Denver takes 18th NCAA ski title, UVM holds on to second

Denver takes 18th NCAA ski title, UVM holds on to second{mosimage}STOWE, Vt. – The UVM Catamounts fought like dogs. But in the end, they didn’t
have enough power to overcome one of the strongest collegiate nordic fields
in the past five years. As a Nor’Easter dumped snow on Stowe, the University
of Denver glided to victory on the tails of their men’s nordic team and
claimed its 18th NCAA ski title, a NCAA record, holding off UVM, 622.5-575.
Utah’s strong men’s nordic team helped the Utes jump from fifth to third
with 545 points. New Mexico moved into fourth with 518, while Dartmouth
enjoyed its best championship in decades, ending up fifth with 518.

Alaska-Anchorage’s Mandy Kaempf won the women’s 15-km race, her second
victory of the championship, finishing 36 seconds ahead of teammate Nicole
DeYong, the surprise silver medalist. Martina Stursova, heavily favored to
win the classic race, ended up with her second bronze medal in two days.
The Denver women only put 11 points into UVM in the women’s race, but the
real damage was done in the men’s 20-km event. Around the 12-km mark, Denver’s Rene Reisshauer put the hammer down and pulled ahead of the field. In the
final kilometer, CU’s Erling Christiansen made a last ditch effort to catch
the German, but he held the lead to the end despite leg cramps. With John
Stene in sixth and Haavard Selseng in 11th, the Pioneers put the final 24
points on UVM.