Five Top 10s Move Buffs Into Second At Utah Invite

Saturday, January 13

Midway, Utah

9:30 AM Women / 10:45 AM Men

Colorado

10K Classic

January 13, 2024 | Skiing

Results

By: Curtis Snyder, Associate AD/Athletic Communications

MIDWAY, Utah – Seniors Will Koch and Weronika Kaleta each finished in fifth place and the Colorado Buffaloes Ski Team used five top 10 finishes to propel them from fourth to second at the conclusion of the Nordic races here at Soldier Hollow Saturday in the Utah Invitational.

With team scoring almost identical to Friday's freestyle races, the nature of the close event allowed the Buffs to move up two spots into second place with 289 points, passing both Denver (280) and Alaska Fairbanks (275) during the two races. Utah continues to lead with 382 points, a healthy 93-point advantage headed into next week's alpine races. CU scored 74 points in the men's race and 72 in the women's for 146 on the day and in the four races the past two days scored between 71 and 74 team points in each of them.

The races were pursuit races, meaning each skier started based on their finish placement and time behind the leader from Friday's freestyle races, but first across the finish line wins. CU had a solid day moving up a combined 23 spots between the two races and were one of just two teams to move up 10-plus spots in both races.

On the women's side, Kaleta led the way moving up four spots from ninth to fifth while Hanna Abrahamsson had the biggest improvement of the skiers in the top 10, moving from 14th to ninth place. Anna-Maria Dietze slipped a little but her 10th place finish gave the Buffs three in the top 10. The Buffs scored 72 points and moved past Denver in the team standings through three events.

The men followed and CU men had a similar experience to the women with Johannes Flaaten moving up three spots from 11th to eighth and Magnus Boee used the 10th fastest race to move up four spots from 17th to finish 13th. Koch slipped two spots but still had the fourth-fastest classic time and held on for his third top five finish of the season. The men scored 74 points and move past Denver into second place in the final Nordic standings.

UP NEXT: Nordic teams will have two-and-a-half weeks off before the start of CU's own invitational, the Spencer James Nelson Memorial Invitational, the first week of February in Steamboat Springs, the same venue that the Buffs will host the 2024 NCAA Ski Championships in March. Alpine teams are up next and will start their season with four races over four days from Jan. 17-20 to close out both the Westminster and Utah Invitationals at Olympic Park in Park City, Utah.

WHAT IT MEANS: After a long two weeks in Utah, the Buffs Nordic teams showed signs they have what it takes to compete with any team in the nation when at full strength. The key to the season will be keeping the team's depth and health in tact as the Buffs may not be at full strength again before the postseason with skiers skiing internationally. While Utah's Nordic teams flexed and showed their strength, the Buffs proved if things continue to improve as they have through the first five races of the season, they will be a factor in March.

WOMEN'S NORDIC NOTES

Weronika Kaleta finished fifth, moving up four spots from her ninth place finish in freestyle. She also had the fifth-fastest classic race in the field. In four races this season, she has finished in the top 10 in each of the four and now has two top-five finishes, the eighth top five of her career. It's also her fifth top five in classic races and her 10th top 10 classic finish in 14 career races.
Hanna Abrahamsson got her 23rd career top 10 finish in 27 career races, and for the first time in 2024 in five races. She now has 13 top 10 classic finishes in 15 career races.
Anna-Maria Dietze picked up her second straight top 10 finish, the 27th of her career in 44 starts and it's her 10th career top 10 in classic in 21 races.

MEN'S NORDIC NOTES

Koch continued his solid start to the season and has five top 10 finishes in five races and extends his top 10 streak to the last 10 races dating back to last season. He also has three top five finishes this season and seven in his career, and three top five finishes in 17 classic starts.
Johannes Flaaten cracked the top 10 for the first time after knocking on the door in his first four races, including three 11th place finishes to open the season. He's finished in the top 15 in all five career races now.
Boee finished 13th for his 51st career top 20 in 52 races and in classic races, it's just his second finish outside the top 10 in his career, but he did finish 10th in the classic race, he just doesn't get credit for it because of the pursuit aspect of the race.
Hugo Hinckfuss finished 18th for his fourth top 20 in five races this season and 10th top 10 of his career in 13 races.
Alexander Maurer had the second highest jump in the men's field, moving up seven spots from 26th to 19th to pick up his third top 20 of the season. He now has 15 top 20s in 21 career races including nine in 11 classic races.

TEAM STANDINGS (Through 4 of 8 Races): 1. Utah 382; 2. Colorado 289; 3. Denver 280; 4. Alaska Fairbanks 275; 5. Alaska Anchorage 240; 6. Montana State 218; 7. Wyoming 112.

WOMEN'S 10K CLASSIC (35 collegiate finishers): 1. Kendall Kramer, UAF, 51:24.7; 2. Sydney Palmer-Leger, UU, 52:00.0; 3. Tilde Baangman, MSU, 52:19.1; 4. Karianne Dengerud, UU, 53:03.2; 5. Weronika Kaleta, CU, 53:06.9. Other CU Finishers: 9. Hanna Abrahamsson, 53:42.5; 10. Anna-Maria Dietze, 54:04.8; 25. Karolina Kaleta, 56:12.6; 28. Elena Grissom, 57:56.3; 29. Sophie Spalding, 58:05.7; 31. Kili Lehmkuhl, 59:05.5.

MEN'S 10K CLASSIC (40 collegiate finishers): 1. Joe Davies, UU, 44:15.8; 2. Brian Bushey, UU, 44:33.5; 3. Andreas Kirkeng, DU, 44:49.7; 4. Florian Knopf, DU, 44:50.4; 5. Will Koch, CU, 44:52.8. Other CU Finishers: 8. Johannes Flaaten, 45:44.7; 13. Magnus Boee, 46:22.0; 18. Hugo Hinckfuss, 47:01.8; 19. Alexander Maurer, 47:16.0; 26. Luka Riley, 48:07.0. Did Not Start: Trey Jones.