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Abrahamsson Wins Classic As Buffs Take Lead At Own Invitational
February 03, 2023 | Skiing
Four Top Four Finishers Propel Buffs Into Lead
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo.—Sophomore Hanna Abrahamsson crushed the competition Friday as the Colorado Buffaloes Ski Team took the Day 1 lead in its own Spencer James Nelson Memorial Invitational, with 20K classic races held here at Howelsen Hill.Â
Abrahamsson took off early in the race and skied a majority of the 20K race alone and ended up winning the race by one minute and 47 seconds. Â Junior Weronika Kaleta and senior Anna-Maria Dietze battled out with Utah's Celine Mayer for the next three spots with Mayer edging both out and Kaleta beating Dietze by eight-tenths of a second. Â
Magnus Boee led the depleted CU men's contingent, finishing third to hit the podium again in third place. Â He was with the lead pack throughout the race, falling back only at the end and finishing about 30 seconds behind the race winner Andreas Kirkeng from Denver. Â Alexander Maurer finished 10th and Oyvind Haugan 12th as the only three CU skiers in the race.Â
The Buffs were shorthanded, especially on the men's side. Â Will Koch is in Europe competing on the World Cup while Luka Riley and Hugo Hinckfuss on the men's side and Karolina Kaleta on the women's side all competing at the World Junior Championships in Canada. Â Fredrik Nilsen is also out for this meet due to illness.Â
In the team standings, the Buffs won the women's race with 105 points, 36 ahead of second place Alaska Fairbanks and the men's team scored 74 points, third but closely behind Utah (93) and Denver (85). Â The Buffs 179 points are 27 head of Utah (152) and 35 up on third place Denver (144). Â
WHAT IT MEANS
As one of the few mostly full and healthy teams on the women's side, it should be expected that the Buffs won that race, but dominating the race by 35 points is a very good sign for the Buffs. Â And the men's team staying with the likes of Utah and Denver with just three skiers is also impressive. Â
UP NEXTÂ
The Nordic portion of CU's Spencer James Nelson Memorial Invitational concludes Saturday morning with the 5K women's and 10K men's freestyle races, an interval start scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Â The alpine portion of CU's meet will take place next Thursday and Friday, Feb. 9-10, at Eldora Mountain Resort.Â
TEAM NOTES
MEN'S NORDIC NOTES
COLORADO INVITATIONAL TEAM SCORES (Thru 2 of 8 races)—1. Colorado 179; 2. Utah 152; 3. Denver 144; 4. Montana State 122; 5. Alaska Fairbanks 118; 6. Alaska Anchorage 72; 7. Wyoming 15.Â
MEN'S 20K CLASSICAL (23 collegiate finishers)—1. Andreas Kirkeng, DU, 1:00:00.5; 2. Samuel Hendry, UU, 1:00:01.9; 3. Magnus Boee, CU, 1:00:31.3; 4. Walker Hall, UU, 1:00:37.4; 5. Bernhard Flaschberger, DU, 1:00:38.1; 6. Christopher Kalev, UAF, 1:01:34.5; 7. Brian Bushey, UU, 1:02:19.7; 8. Peter Hinds, UAA, 1:02:27.6; 9. Mike Ophoff, UAF, 1:02:30.5; 10. Alexander Maurer, CU, 1:02:36.8.  Other CU Finisher: 12. Oyvind Haugan, 1:03:59.6.
WOMEN'S 20K CLASSICAL (22 collegiate finishers)—1. Hanna Abrahamsson, CU, 1:08:41.0; 2. Celine Meyer, UU, 1:10:18.0; 3. Weronika Kaleta, CU, 1:10:31.9; 4. Anna-Maria Dietze, CU, 1:10:32.7; 5. Mariel Pulles, UAF, 1:11:00.0; 6. Tilde Baangman, MSU, 1:12:52.8; 7. Selma Andersen, DU, 1:12:59.9; 8. Kendall Kramer, UAF, 1:13:01.9; 9. Ezra Smith, UU, 1:13:12.6; 10. Emma Albrecht, MSU, 1:13:32.1.  Other CU Finishers: 12. Elena Grissom, 1:13:55.7; 18. Kili Lehmkuhl, 1:19:13.8.Â
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Abrahamsson took off early in the race and skied a majority of the 20K race alone and ended up winning the race by one minute and 47 seconds. Â Junior Weronika Kaleta and senior Anna-Maria Dietze battled out with Utah's Celine Mayer for the next three spots with Mayer edging both out and Kaleta beating Dietze by eight-tenths of a second. Â
Magnus Boee led the depleted CU men's contingent, finishing third to hit the podium again in third place. Â He was with the lead pack throughout the race, falling back only at the end and finishing about 30 seconds behind the race winner Andreas Kirkeng from Denver. Â Alexander Maurer finished 10th and Oyvind Haugan 12th as the only three CU skiers in the race.Â
The Buffs were shorthanded, especially on the men's side. Â Will Koch is in Europe competing on the World Cup while Luka Riley and Hugo Hinckfuss on the men's side and Karolina Kaleta on the women's side all competing at the World Junior Championships in Canada. Â Fredrik Nilsen is also out for this meet due to illness.Â
