Colorado University Athletics
Kaleta Medals At World Univeristy Games
January 19, 2023 | Skiing
LAKE PLACID, N.Y.—Another day, another medal for the Colorado Buffaloes Ski Team. Junior Weronika Kaleta picked up a silver medal with the Poland 1 team in the Mixed Team Nordic Combined competition.
The event combines ski jumping and a cross country relay. The jumping competition was first, and Kaleta's teammates Nicole Konderla and Andrzej Szczechowicz earned a combined 209.7 points, good for third place, meaning Kaleta and Szczechowicz would then start the cross country race in third place and 33.1 seconds after the jump leaders with each skiing a 2.5K lap. Szczechowicz did the first lap and sat in fourth place when tagging Kaleta in for the final leg. Kaleta was able to pass a Japanese and another Polish team to move up to second place to earn the trio a silver medal.
Kaleta's medal is the fourth for CU skiers during these games and she's the fourth different CU skier to earn a medal, both program bests at the World University Games. The only other time more than one medal was earned by a CU skier was 2013 when Katie Hartman picked up one medal and Erika Ghent two. Additionally, the four Buffs who have earned medals have doubled the skiers in CU history that have medaled at WUG.
Kaleta is now the eighth known skier to medal alongside Anna-Maria Dietze, Magnus Boee and Emma Hammergaard, and it's the third medal in Nordic competition. Those four join Hartman and Ghent along with Adam Zika (two medals) and Erika Hogan as Buffs who have medaled.
Earlier in the day the Mixed Team Parallel competition took part on the alpine side. Jacob Dilling and Kaitlyn Harsch represented half of the United States team and Louis Fausa skied with Norway.
Seeded third, the US quartet defeated the Czech Republic 2-2 in the 1/8 finals with Harsch winning her leg and the team advancing on combined time. Norway also won their 1/8 finals matchup against Poland. Both teams then fell in the quarterfinals, the U.S. matching Slovakia 2-2 but losing on time and Norway falling to Germany 3-1. Both teams finished fifth.
Friday's action will see both alpine and Nordic skiers in action in the women's slalom and women's 3x5K and men's 4x7.5K relay competitions.
In the women's 3x5K relay, Dietze will ski with the German relay team seeded second, Kaleta is on the Poland team seeded fourth. In the men's relays, Alexander Maurer will ski for the U.S. team seeded second and the Norwegian team will feature three Buffs with Fredrik Nilsen, Magnus Boee and Oyvind Haugan all taking part in the four-man relay.
In the women's slalom race, Hammergaard, Kaitlyn Harsch and Elena Exenberger will all compete in the final women's alpine competition of the Games.
The event combines ski jumping and a cross country relay. The jumping competition was first, and Kaleta's teammates Nicole Konderla and Andrzej Szczechowicz earned a combined 209.7 points, good for third place, meaning Kaleta and Szczechowicz would then start the cross country race in third place and 33.1 seconds after the jump leaders with each skiing a 2.5K lap. Szczechowicz did the first lap and sat in fourth place when tagging Kaleta in for the final leg. Kaleta was able to pass a Japanese and another Polish team to move up to second place to earn the trio a silver medal.
Kaleta's medal is the fourth for CU skiers during these games and she's the fourth different CU skier to earn a medal, both program bests at the World University Games. The only other time more than one medal was earned by a CU skier was 2013 when Katie Hartman picked up one medal and Erika Ghent two. Additionally, the four Buffs who have earned medals have doubled the skiers in CU history that have medaled at WUG.
Kaleta is now the eighth known skier to medal alongside Anna-Maria Dietze, Magnus Boee and Emma Hammergaard, and it's the third medal in Nordic competition. Those four join Hartman and Ghent along with Adam Zika (two medals) and Erika Hogan as Buffs who have medaled.
Earlier in the day the Mixed Team Parallel competition took part on the alpine side. Jacob Dilling and Kaitlyn Harsch represented half of the United States team and Louis Fausa skied with Norway.
Seeded third, the US quartet defeated the Czech Republic 2-2 in the 1/8 finals with Harsch winning her leg and the team advancing on combined time. Norway also won their 1/8 finals matchup against Poland. Both teams then fell in the quarterfinals, the U.S. matching Slovakia 2-2 but losing on time and Norway falling to Germany 3-1. Both teams finished fifth.
Friday's action will see both alpine and Nordic skiers in action in the women's slalom and women's 3x5K and men's 4x7.5K relay competitions.
In the women's 3x5K relay, Dietze will ski with the German relay team seeded second, Kaleta is on the Poland team seeded fourth. In the men's relays, Alexander Maurer will ski for the U.S. team seeded second and the Norwegian team will feature three Buffs with Fredrik Nilsen, Magnus Boee and Oyvind Haugan all taking part in the four-man relay.
In the women's slalom race, Hammergaard, Kaitlyn Harsch and Elena Exenberger will all compete in the final women's alpine competition of the Games.
Players Mentioned
NORDIC
/ Skiing
NORDIC
/ Skiing
ALPINE
/ Skiing
ALPINE
/ Skiing
ALPINE
/ Skiing
ALPINE
/ Skiing
ALPINE
/ Skiing
NORDIC
/ Skiing
NORDIC
/ Skiing
NORDIC
/ Skiing
NORDIC
/ SkiingTuesday, April 21
Friday, June 27
Tuesday, June 10
Tuesday, April 22