will be in Alaska from Feb. 17-24 with the UAA Invite serving as the final regular season meet and then the Buffs will partake in the 2019 RMISA Championships while in Alaska. On the Nordic side, the teams will race in shorter freestyle races on Feb. 17 and then sprint races will be the other half of Nordic for that meet. The teams will then take a day off before the RMISA Championship races on Feb. 20 and 22, those two mirroring the NCAA Championships with 5/10K freestyle races followed by 15/20K classic races. The alpine schedule is more condensed and will take place Feb. 21-24. GS races will take place Feb. 21-22 followed by slalom races on Feb. 23-24. The first race of each discipline will count toward the UAA meet while the second will be the RMISA Championship and NCAA Western Regional.
NEW MEXICO INVITATIONAL TEAM RESULTS (FINAL)—1. Utah 605.5; 2. Colorado 591; 3. New Mexico 563; 4. Montana State 534; 5. Denver 497; 6. Alaska Anchorage 377.5; 7. Alaska Fairbanks 191; 8. Westminster 172; 9. Colorado Mountain 56.
MEN'S SLALOM (38 collegiate finishers)—1. Simon Fournier, DU, 1:30.55; 2. Louis Muhlen-Schulte, MSU, 1:30.97; 3. Joachim Lein, UU, 1:31.38; 4. Martin Arene, WMC, 1:31.43; 5. Jett Seymour, DU, 1:31.50; 6. Aage Solheim, MSU, 1:31.65; 7. Vegard Busengdal, UNM, 1:31.83; 8. Mark Engel, UU, 1:32.06; 9. Tyler Theis, UNM, 1:32.25; 10. Joey Young, CU, 1:32.39. Other CU Finishers: 23. Teddy Takki, 1:33.51; 24. Max Luukko, 1:34.32; 29. Bobby Moyer, 1:35.23; 31. Max Bervy, 1:35.92.
WOMEN'S SLALOM (22 collegiate finishers)—1. Sona Moravcikova, UNM, 1:33.16; 2. Tuva Norbye, DU, 1:34.58; 3. Nora Christensen, 1:34.61; 4. Kaitlyn Vesterstein, UU, 1:34.80; 5. Rebecca Fiegl, UNM, 1:35.01; 6. Stef Fleckenstein, CU, 1:35.05; 7. Amelia Smart, DU, 1:35.09; 8. Stephanie Gartner, MSU, 1:35.31; 9. Giulia Lorini, WMC, 1:35.50; 10. Kristine Aasberg, UU, 1:35.51. Other CU Finishers: 12. Olivia Gerrard, 1:36.02; 19. Kaitlyn Harsch, 1:38.49. Did Not Finish (Second Run): Andrea Arnold.
MEN'S 5K FREESTYLE (31 collegiate finishers)—1. Kornelius Grov, UNM, 14:26.9; 2. Ricardo Izquierdo-Bernier, UNM, 14:27.1; 3. Ti Donaldson, MSU, 14:33.9; 4. Wyatt Gebhardt, CU, 14:34.5; 5. 5. Logan Diekman, UU, 14:38.5; 6. Erik Dengerud, CU, 14:40.2; 7. Bjorn Riksaasen, UU, 14:47.0; 8. Ola Jordheim, UU, 14:47.4; 9. Eli Jensen, MSU, 14:59.0; 10. Alvar Alev, CU, 15:05.6. Other CU Finishers: 19. Andrew Potyk, 15:21.0; 24. Tyler Terranova, 15:31.9. Did Not Start: Sondre Bollum.
WOMEN'S 5K FREESTYLE (23 collegiate finishers)—1. Guro Jordheim, UU, 16:35.3; 2. Taeler McCrerey, DU, 17:14.0; 3. Anne Siri Lervik, 17:16.9; 4. Julia Richter, UU, 17:24.5; 5. Leah Lange, UU, 17:29.6; 6. Christina Rolandsen, CU, 17:32.0; 8. Ezra Smith, CU, 17:47.2; 9. Kathleen O'Connell, MSU, 17:48.6; 10. Savanna Fassio, UNM, 17:54.3. Other CU Finishers: 11. Hedda Baangman, 17:59.9; 20. Quinn Lehmkuhl, 19:06.7.
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