UW Nordic Teams Sweep Home Races to Finish as Overall Season Champions

The University of Wyoming Nordic ski program dominated the competition with decisive victories in both men’s and women’s 15km classic races at home last weekend as both teams prepare for the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) Collegiate Championships in Bend, Ore., in two weeks.

In the process, both the Cowboys and Cowgirls teams captured the year-end conference championships in their respective divisions.

The Cowboys delivered a strong performance, securing the team victory with just nine points at the Happy Jack ski trails last Saturday, winning by a substantial 15-point margin over second-place Western Colorado University (WCU), which had 24 points. Colorado Mesa University (CMU) finished third with 26 points, followed by the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) with 38 points and Colorado College (CC) scored 46.

Lander’s Kaleb Simonson spearheaded the Cowboys’ effort with a second-place finish, supported by Laramie’s Austin Quillinan in third and Diego Lobatos, of Lander, was fourth. The team's depth was on full display with Jack Jendro, of Minneapolis, Minn., finishing seventh; Laramie’s Emmitt Gray and Matthew Ahrndt, of Casper, were close behind Jendro; and Sean Kraemer, of Evergreen, Colo., placed 12th.

The Cowgirls matched the UW men’s dominating performance in the women’s race, securing victory with 12 points, well ahead of the University of Colorado’s (CU) 22 points. CMU was next with 30 points; CSU had 33 points; and WCU tallied 43 points to round out the top five.

Senior Sammy Veauthier, of Casper, led the Cowgirls with a third-place finish, followed by a parade of young UW skiers with freshman Eleanor Veauthier fourth; sophomore Wren Hybertson, of Boulder, Colo., was next in fifth place; and sophomore Shayla Babits, of Lander, took sixth. All placed in the top six.

A pair of UW graduate students joined the race this weekend. Finishing the challenging 15km course in 20th was Kiana Henry, of Whidbey Island, Wash., and one place back of her teammate was Danielle Taylor, from Vail, Colo.

“The results reflect not only the hard work and commitment our student-athletes have shown throughout the season, but the incredible wax tech team that prepared their skis,” says co-head Coach Christi Boggs. “Bryan Overcast, Rachel Watson, Grace Erholtz and Rebecca Watson gave our student-athletes perfect skis, and the racers took full advantage.”

The Cowboys and Cowgirls continued their impressive weekend performance with another dominant showing on day two, claiming team victories in both men’s and women’s races.

The Cowgirls had an impressive victory, scoring just eight points to decisively outpace CU, which scored 26 points. CMU had 34 points; CSU totaled 39; and WCU scored 40 points.

Sammy Veauthier again led the UW charge with a decisive individual victory, while Eleanor Veauthier was third; Hybertson placed fourth; and Babits took seventh.

On the men’s side, the Cowboys scored 10 points to claim their second team victory of the weekend, besting WCU’s 19 points and CMU’s 29. USAFA had 45 points and CC scored 49.

Lobatos and Quillinan delivered standout performances with second and third-place finishes, respectively. Jendro finished fifth; Grany was ninth; Ahrndt went 10th; and Kraemer finished 12th.

“Watching the skiers race around their home course was magical. They knew just how to ski every corner, uphill and downhill, and the result was some of the best results of the season,” says co-head Coach Rachel Watson. “We’re excited to see what they can do on the trails in Bend.”

Cowboys and Cowgirls Clinch Season Titles

The weekend's dominant performances solidified UW’s positions atop the overall season standings for both men’s and women’s teams.

The Cowboys finished the season with 94 points, well ahead of CMU’s 156 points and WCU’s 173; USAFA had 377; CC scored 389; CU recorded 508; CSU totaled 535; and the University of Denver had 536.

The Cowgirls secured the women’s season title with 109 points, comfortably ahead WCU’s 182 points; followed by CU’s 239; CMU had 254; CSU scored 270; and USAFA had 396.

In individual standings, Quillinan topped the men’s overall season rankings, with teammates Lobatos in third; Jendro took fifth; and Kraemer seventh, rounding out the top 10 finishers for the Pokes.

Simonson took 17th; Eliot Kramer, of Minneapolis, was 20th; Ahrndt finished 21st; and Gray took 34th. All missed several races but still managed to qualify for the national competition.

The women’s squad placed all of their skiers in the season’s top individual standings, with Babits third; Eleanor Veauthier placed fourth; and Hybertson was seventh. Sammy Veauthier missed the first two races when she competed at the World University Games in Italy, but came on strong in the end, placing 11th overall.

“The season individual standings are really a test of quality and consistency. You can’t miss even a single race and hope to compete at the top. Having such a great showing in the overall is fantastic, and we are super excited,” Boggs says. “The same is true with the team rankings. Winning both team titles is a fantastic way to end the regular season and head into collegiate nationals. I couldn’t be prouder of the way our student-athletes represented the University of Wyoming throughout this season.”

The skiers, listed in the overall season standings, all qualified for the USCSA collegiate championships Tuesday-Thursday, March 11-15.

“The UW teams hope to have their best races of the season and compete for the podium,” Boggs says.

To watch all of the live action at nationals, go to https://www.uscsa.org/broadcast.html and find the results here.