UW Men Hold Lead, Cowgirls Second As Nordic Championships Enter Final Day

The University of Wyoming men’s Nordic ski team appears primed for a championship finish at the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) Collegiate Championships at Mount Bachelor near Bend, Ore.

And the UW women are in line for a strong runner-up finish heading into Saturday’s final event, a sprint relay featuring a mix of competitors from the men’s and women’s teams.

In Friday’s competition, a 15km classic race, the Cowboys finished second behind Colorado Mesa University, but the Pokes still stand first in the team standings with 60 points, ahead of Colorado Mesa, with 80; Paul Smith’s College, of Paul Smiths, N.Y., with 82; and St. Olaf College, of Northfield, Minn., also with 82.

Kaleb Simonson, of Lander, finished second to pace the Cowboys, followed by Diego Labatos, also of Lander, in fifth place; Austin Quillinan, of Laramie, who took 12th in spite of a broken pole; Jack Jendro, of Minneapolis, Minn., 19th; Matthew Ahrndt, of Casper, 25th; Sean Kraemer, of Evergreen, Colo., 42nd; Eliot Kraemer, of Minneapolis, 48th; and Emmitt Gray, of Laramie, 50th.

“The men’s race was crazily exciting,” co-Head Coach Christi Boggs says. “It was a pack of skiers for about 10km when Kaleb went to the front and pushed the pace. He eventually lost everyone except the strong skier from Colorado Mesa University, whom he’s been fighting all season, losing by only 6 seconds.”

The Cowgirls finished second in Friday’s race to St. Olaf College and continue to stand in second place with 76 points, trailing St. Olaf’s commanding 21. That’s far ahead of third-place Western Colorado with 145 and Paul Smith’s with 156.

Eleanor Veauthier, of Casper, paced the UW women in eighth place; sister Sammy Veauthier was 11th; Shayla Babbits, of Lander, took 13th; and Wren Hybertson, of Boulder, Colo.; finished 19th.

“The women skied so well,” Boggs says. “It was snowing hard, and the tracks were filling with snow as they skied. Another day of perfect execution and grit.”