Buffs Send 14 To World University Games

BOULDER—The Colorado Buffaloes Ski Team is sending 14 skiers to the 2023 Winter World University Games, an Olympics-like event for college athletes around the world.

Hosted at Lake Placid and in the United States for the first time since 1972, the games will feature more than 2,500 athletes from 50 countries and more than 600 college and universities competing in 12 sports and 86 events. Normally hosted every two years, this is the first event since 2019 in Russia as the 2021 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Of the 14 Buffs, seven are alpine and seven Nordic, with four men's alpine, three women's alpine, five men's Nordic and two women's Nordic. Six Buffs will represent the United States followed closely by four Norwegians, then one each from Austria, Germany, Poland and Sweden.

Alex Birkner, Men's Alpine, United States
Magnus Boee, Men's Nordic, Norway
Anna-Maria Dietze, Women's Nordic, Germany
Jacob Dilling, Men's Alpine, United States
Elena Exenberger, Women's Alpine, Austria
Louis Fausa, Men's Alpine, Norway
Emma Hammergaard, Women's Alpine, Sweden
Kaitlyn Harsch, Women's Alpine, United States
Oyvind Haugan, Men's Nordic, Norway
Weronika Kaleta, Women's Nordic, Poland
Will Koch, Men's Nordic, United States
Alexander Maurer, Men's Nordic, United States
Fredrik Nilsen, Men's Nordic, Norway
Jack Reich, Men's Alpine, United States

In the past the Buffs have sent a similar-sized alpine team, but combined with Nordic competitors this season, this is believed to be the largest contingent the Buffs have ever sent to World University Games.

Alpine skiing will comprise of slalom, giant slalom, Super-G, Alpine Combined and Mixed Team Parallel. The Cross Country events will include sprint, interval start, mass start, relay, pursuit and a mixed team sprint.

Alpine Skiing Calendar:

Jan. 13, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Men's and Women's Super-G
Jan. 14, 7:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Women's Alpine Combined
Jan. 15, 7:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Men's Alpine Combined
Jan. 17, 7:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Women's Giant Slalom
Jan. 18, 7:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Men's Giant Slalom
Jan. 19, 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. – Mixed Team Parallel
Jan. 20, 7:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Women's Slalom
Jan. 21, 7:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Men's Slalom

Cross Country Skiing Calendar:

Jan. 13, 7 a.m. – 8 a.m. – Mixed Team Classic Sprints
Jan. 15, 7 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. – Men's and Women's Freestyle Sprints
Jan. 17, 7 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. – Women's 5K and Men's 10K Classic (Interval Start)
Jan. 18, 7 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. – Women's 5K and Men's 10K Freestyle Pursuit
Jan. 20, 7 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. – Men's and Women's Mixed Freestyle Relay
Jan. 22, 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Men's 30K and Women's 15K Freestyle (Mass Start)

The Montana State Invitational' s Nordic portion will be during World University Games, set for Friday, Jan. 13 and Saturday, Jan. 14, at Crosscut Mountain Sports Center in Bozeman, Mont. The Buffs will be short-handed there with just two men competing, freshmen Hugo Hinckfuss and Luka Riley, along with four women, Hanna Abrahamsson, Elena Grissom, Karolina Kaleta and Kili Lehmkuhl.

The alpine teams do not have any conflicts with World University Games, but will kick off their season shortly after it's over at the Westminster Invitational at Snowbird, Utah, on Thursday, Jan. 26 and Friday, Jan. 27.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Hanna Abrahamsson

Alex Birkner

Magnus Boee

Anna-Maria Dietze

Jacob Dilling

Elena Exenberger

Louis Fausa

Elena Grissom

Emma Hammergaard

Kaitlyn Harsch

Oyvind Haugan

Hugo Hinckfuss

Karolina Kaleta

Weronika Kaleta

Will Koch

Kili Lehmkuhl

Alexander Maurer

Fredrik Nilsen

Jack Reich

Luka Riley