While the University of Wyoming men's Nordic Ski club team
secured its second consecutive Division II United States Collegiate Ski and
Snowboard Association (USCSSA) National Championship, the UW women's team hoped more modestly for
winning the final team relay event.
The Cowgirls did that and more, winning a second straight national title as well. They needed everything to go right for them on the competition's final day in late January at Black Mountain near Rumford, Maine, for the team to win its fifth USCSSA national title since 2003. The UW Cowboys have won three championships in that same time.
The UW women were third in the overall standings heading into the final 15km team relay, trailing leader St. Olaf College by 14 points and runnerup Whitman College by eight points. The team hoped only to catch Whitman College and settle for national runner-up.
The Cowgirls won the relay by 15 seconds, but because St. Olaf slipped into fourth, the Cowgirls had the points to win the overall title by a single point over Whitman.
"For a team that just wanted to win the relay, wow! They surpassed our expectations. They really, really showed a lot of heart," UW coach Christi Boggs says. By winning half the men's events during the week,the Cowboys dominated the field. Evgeniy Panzhinskiy of Khabaravsk, Russia, tied for first in the overall individual points standings, while Eliah Pedersen of Lander, Wyoming, was fifth. Daniel Lewis of Jackson, Wyoming was seventh and John Kirlin of Casper, Wyoming, was ninth. UW was the only team with four members in the overall top 10.
The Cowgirls were the only club with three members in the top 10-Gracey Lewis of Jackson, Wyoming tied for second, Gwynn Barrows of Laramie was sixth, and Marie Cartwright of Lander, Wyoming, placed seventh overall.
Content courtesy of the UWYO Magazine
