Colorado
Giant Slalom
Tommy Wins GS, Buffs Move Into First At UAA Invitational
February 21, 2019 | Skiing
Tommy became the first women's alpine skier to win three straight giant slalom races in CU history and her three wins are tied for the most in a single season in CU history. Â Forejtek's second place finish is the first podium of his career and just the fourth race he's competed in after injuring himself in the first race of the season. Â
Third entering the day, the Buffs finished second to Utah in the men's race by just 1.5 points, 75.5 to 74 while Denver scored 71 points. The Buffs then took the lead after the conclusion of the women's race, which the Buffs won handily, scoring 88 points to Utah's 66 and Denver's 65. Â Through six of eight races in the meet, the Buffs are up by just 1.5 points on Utah, 474-472.5, while Denver is just 22 points back with a total of 452.Â
The UAA Invitational will conclude on Saturday after the RMISA Championships kick back up on Friday with Nordic classic and another set of giant slalom races.Â
TEAM: Colorado scored 162 points on the day, the most in the field, to move from third up to first place and with two races left in the meet, hold a slim 1.5 point lead over Utah, 474-472.5. Â Denver is third with 452 points wile host Alaska Anchorage is fourth with 362 points, just 1.5 head of New Mexico in fifth with 360.5. Â Montana State (237), Alaska Fairbanks (195), Westminster (80) and Colorado Mountain (25) round out the team scoring.Â
ALPINE WOMEN: Mikaela Tommy won her third straight race, the first three GS races of her career, winning both runs and taking the race by almost seven-tenths of a second in a time of 2:37.72. Â Senior Nora Christensen took seventh in a time of 2:41.29, setting a new career best GS finish, and freshman Stef Fleckenstein was eighth in 2:41.51, her third top 10 in GS of the season. Â Christensen hit the top 10 for the first time this season in GS and improved her placement on the NCAA qualification list. Â It marked her fourth career top 10 in GS. Â Fleckenstein now has three top 10 finishes in GS action this season and five overall in nine races. Â Junior Andrea Arnold finished 15th in a time of 2:43.26 while freshmen Kaitlyn Harsch (17th in 2:43.28) and Olivia Gerrard (19th in 2:44.22) gave the Buffs six of the top 10 finishers in the race. Â
ALPINE MEN: Filip Forejtek finished second in a time of 2:29.33, just nine-hundredths of a second behind DU's Simon Fournier, who won the race in 2:29.24. Â Forejtek earned his first career podium and it's just the second race he's finished this season after injuring his wrist in the first race of the season at Eldora. Â Sophomore Joey Young finished seventh in a time of 2:30.18, matching his career best finish in the discipline. Â Senior Max Luukko finished 19th in 2:32.36, freshman Teddy Takki took 25th in 2:33.32 and freshman Max Bervy took 27th in 2:33.64. Â Â
WHAT IT MEANS: The Buffs alpine team is coming together and with Mikaela Tommy back off the World Cup circuit and Filip Forejtek returning from injury, the team is showing signs of being a formidable force, moving from third into first. Â Tommy moved into the top spot for the No. 1 GS seed for NCAA Championships, Christensen earned her fourth career top 10 and first of the season in GS and Fleckenstein earned another top 10.Â
NOTEWORTHY: Tommy's win is her third straight, setting a CU record for most consecutive women's GS races won. Â Her three wins is already second most for a season in CU history and her five run victories are the most in a season in CU history. Â Christensen's top 10 marked a new career high and was her best finish since last season's RMISA Championships, where she took eighth. Â Fleckenstein's eighth place finish is her third in five GS races and fifth in nine races overall this season.Â
QUOTEWORTHY:
Richard Rokos: "It's great to have Mikaela back and scoring. The rest of the women's team is being drafted into a vacuum behind her with a few women from other teams able to keep pace. Â All of our women demonstrated improvement in their second runs today and we clearly controlled the race."
"The men had a little bit of a mixed performance with Filip winning the second run and moving from 12th to second in the process, that was a surprise, even for him. Â It's great to see him ski fast after his injury and that will help broaden the depth of the team. Joey had a solid race and it is a delight to see him in this level of confidence and consistency. Â The remainder of the team was fighting a variety of issues including lost poles, and a premature opening of the starting gate. Those things seldom happen and it's good to get them out of our system in a race like this. Â Tomorrow is the first race for the Regional Championships and the stakes will be higher."
UP NEXT: Action continues in Alaska Friday but returns to the RMISA Championships, where the 15/20K classic races will take place at Kincaid Park in Anchorage and another set of giant slalom races at Aleyska will take place. Â After Friday, the Nordic action will be complete and just the slalom races will be left on the alpine side, first in the UAA Invitational on Saturday and then in the RMISA Championships on Sunday.Â
MEN'S GIANT SLALOM (31 collegiate finishers)—1. Simon Fournier, DU, 2:29.24; 2. Filip Forejtek, CU & Joachim Lein, UU, 2:29.33; 4. Tobias Kogler, DU, 2:29.36; 5. Aage Solheim, MSU, 2:29.94; 6. Liam Wallace, UAA, 2:29.99; 7. Joey Young, CU, 2:30.18; 8. Sky Kelsey, UAA, 2:30.33; 9. Huston Philp, UU, 2:30.72; 10. Morten Bakke, MSU & Vegard Busengdal, UNM, 2:31.04.  Other CU Finishers: 19. Max Luukko, 2:32.36; 25. Teddy Takki, 2:33.32; 27. Max Bervy, 2:33.64.  Did Not Start (First Run): Bobby Moyer.Â
WOMEN'S GIANT SLALOM (21 collegiate finishers)—1. Mikaela Tommy, CU, 2:37.72; 2. Eirin Engeset, UU, 2:38.41; 3. Tuva Norbye, DU, 2:38.67; 4. Andrea Komsic, DU, 2:39.63; 5. Kristine Aasberg, UU, 2:39.88; 6. Rebecca Fiegl, UNM, 2:40.44; 7. Nora Christensen, CU, 2:41.29; 8. Stef Fleckenstein, CU, 2:41.51; 9. Kahtarine Irwin, UNM, 2:41.57; 10. Haley Cutler, UNM, 2:41.61.  Other CU Finishers: 15. Andrea Arnold, 2:43.26; 17. Kaitlyn Harsch, 2:43.38; 19. Olivia Gerrard, 2:44.22.Â
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