UW Nordic Skiing Pokes Claim Victories at WCU Invitational

It was another successful weekend for the University of Wyoming Nordic men’s and women’s ski teams Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 1-2, at the Western Colorado University (WCU) Invitational in Crested Butte, Colo.

The race Saturday was a skate half marathon -- Alley Loop 21km race -- and both the Cowboys and Cowgirls claimed team titles.

Led by Lander’s Kaleb Simonton, who took gold; Diego Lobatos, from Lander, who claimed silver; and Laramie’s Austin Quillinan, in fifth, the Pokes earned an impressive team score of only eight points. Other competing Cowboys were Eliot Kramer, of Minneapolis, Minn., who finished in ninth; Jack Jendro, also from Minneapolis, took 12th; and Sean Kraemer, of Evergreen, Colo., finished 15th.

The second-place team was host WCU with 15 points.

The Cowgirls also claimed the team victory with 12 points to beat the University of Colorado (CU) club, which earned 20 points.

Sammy Veauthier, of Casper, battled with WCU and CU’s top skiers for almost the entire half marathon.

“She fatigued only in the final steep climb on the course and finished in third,” UW co-head Coach Rachel Watson says. “Considering that Sammy only just returned from the World University Games and has inevitable jet leg, we are elated with her finish, as we know that she will only gain strength throughout the season.”

Veauthier’s teammate and sister, Eleanor, finished fourth, and the scoring team was rounded out by Lander’s Shayla Babits’ fifth place, and Wren Hyberston, of Boulder, Colo., took sixth.

Sunday’s race was a 5km classic held on the FIS (International Ski and Snowboard Federation) homologated course.

“It is a technical course, and Sunday’s high temperatures increased both the difficulty of the downhills and the process of selecting the best kick wax, but the Pokes succeeded on both fronts,” UW co-head Coach Christi Boggs says. “With only a couple downhill crashes and kick wax that sustained the entire race, the teams were able to ski to several podium finishes and another team win on the men’s side.”

Lobatos once again finished in second place, which put him in the overall season standings lead. He was assisted by Austin Quillinan, from Laramie, who finished fourth, and Jendro was seventh, to allow the Cowboys to win by one point over Colorado Mesa University. Eliot Kramer, of Minneapolis, Minn., was 10th for the UW men, and Sean Kraemer, of Evergreen, Colo., was one place behind his teammate.

The Cowgirls were bested only by WCU on the day and boasted a second-place individual finish by Babits.

“At the halfway point, Shayla was in sixth place and was 21 seconds down to second,” Boggs says. “Shayla picked up more than 30 seconds on the back half of the course.”

Overall, Eleanor Veauthier placed fifth, and sister Sammy was seventh.

The UW teams have the weekend off from United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) racing, but they will compete in an NCAA Division I competition in Minturn, Colo. The Cowboys and Cowgirls return to USCSA racing the following weekend at the Colorado State University Invitational in Leadville, Colo.

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