Day Three: Buffs Take Lead Fueled by Grevsgaard’s 2nd Title; Korthauer Celebrates in Style
3/7/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Skiing, Women's Skiing
Korthauer celebrated his 24th birthday with his first NCAA championship in the 20-kilometer event. “The track was good and the conditions were perfect today,” Korthauer said. “At the start I had a couple guys go ahead and then I just picked the right spot to go ahead.”
Korthauer’s coach said it couldn’t happen to a better guy.
“He’s a senior, it’s his birthday, it’s his last collegiate race, he finished second earlier this week…the only thing left for him was the gold,” UAF Nordic coach Scott Jerome said.
“You know, I can’t say enough about this kid. He’s a 3.8 GPA, he’s a gentleman, he’s humble, he’s just a great guy,” Jerome added. “He’s always played the role of underdog until this year- but everybody knows who he is now.”
Kit Richmond of Colorado finished second in the men’s classical race, after finishing 11th in the freestyle event on Wednesday. He was followed by Juergen Uhl of Vermont, who placed 23rd in the freestyle event earlier in the week.
On the women’s side, Colorado’s Maria Grevsgaard made it two in a row winning the women’s classic 15-kilometer race by 55-seconds. On Wednesday, Grevsgaard cruised to victory in the freestyle event by 25-seconds.
The women’s race started out in sunny, still conditions, and finished under overcast skies with a brisk wind. The changing conditions didn’t seem to bother the CU junior.
“My skis were good the whole way so I was okay,” Grevsgaard said. “Actually it gets really warm skiing in the sun so I kind of like the clouds. This race really means a lot to me, so I’m excited to win. Hopefully this will help our team.”
Colorado’s seventh year Nordic Coordinator Bruce Cramner was not surprised at her domination of the two races.
“Maria really improved on her last year’s finishes,” Cranmer said. “From a fourth in classical and sixth in freestyle to two wins—that is her dedication to hard work. And she still has one more year to ski.”
Colorado holds an edge in the team competition going into the fourth and final day of the championships. CU leads second place Denver 483 to 465.5 points. Utah is sitting in third with 429.
Friday’s Notes: Tomorrow’s finale on the slalom course at the NCAA Skiing Championships may mark team history. Since the scoring format was changed in 1997, every team leading on day three of the four-day NCAA championship has captured the team trophy. Also, all but one (Colorado, '06) had a full team of 12 skiers qualified to compete. At this year’s championship; however, day three leader Colorado has 11 skiers qualified for the event. Sitting in second place, just 17.5 points behind CU is mile-high rival Denver, also with only 11 competitors. The difference? Denver has a full slate of alpine skiers at six, while Colorado has only five. Colorado won the Western Regional in front of Denver and Utah.
Behind CU and Denver are three schools with a full contingent of racers- Utah (429), Dartmouth (412), and Middlebury (401). Dartmouth was the 2007 champion.
Korthauer’s coach said it couldn’t happen to a better guy.
“He’s a senior, it’s his birthday, it’s his last collegiate race, he finished second earlier this week…the only thing left for him was the gold,” UAF Nordic coach Scott Jerome said.
“You know, I can’t say enough about this kid. He’s a 3.8 GPA, he’s a gentleman, he’s humble, he’s just a great guy,” Jerome added. “He’s always played the role of underdog until this year- but everybody knows who he is now.”
Kit Richmond of Colorado finished second in the men’s classical race, after finishing 11th in the freestyle event on Wednesday. He was followed by Juergen Uhl of Vermont, who placed 23rd in the freestyle event earlier in the week.
On the women’s side, Colorado’s Maria Grevsgaard made it two in a row winning the women’s classic 15-kilometer race by 55-seconds. On Wednesday, Grevsgaard cruised to victory in the freestyle event by 25-seconds.
The women’s race started out in sunny, still conditions, and finished under overcast skies with a brisk wind. The changing conditions didn’t seem to bother the CU junior.
“My skis were good the whole way so I was okay,” Grevsgaard said. “Actually it gets really warm skiing in the sun so I kind of like the clouds. This race really means a lot to me, so I’m excited to win. Hopefully this will help our team.”
Colorado’s seventh year Nordic Coordinator Bruce Cramner was not surprised at her domination of the two races.
“Maria really improved on her last year’s finishes,” Cranmer said. “From a fourth in classical and sixth in freestyle to two wins—that is her dedication to hard work. And she still has one more year to ski.”
Colorado holds an edge in the team competition going into the fourth and final day of the championships. CU leads second place Denver 483 to 465.5 points. Utah is sitting in third with 429.
Friday’s Notes: Tomorrow’s finale on the slalom course at the NCAA Skiing Championships may mark team history. Since the scoring format was changed in 1997, every team leading on day three of the four-day NCAA championship has captured the team trophy. Also, all but one (Colorado, '06) had a full team of 12 skiers qualified to compete. At this year’s championship; however, day three leader Colorado has 11 skiers qualified for the event. Sitting in second place, just 17.5 points behind CU is mile-high rival Denver, also with only 11 competitors. The difference? Denver has a full slate of alpine skiers at six, while Colorado has only five. Colorado won the Western Regional in front of Denver and Utah.
Behind CU and Denver are three schools with a full contingent of racers- Utah (429), Dartmouth (412), and Middlebury (401). Dartmouth was the 2007 champion.
Wednesday, June 10
Friday, March 27
Monday, March 23
Friday, March 13
