Tyler Reinking paced the MSU Nordic contingent with a third place finish in the 10K freestyle at the RMISA-NCAA West Regional Championships on Friday.
Photo by: Curtis Snyder
Bobcat Nordic Performance Lifts MSU to 3rd Place at NCAA Regional
2/24/2012 6:45:00 PM | Men's Skiing, Women's Skiing
Bobcat Nordic Performance Lifts MSU to 3rd Place at NCAA Regional
DAY ONE - RMISA-NCAA WEST REGIONAL RESULTS (pdf)
Behind the strong performances of the Montana State Nordic contingent, the Bobcat ski team sits a surprising third after the opening day of the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association-NCAA West Regional Championship held at Bohart Ranch and Bridger Bowl.
The MSU men's Nordic team took its event, out-pacing defending national champion Colorado and 2012 power Utah. The Bobcat men racked up 118 points as Tyler Reinking, David Norris and Michael Schallinger finished third, fourth and eighth, respectively, in the 10-kilometer freestyle event. Colorado and Utah both finished second with 115 points.
In all, MSU had five racers in the top 13 as Pat Madden notched his first top 10 finish with a tenth place showing, while freshman Sawyer Kesselheim was 13th overall.
“It was just a phenomenal day,” said MSU Nordic Coach Grethe Hagensen. “Everyone was so focused and our waxing crew did an outstanding job.”
The Bobcat women also had an impressive showing as Ase Carlson, Casey Kutz and Jessica Yeaton finished sixth, eighth and tenth, respectively. The trio notched 100 points, and trailed just Colorado 115, New Mexico 105 and Utah 103.
As a team, the Nordic squad placed second with 218 points, just 12 behind CU.
“We really needed a strong performance from Casey Kutz,” Hagensen said. “We put her as the last seed, the fastest place, and she went out and got it done. It will certainly help her chance of qualifying.
“Ase had a fantastic day, as well,” Hagensen said. “We just need to keep our momentum going.”
Maria Graefnings, Utah, and Rune Oedegaard, CU, won the individual freestyle titles.
The MSU alpine team received a big boost from Kelly McBroom in the women's giant slalom. McBroom has put back-to-back performances together but is still on the NCAA bubble. On Friday, the native of Canmore, Alberta, placed ninth overall.
“I think it's just spectacular how Kelly is coming back from a broken leg last year to where she is skiing right now,” said MSU Director of Skiing/Head Alpine Coach Dan Brelsford. “She is doing a nice job working her way through and we need her to have another good performance in the slalom.”
The MSU men's alpine team was led by Michael Radford, who placed 11th in the giant slalom.
“Radford's been solid,” Brelsford said. “We still need a few guys to have a great slalom race to qualify. It's coming down to the last day and they have the ability to perform well.”
Utah sits atop the team standings after four events with 484 points. The Utes are followed by Colorado 422.5, MSU 375, New Mexico 368.5, Denver 346, Alaska-Anchorage 336, Westminster 133 and Colorado Mountain College 51.
Utah is bidding to become the first team to win all five western meets since 2005, when Denver accomplished the feat on its way to the NCAA title. Since skiing went coed in 1983, the only other western sweeps were accomplished in 1989 (Utah) and in 1995 (Colorado).
The RMISA and NCAA West Regional will conclude on Saturday with the alpine slalom and Nordic classic events.
MSU Finishers: (Women's Giant Slalom)- Kelly McBroom, 9th, 1:42.69; Marissa Riopelle, 16th, 1:43.39; Terra Moran, 18th, 1:44.01; Emily Danza, 26th, 1:46.28; Jacqueline Lebel, 30th, 1:48.46; Stephanie Irwin, 32ns, 1:56.34. (Men's Giant Slalom)- Michael Radford, 11th, 1:34.08; Mike Mackie, 16th, 1:34.62; Geoff Irwin, 19th, 1:34.85; David Owsley, 27th, 1:35.12; Ryan McConnell, 34th, 1:41.08. (Women's 5K Freestyle)- Ase Carlson, 6th, 14:58.4; Casey Kutz, 8th, 15:12.4; Jessica Yeaton, 10th, 15:21.9; Cambria McDermott, 15th, 15:32.3; Kate Backstrum, 17th, 15:50.0; Rachelle Kanady, 21st, 16:01.5; 16:01.5; Solveig Bratlie, 23rd, 16:16.6. (Men's 10K Freestyle)- Tyler Reinking, 3rd, 25:48.5; David Norris, 4th, 25:52.6; Michael Schallinger, 8th, 26:09.2; Pat Madden, 10th, 26:33.1; Sawyer Kesselheim, 13th, 26:48.6; Hans Nygren, 27th, 28:46.1.
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