Back at Howelsen Hill for the last day of the NCAA Skiing Championships and the Nordic 20k Classic. It was a bluebird day but a tough result for the DU ski team as they fell from second place to a distant third. Going into the day, second-place Denver was a long shot to close the gap on Utah but third-place CU proved it could be done in the women’s 20k as they narrowed the Utes lead to 17 points. Then, CU finished 1st and 3rd in the men’s event to jump Utah by two points for the team championship. Denver finished third.
Women’s 20K Finish
CU owned the morning with all three skiers in the Top 10. CU scored 82 points while Denver struggled with 19 points. Utah scored 48 points in the event so Denver dropped to 3rd place. DU’s Selma Anderson finished in 20th, Henrietta Semb finished 25th and Hanna Ray fell to 29th. Utah built a 72-point lead on DU and CU forged a 55.5-point edge. This all but assured Denver will come up short on trying to earn their 25th NCAA Skiing title. The women’s Nordic event continues to be Denver’s Achilles heel but I am always proud of the effort by our Nordic teams, men and women. It can be a brutal, unpredictable sport.
It wasn’t for a lack of effort that DU tumbled into third place.
Men’s 20k Finish
The men’s 20k classic would determine the winner of the NCAA Skiing Championships but Denver was still battling for individual titles. The afternoon men’s race was held in warming conditions so wax selection was critical. DU’s Florian Knopf had an outstanding race and finished 2nd, Krystof Zatloukal crossed the line in 10th and Andreas Kirkeng finished in 18th place. Kirkeng, outstanding for Denver all season, went out fast in the first two laps and was among the leaders but faded in the second half of the race. Denver had a very good race, placing two skiers in the Top 10 but CU’s podium finishes were the difference on the day as they surpassed the Utes by a mere 2 points for the title.
As always, proud of DU’s effort. It was bittersweet, however, watching CU accomplish what we were hoping Denver could do on the final day. At least, the Buffs stopped the stranglehold the Utes had on the NCAA Skiing Championships. The Utah Utes’ streak ends at four consecutive titles.
As always, Go Pioneers!
Tim is always so relentlessly positive, and I really do admire him for that.
So, I will say what he didn’t say: The Pios’ women’s Nordic team was awful today (ninth place) just as they have been for several years now in the only college ski meet that matters.
Until DU can fix the Women’s Nordic problems, 2018 (the last DU NCAA ski title) will fade even further into memory…
Shout out to every single skier on this team. Awesome athletes, hard workers, everyone trying their best. And this is not directed at any individual skiers this year, or other years. But the inexplicable failure of DU (historically best ski program) to get even decent results from their women’s cross country ski team over the past few years is the biggest failure of our whole athletic program. If I’m Berlo, I’m asking lots of questions.
DU drought from another NCAA ski title continues. We should not settle for third place!
No reason DU should be third. I’m sensing a renaissance coming. Utah is beatable, and CU capitalized. Growth period for DU needs to transition into the next golden era very soon. I’m bullish. Let’s go pios