Men’s Nordic Ski Team Captures Win; Cowgirls Earn Podium Finishes at Colorado Mesa Invitational

The University of Wyoming Nordic ski team delivered a standout performance at the recent Colorado Mesa University Invitational, overcoming challenging conditions and high-altitude terrain to secure major team and individual successes.

The 15km classic race, which took place Saturday, Jan. 24, tested athletes with terrain that included more than 1,000 feet of climbing at elevations above 9,000 feet. Despite the demanding course, UW skiers showcased their strength, resilience and tightly packed finishes -- a testament to the extensive mountain running incorporated into their summer training.

“Our athletes were incredibly gritty,” says co-Head Coach Rachel Watson. “The men finished exceptionally close together, with our top skier on the podium and teammates stacking fourth through eighth. It earned the Cowboys the overall team win. Our women, though smaller in number, all had strong improvements each lap and a second-place team finish.”

Freshman Drew Crouch, of Salt Lake City, Utah, led the Cowboys with a third-place finish, followed by a dominant block of Wyoming skiers that included Diego Labatos, a Lander sophomore, in fourth; Austin Quillinan, a junior from Laramie, finished fifth; and William Blair, a Casper freshman, followed in sixth. Kaleb Simonson, a sophomore from Lander, and Jack Jendro, a sophomore from Andover, Minn., finished seventh and eighth, respectively.

In the 15km classic race, the Cowgirls were paced by Eleanor Veauthier, a Casper sophomore, who finished sixth, followed closely by Shayla Babits, a Lander junior, in seventh; Gigi Mahood, a freshman from Jackson, placed eighth; and Leah Ines, a freshman from Holderness, N.H., took 10th.

Results for other Cowboys in the 15km classic race included Ben Clough, a freshman from New London, New Hampshire, who finished 13th; Mathew Ahrndt, a junior from Casper, garnered 17th place; Emmitt Gray, a junior from Laramie, was right behind in 18th; and Henry Phillips, a freshman from Sheridan, was 23rd. John Zhang, a graduate student from Nanjing, China, and Jason Zhanghuan, a graduate student from Shanghai, China, finished 37th and 38th, respectively.

 

Results for other Cowgirls in the 15km classic race included Morgan Gelwicks, a freshman from Laramie, who was 13th; Irene Ma, a graduate student from Shanghai, China, took 22nd; Stella Ordahl, a junior from Hillman, Minn., placed 23rd; Kiana Henny, a graduate student from Whidbey Island, Wash., finished 24th. Kelly Xu, a senior from Chuxiong, China, and Mia Yu, a graduate student from Qingdao, China, finished 26th and 27th, respectively.

The 1.3km sprint, which took place Sunday, Jan. 25, brought fresh challenges with constant snowfall and cold temperatures. But UW skiers again rose to the occasion through strong technical execution and tactical racing.

“The weather was difficult, but our athletes kept fighting,” says co-Head Coach Christi Boggs. “Both Shayla and Austin were inches from podium finishes. Their grit and skill showed in every round.”

Both the Cowboys and Cowgirls earned second-place team finishes in the sprint.

For the Cowgirls, Babits placed fourth, with Veauthier and Mahood close behind in eighth and ninth place, respectively.

For the Cowboys, Quillinan led the way in fourth place, followed by Hunter Pickett, a freshman from Casper, in seventh. Jendro was eighth and Eliot Kramer, a junior from Duluth, Minn., placed 10th.

Results for other Cowgirls in the skate sprint were Ines, 13th; Gelwicks, 17th; Henny, 20th; Xu, 22nd; Ma, 23rd; Ordahl, 24th; and Yu, 26th.

Results for other Cowboys in the skate sprint were Ahrndt, 13th; Lobatos, 14th; Blair, 15th; Clough, 16th; Gray, 17th; Zhang, 35th; and Zhanghuan, 36th.

Across both days, UW athletes stacked strong finishes deep into the roster, reflecting the depth and momentum of the program as the season progresses.

Besides host Colorado Mesa University, other teams that competed were Air Force, the University of Colorado, Colorado College, Colorado State University and Western Colorado University.