Both University of Wyoming Nordic Ski Club teams swept their respective divisions at a United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association Nationals qualifying competition last weekend in Leadville and Frisco, Colo.
The Cowboys scored a team-low six points during the Leadville competition while Western State College (Gunnison, Colo.) and the United State Air Force Academy tied for second with 26 points each. The UW Cowgirls won their division with seven points. Second went to Western State College with 22 points and Air Force scored 30.
Winner Kari Boroff, senior, Daniel, led a trio of Cowgirls claiming three of the top four positions in the women's sprint competition. Gracey Lewis, freshman, Jackson, was the runner-up and Lander Sophomore Marie Cartwright placed fourth.
The top women in the preliminary round competed in the A final, while the next place winners from the earlier competition competed in the B finals.
UW women swept the top four positions in the B finals led by Shannon Wilson, junior, Casper, followed by Ava Bell, graduate student, Laramie; Karyn R. Liebsch, freshman, Maple Grove, Minn.; and Laramie junior Gina Shively.
Evgeniy Panzhinskiy, senior from Russia, led the UW Cowboys with a first place finish in the A sprint race, followed by teammates Daniel Lewis, junior, Jackson, and Eliah Pederson, freshman, Lander. Casper junior John Kirlin placed fifth and Justin Kinner, junior, also from Casper, was sixth.
Jacob Peterson, Lander junior, won the B race followed by UW teammates Michael Fitzgerald, Laramie sophomore, in third and Matt Hall, freshman, Casper, placed fourth.
The next day at the Frisco Gold Rush, a 10km classic race, the UW men and women again topped their respective divisions.
The UW Cowboys won the competition with a team-low eight points followed by the Air Force Academy with 21.
Pederson was the overall men's winner, while Lewis and Kirlin were third and fourth, respectively. Also finishing in the top 10 were Peterson sixth; Hall seventh; Fitzgerald eighth; and Kinner 10th.
The Cowgirls dominated the 10km classic by taking the top seven positions. Boroff won the competition followed by Lewis; Casper freshman Morgan Cropsey; Cartwright; Wilson; Liebsch; and freshman Cara Noseworthy, Medford, N.J. Jennifer Harris of Lander placed 10th overall.
The UW club team will compete this weekend at the Denver University meet.
Posted on Tuesday, February 03, 2009
