The University of Colorado ski team put in another strong performance Saturday afternoon in the nordic events of the University of Denver Invitational in Tabernash, Colo., but again the Utah Utes went on to another small-margin victory in the early 2012 season.
Sophomore Rune Oedegaard was the top performer for the Buffs, and for the entire invitational, winning the 10K classical race on Friday by a margin of 32.8 seconds and winning Saturday’s 15K freestyle event in a sprint finish, narrowly beating Utah’s Didrik Smith by 4.1 seconds.
The CU ski team fell once again to the Utes at the University of Denver Invitational. (CU Independent Graphic/Adam Milner)
“My body felt a lot better today than yesterday,” Oedegaard said to the Sports Information Department. “ … I knew I had very good skis that when I made it to the top of the final hill that I would be the first one to the finish line.”
Oedegaard wasn’t the only male Buff to perform well Saturday. Seniors Vegard Kjoelhamar and Reid Pletcher finished fifth and sixth respectively in the 15K freestyle event.
“I felt good about the men’s race,” CU Nordic coach Bruce Cranmer said to the Sports Information Department. “ … And it was a great race for Vegard; he led a good chunk of the race and finished fifth and like yesterday, another solid performance at altitude. … For Reid, that was a solid race for him. … All of these solid performances that are in the top 10 are pluses for him.”Kjoelhamar’s early lead in the event set the Buffs up to ski tactically, allowing Oedegaard to take the late lead and win the event with everyone else in the Buffs’ tracks.
Even though it was a team effort Saturday, Oedegaard accomplished an individual feat. His wins mark the first double victory in one event since former CU skier Matt Gelso accomplished the double victory during his five-race win streak in the 2010 season.
“[Oedegaard] is amazing,” Pletcher said to the Sports Information Department. “I’ve been training with him all fall. Just watching him train and do the intervals; it’s hard to keep up with him most days. … He’s definitely a top skier and I’m impressed to see how consistent he has been so far.”
In the women’s events, senior Eliska Hajkova finished second in the women’s 10K freestyle race, but it wasn’t enough to ultimately put the Buffs ahead of the Utah Utes. When it was all over, Utah won with 902 points, and CU finished with 845.
“This was a good weekend,” Cranmer said to the Sports Information Department. “Not killer. But not something that I feel like we’re way out of contention, either. I feel like we’re moving in the right direction, we see glimmers of really solid performances so hopefully those will be more consistent and come together nicely.”
The Colorado ski team now looks forward to two events in Alaska during an eight day period from February 4-11. These will be the last regular season events for the Buffs before they enter the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association Championships on Feb. 24.
For now, the Buffs are excited to compete in Alaska, but they are all keeping the NCAA championships in the back of their minds as March approaches.
“We need to rest and get some volume in and try not to peak right now performance wise,” Pletcher said to the Sports Information Department. “It’s January and we’re looking for March. We’ll keep training and resting and work our way into peaking hopefully in March.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Joseph Wirth at Joseph.wirth@colorado.edu.
Statistics and quotes courtesy of the University of Colorado Sports Information Department.
