UW Nordic Ski Teams Claim Early-Season Victories

The University of Wyoming Nordic ski team members kicked off their season qualifiers last weekend at the Colorado Mesa University (CMU) Invitational in Granby, Colo.

The Saturday, Jan. 25, race was a mass start 15km skate competition, with UW’s Cowboys skiing to a convincing win.

“We have been very fortunate to welcome several new freshmen to the team, and they are fit, tactically savvy and technically strong,” co-head Coach Rachel Watson says.

Kaleb Simonson and Diego Labatos, both of Lander, skied with the lead pack for the entire race and finished second and third, respectively. Sophomore Austin Quillinan, from Laramie, gained strength throughout the race, moving his way up the pack to finish sixth.

Together, the three scorers gave UW the win, but they also were supported by teammates who displaced competitors. Eliot Kramer, of Minneapolis, Minn., was 11th; Casper’s Matthew Ahrndt placed 12th; Sean Kraemer, of Evergreen, Colo., was 20th; and he was followed by Jack Jendro, from Minneapolis, in 21st place.

The Cowboys scored a team-low 11 points and were followed by CMU with 15; Western Colorado University (WCU) scored 22; the University of Colorado (CU) had 49; Colorado College (CC) netted 50; the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) was next at 51; Denver University (DU) placed with 64 points; and Colorado State University (CSU) had 79.

On the women’s side, UW sophomore Wren Hybertson, of Boulder, Colo., skied an impressive race, Watson says. She began farther back in the pack and gradually clawed her way up until she finished as UW’s top skier in fifth place overall.

Co-head Coach Christi Boggs says Hybertson’s teammates Shayla Babits, from Lander, and Casper’s Isabella Brown were right behind in sixth and seventh place, respectively. Overall, this allowed the UW Cowgirls to take second place. Other Cowgirls placing were Eleanor Veauthier, of Casper, in 10th place, and Kiana Henny, from South Whidbey, Wash., in 20th.

WCU won the competition with 16 points, followed by UW’s 18; CMU scored 24; CSU had 42; CU tallied 49; USAFA finished with 55; and CC scored 56.

“Sunday’s race was a grueling multiround sprint race that dragged on throughout the day,” Watson says.

The qualifying round started at 10 a.m., followed two hours later at noon for the semifinals, and the finals did not start until 2 p.m.

Despite the challenges of a long day, the Cowgirls managed a team win. Babits qualified for the final along with teammate Erica Meyers, from Minneapolis, who claimed the silver medal, while Babits was sixth. The Cowgirls’ team scoring was rounded out by Hybertson’s ninth place.

Also competing for the UW women were Veauthier, who was 13th; Brown was one place back of her teammate; and Henny was 27th.

The Cowgirls had a team-low 16 points and were followed by WCU’s 23; CMU scored 32; CSU had 35; CU placed with 37; USAFA had 53; and CC scored 57.

The Cowboys qualified two for the finals, with Quillinan and Kramer finishing fifth and sixth, respectively. Their teammate, Labatos, just missed qualifying for the final, placing seventh overall. Other teammates placing were Ahrndt in ninth; Jendro was 11th; and Kraemer finished 29th.

The UW men were second with 18 points and finished behind CMU’s six points. Other scores: WCU had 28; CC finished with 55; CU scored 57; USAFA had 69; DU was next with 72; and CSU scored 81.

UW’s teams compete this weekend at the WCU Invitational in Crested Butte, Colo.