Saturday, January 24
Boulder, CO
Montana State University
at
Colorado - Nordic Classical
Photo by: Curtis Snyder
Mahlen and Kesselheim Pace Bobcat Skiers at Colorado Invite
1/24/2015 5:46:00 PM | Men's Skiing, Women's Skiing, Skiing
. “Our skis were really good today, fast with a good kick, and the guys all looked snappy and strong. Our season goal is to have three guys in the top 10, so this was a big step in that direction.”
Forrest Mahlen and Sawyer Kesselheim packed a powerful 1-2 punch to pace the Montana State ski team at the University of Colorado Invitational, Saturday afternoon.
Mahlen, a senior from Anchorage, paced MSU with a career-best eighth place finish in the men's 20-kilometer classic race. Mahlen covered the course in 55:24.6. Kesselheim finished seven seconds behind in ninth to give the Bobcats a pair of top 10 showings and a combined 45 points. Erik Axelsson rounded out MSU's scoring finishing 14th in 57:17.2.
"I'm really excited to see our guys skiing at such a high level," MSU Nordic Coach Kristina Trygstad-Saari said. "Our skis were really good today, fast with a good kick, and the guys all looked snappy and strong. Our season goal is to have three guys in the top 10, so this was a big step in that direction."
Also contributing for the Bobcats were Noah Anderson, 23rd, 59:00.7, and Martin Muan, 27th, 59:59.3. Colorado's Rune Oedegaard swept the men's Nordic events winning the 20K in a clocking of 54:22.1.
Anika Miller and Annie Liotta led the MSU women's contingent, finishing 15th and 16th, respectively. Miller covered the 15K race in 51:34.7, while Liotta crossed the line in 51:54.9. Isabella Smith completed the Bobcats' scoring placing 18th in 52:08.3.
"The women had a solid day as a team, skiing in a group for much of the race," Trygstad-Saari said. "The three lap course was the longest race for our freshmen, but Anika Miller still finished in a solid 15th place. I'm really happy to see Anika have a solid classic race, especially a longer distance race. She's proving herself to be a universal skier.
"Seniors Annie Liotta and Bella Smith improved upon Friday's results finishing 16th and 18 respectively," Trygstad-Saari said. "The women's field skied hard, and our women couldn't quite hold the pace, but they all skied well and we know what they are capable of. They're moving up as a team each race, so we're happy with that."
Also finishing the classic race for the Bobcat women were Lina Hultin, 19th, 52:14.9, Gretchen Buckholder, 23rd, 52:59.1, and Julia Hayes, 25th, 54:14.9.
Veronika Mayerhofer of Utah claimed the women's title in 47:14.0
After the Nordic portion of the CU Invite, the Buffaloes sit atop the team standings with 362 points, followed by Utah 337, Alaska Anchorage 251, Denver 251, MSU 228, and New Mexico 228.
"So far this season we've had five different skiers in the top ten, which is pretty exciting for MSU," Trygstad-Saari said.
The alpine events will be held the next two days, with the slalom races taking place on Sunday.
Mahlen, a senior from Anchorage, paced MSU with a career-best eighth place finish in the men's 20-kilometer classic race. Mahlen covered the course in 55:24.6. Kesselheim finished seven seconds behind in ninth to give the Bobcats a pair of top 10 showings and a combined 45 points. Erik Axelsson rounded out MSU's scoring finishing 14th in 57:17.2.
"I'm really excited to see our guys skiing at such a high level," MSU Nordic Coach Kristina Trygstad-Saari said. "Our skis were really good today, fast with a good kick, and the guys all looked snappy and strong. Our season goal is to have three guys in the top 10, so this was a big step in that direction."
Also contributing for the Bobcats were Noah Anderson, 23rd, 59:00.7, and Martin Muan, 27th, 59:59.3. Colorado's Rune Oedegaard swept the men's Nordic events winning the 20K in a clocking of 54:22.1.
Anika Miller and Annie Liotta led the MSU women's contingent, finishing 15th and 16th, respectively. Miller covered the 15K race in 51:34.7, while Liotta crossed the line in 51:54.9. Isabella Smith completed the Bobcats' scoring placing 18th in 52:08.3.
"The women had a solid day as a team, skiing in a group for much of the race," Trygstad-Saari said. "The three lap course was the longest race for our freshmen, but Anika Miller still finished in a solid 15th place. I'm really happy to see Anika have a solid classic race, especially a longer distance race. She's proving herself to be a universal skier.
"Seniors Annie Liotta and Bella Smith improved upon Friday's results finishing 16th and 18 respectively," Trygstad-Saari said. "The women's field skied hard, and our women couldn't quite hold the pace, but they all skied well and we know what they are capable of. They're moving up as a team each race, so we're happy with that."
Also finishing the classic race for the Bobcat women were Lina Hultin, 19th, 52:14.9, Gretchen Buckholder, 23rd, 52:59.1, and Julia Hayes, 25th, 54:14.9.
Veronika Mayerhofer of Utah claimed the women's title in 47:14.0
After the Nordic portion of the CU Invite, the Buffaloes sit atop the team standings with 362 points, followed by Utah 337, Alaska Anchorage 251, Denver 251, MSU 228, and New Mexico 228.
"So far this season we've had five different skiers in the top ten, which is pretty exciting for MSU," Trygstad-Saari said.
The alpine events will be held the next two days, with the slalom races taking place on Sunday.
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