The Bobcats qualified five student-athletes for the NCAA National Championship
Next Up: Five Montana State Nordic skiers have qualified for the 2008 NCAA Championships, March 11-14, in Maine. The national championship will be hosted by Bates College with the Nordic venue taking place at Black Mountain in Rumford. The Bobcats will have a full contingent of men’s Nordic skiers as Anders Folleraas, Bernhard Roenning and Ryan Scott all qualified. The MSU women will be represented by Kaelin Kiesel and Claire Rennie. The first Nordic event (5/10K Classic) will take place, Thursday, March 12, beginning at 8 a.m. (MST). The final race (15/20 K Freestyle) will conclude the championships, Saturday, March 14, starting at 8 a.m.
Cat Chat: Last winter, six Montana State skiers qualified for the NCAA Championships, hosted by the Bobcats at Bridger Bowl/Bohart Ranch. MSU finished 16th overall with 145 points. Montana State’s best ever finish at the NCAA Championships came in 1969 (4th). The Bobcats have placed in the top 10 on fifteen occasions (1962, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985 and 2007). Current Montana State Alpine Head Coach Dan Brelsford was the 1978 slalom champ, while Nordic coach Grethe Hagensen also garnered All-America kudos at Wyoming.
MSU Nordic Qualifiers:
Kaelin Kiesel - Nordic- Sophomore - Ketchum, Idaho
Kiesel will be making her second straight NCAA appearance this weekend. An All Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association Second Team pick, she finished 12th in classic and 14th in freestyle at last year’s NCAA Championship hosted by MSU. This season, Kiesel posted seven top ten finishes. She has a season best fifth place showing at the Colorado and Denver Invites, and a 7th in freestyle at the Seawolf Classic.
Claire Rennie - Nordic- Senior - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Rennie will compete in her fourth and final NCAA Championship this week. As a sophomore, she just missed All-America status, placing 11th in freestyle at the NCAA meet. Last winter, Rennie was hit by illness and placed 27th in freestyle and 34th in classic at nationals. This year, she has registered four top 10 finishes, including a season-best fifth place showing in freestyle at the Colorado Invitational.
Anders Folleraas - Nordic- Senior - Lillehammer, Norway
Folleraas will make his second NCAA appearance for the Bobcats, after transferring to MSU from the University of Vermont following his sophomore season. Last winter, Folleraas came down with an upper-respiratory illness and did not finish the freestyle race and did not start the classical event at NCAA meet. This year he has three top 10 finishes, including a season-best 8th place in freestyle at the NCAA Regional.
Bernhard Roenning - Nordic- Junior - Skogn, Norway
Roenning will compete in his first NCAA Championship for the Bobcats, after failing to qualify last winter. As one of MSU’s most improved skiers, Roenning has had an outstanding junior campaign, notching four top 10 finishes. He tallied a season-best fourth place in the classical race at the Denver Invitational and a career-best third place finish in freestyle at the Colorado Invitational.
Ryan Scott - Nordic- Sophomore - Boulder, Colorado
Also one of Montana State’s most improved performers, Scott will race in his first-ever NCAA Championships this week. Scott’s late season surge lifted him into the elite men’s Nordic field in Maine. Scott notched an eighth place showing at the NCAA Regional/RMISA Championships in classic. A week prior, Scott posted a season-best fifth place finish in classic at the Denver Invitational.
For a PDF of the Montana State National Skiing Championship release, click on the 'PDF Version Available' at the top of this page.