New Mexico Continues To Lead At RMISA Championships

Friday, February 20, 2009 – by Curtis Snyder, RMISASkiing.com

Results Available On Schedule/Results Page

RENO, Nev. & TRUCKEE, Calif. – The University of New Mexico Lobos continue to lead the 2009 Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association Championship on the strength of eight top 10 finishes in four races at the Mt. Rose Ski Resort and Auburn Ski Club. The Lobos hold a 32 point lead over second place Colorado, 428-396.

Denver and host Nevada are tied for third with 371 points while Utah is in fifth with 345, Alaska Anchorage sixth with 341 points, Montana State seventh with 251 points and Whitman rounds out the field with 161 points.

The Lobos’ also picked up a pair of individual RMISA champions as Petter Brenna won the men’s giant slalom race in a time of 2:00.01 and Polina Ermoshina won the women’s classical race in a time of 14:59.8. The Lobos also had a pair of top five finishers in both the women’s giant slalom and men’s classical races to hold on to the lead with six of eight races now complete.

The Lobos’ won the women’s giant slalom race with 78 points followed by Colorado with 74 and Alaska Anchorage with 71. Both the Lobos and Buffs had a pair of skiers in the top five. CU’s Carolina Nordh becomes the Buffs’ first giant slalom regional champion since 1999 and won the race in a time of 2:00.94. Denver’s Ida Dillingoeen finished second in 2:01.17 with New Mexico’s Malin Hemmingsson (2:01.23) and Stefanie Demetz (2:01.29) third and fourth respectively and Colorado’s Katie Hartman fifth in 2:01.41.

Alaska Anchorage won a close men’s slalom race in which five teams were within six points. The Seawolves scored 70 points, one ahead of Utah (69) with New Mexico (66), Nevada (65) and Colorado (64) close behind. Brenna own the race in a time of 2:00.01 as the top five featured five different schools. Utah’s Thomas Zumbrunn was second in 2:01.10, Nevada’s Gregory Berger was third in 2:01.37, Alaska Anchorage’s Halfdan Falkum-Hansen was fourth in 2:01.58 and Denver’s John Buchar fifth in 2:01.59.

Colorado won the men’s classical race with 78 points while the Lobos were also impressive with 71 points. Like the men’s GS race, both the Buffs and Lobos had a pair of top five finishers. Utah’s Even Sletten won the race in a time of 27:00.4 with spots two through five rotating between CU and UNM. The Lobos’ Tor-Hakon Hellebostad was second (27:17.1), CU’s Reid Pletcher third (27:23.9), UNM’s Martin Kaas fouth (27:33.8) and CU’s Matt Gelso fifth (27:42.9).

Denver took the women’s nordic race with 77 points while Alaska Anchorage scored 72 points. Behind Ermoshina, who won in a time of 14:59.8, Denver’s Antja Maempel was second in 15:02.8 with Colorado’s Maria Grevsgaard third in 15:08.4, Alaska Anchorage’s Sadie Bjornsen fourth (15.37.7) and Denver’s Annelise Bailly fifth in 15:39.8.

Action concludes at the RMISA championship, which doubles as the NCAA Western Regional, Saturday with the men’s and women’s nordic freestyle races at the Auburn Ski Club in Truckee, Calif.