In the team standings, the Buffs won the women's race with 105 points, 36 ahead of second place Alaska Fairbanks and the men's team scored 74 points, third but closely behind Utah (93) and Denver (85). Â The Buffs 179 points are 27 head of Utah (152) and 35 up on third place Denver (144). Â
WHAT IT MEANS
As one of the few mostly full and healthy teams on the women's side, it should be expected that the Buffs won that race, but dominating the race by 35 points is a very good sign for the Buffs. Â And the men's team staying with the likes of Utah and Denver with just three skiers is also impressive. Â
UP NEXTÂ
The Nordic portion of CU's Spencer James Nelson Memorial Invitational concludes Saturday morning with the 5K women's and 10K men's freestyle races, an interval start scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Â The alpine portion of CU's meet will take place next Thursday and Friday, Feb. 9-10, at Eldora Mountain Resort.Â
TEAM NOTES
- The Buffs scored 179 points and leads the meet by 27 over Utah (152) and 35 over Denver (144). Â
- CU's women's team won the race with 105 points, the most the Buffs have scored on the women's Nordic side in a race since the current points system was put in place in 2015. Â
- The previous high for a women's Nordic race was 88 in the 2015 CU Invitational in the freestyle race and the previous best in a women's Nordic classic race was 87 points in the 2015 Utah Invitational.Â
- The 105 points is the second 100-piont race under the current scoring system and the second-highest point total behind the men's classic race at the Utah Invitational in 2015.Â
- Abrahamsson picked up her first collegiate win, and in dominating fashion. Â She now has finished all 14 of her career races and all in the top seven with 10 top five and four podium appearances.Â
- Kaleta picked up her first podium of the season and third of her career and she now has five top five finishes (two in 2023) and 14 top 10 finishes in 21 races.Â
- Dietze finished fourth just missing the podium behind Kaleta by eight-tenths of a second. Â In her first finish of the 2023 college season, she now has 32 top 20 finishes in 33 finished races with 17 top 10 and seven top five performances.Â
- Grissom finished 12th for a new career best, topping a 14th place she got at the MSU Invitational. Â She's now finished in the top 20 in three of her first four collegiate races.Â
- Lehmkuhl finished 18th and now has five career top 20 finishes. Â
MEN'S NORDIC NOTES
- Boee finished third for his 25th career podium appearance and 30th career top five and 35th career top 10 finish in 38 career races.
- His 25th career podium puts him in a tied for sixth all-time at CU with Per Kare Jacobsen (1988-90), tied for fourth for men's skiers and third for men's Nordic skiers.
- He is the ninth skier to accumulate 30 or more top five finishes in a career and he's tied for eighth with Bjorn Svensson (1990-93) at 30, which is tied for fifth among men's skiers and tied for third for men's Nordic skiers.Â
- His 35th top 10 finish ties him for 16th in CU history, 10th for men's skiers and fifth for men's Nordic skiers alongside Henrik Hoye (2003-06), Matt Gelso (2007-10), and Petter Reistad (2016-18).Â
- Mauer finished 10th for the best collegiate finish of his season and second best in his career behind a seventh place finish in a qualifier race as part of the 2022 US Championships. Â
- Haugan finished 12th in his first collegiate race of the season, giving him 15 top 20 finishes in 18 career races.Â
COLORADO INVITATIONAL TEAM SCORES (Thru 2 of 8 races)—1. Colorado 179; 2. Utah 152; 3. Denver 144; 4. Montana State 122; 5. Alaska Fairbanks 118; 6. Alaska Anchorage 72; 7. Wyoming 15.Â
MEN'S 20K CLASSICAL (23 collegiate finishers)—1. Andreas Kirkeng, DU, 1:00:00.5; 2. Samuel Hendry, UU, 1:00:01.9; 3. Magnus Boee, CU, 1:00:31.3; 4. Walker Hall, UU, 1:00:37.4; 5. Bernhard Flaschberger, DU, 1:00:38.1; 6. Christopher Kalev, UAF, 1:01:34.5; 7. Brian Bushey, UU, 1:02:19.7; 8. Peter Hinds, UAA, 1:02:27.6; 9. Mike Ophoff, UAF, 1:02:30.5; 10. Alexander Maurer, CU, 1:02:36.8.  Other CU Finisher: 12. Oyvind Haugan, 1:03:59.6.
WOMEN'S 20K CLASSICAL (22 collegiate finishers)—1. Hanna Abrahamsson, CU, 1:08:41.0; 2. Celine Meyer, UU, 1:10:18.0; 3. Weronika Kaleta, CU, 1:10:31.9; 4. Anna-Maria Dietze, CU, 1:10:32.7; 5. Mariel Pulles, UAF, 1:11:00.0; 6. Tilde Baangman, MSU, 1:12:52.8; 7. Selma Andersen, DU, 1:12:59.9; 8. Kendall Kramer, UAF, 1:13:01.9; 9. Ezra Smith, UU, 1:13:12.6; 10. Emma Albrecht, MSU, 1:13:32.1.  Other CU Finishers: 12. Elena Grissom, 1:13:55.7; 18. Kili Lehmkuhl, 1:19:13.8.Â
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