NCAA: Grevsgaard powers Buffs to home meet win

The University of Colorado used a strong performance in the women’s classical race to clinch the title as the Buffaloes won the 14th Annual Laura Sharpe Flood Memorial/CU Invitational Sunday at the Snow Mountain Ranch Nordic Center at Winter Park.
THE UNIVERSITY of Colorado used a strong performance in the women’s classical race to clinch the title as the Buffaloes won the 14th Annual Laura Sharpe Flood Memorial/CU Invitational Sunday at the Snow Mountain Ranch Nordic Center at Winter Park.
    Colorado took over the lead at the midway point of the meet and did not relinquish it, finishing with 549 team points. Utah won the last race, the men’s classic, of the eight-event meet to leapfrog Denver for second place, totaling 522 points, while the Pioneers, who led after giant slalom races back on Jan. 5, took third with 515.
    New Mexico (464), Nevada (429), Alaska-Anchorage (416) and Montana State (401) followed in the 10-school event, the first time seven schools have eclipsed the 400-point mark since the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA) adopted the current scoring format in 2000.
    Colorado senior Maria Grevsgaard continued her torrid pace this winter, as she has now won all four Nordic races to date after claiming the 10-km classic in 30:32.9.  She once again blistered the field, as runner-up Polina Ermoshina of New Mexico was some 80 seconds behind her in 31:52.9.
    The victory was the 12th of her career, tying the second most overall career wins in CU history as she has caught teammate Lucie Zikova (12 alpine wins).  Both are chasing the all-time leader, Per Kare Jakobsen, who claimed 13 cross-country events from 1988-90. John Skajem also won 12 events in his career, which spanned 1985 through 1987.
    In the men’s 15-kilometer classical race, Utah used a 1-2 finish from Snorri Einarsson (39:53.6) and Even Sletten (39:56.1) to win the event as a team. Denver’s Rene Reisshauer was third in 39:56.9 and edged by Sletten in a sprint at the finish. The Pioneers also did not have one of its top skiers available, as John Stene sat out Sunday.
    There is no competition next weekend, as the schools will resume with the Western State Invitational in Gunnison, set for Feb. 1-2.
 
Colorado Invitational Team Scores—1. Colorado 549;  2. Utah 522;  3. Denver 515;  4. New Mexico 464;  5. Nevada 429; 
6. Alaska-Anchorage 416;  7. Montana State 401;  8. Western State 180;  9. Whitman 166;  10. Wyoming 41.
 
Women’s 10 km Classical—1. Maria Grevsgaard, CU, 30:32.9;  2. Polina Ermoshina, UNM, 31:52.9;  3. Lenka Palanova, CU, 31:54.3;  4. Antje Maempel, DU, 32:04.2;  5. Sara Schweiger, Utah, 32:24.9;  6. Annelies Cook, Utah, 32:29.7;  7. Chelsea Holmes, UN, 32:36.1;  8. Zoe Roy, Utah, 32:39.5;  9. Mia Gaw, CU, 32:42.7;  10. Kjersti Boe, Utah, 33:02.4;  11. Annelise Bailly, DU, 33:30.2;  12. Jenny Hamilton, CU, 33:35.2;  13. Melanie Zemp, UNM, 33:37.9;  14. Claire Rennie, MSU, 33:39.4;  15. Devon Spika, WC, 33:45.3.
 
Men’s 15 km Classical—1. Snorri Einarsson, Utah, 39:53.6;  2. Even Sletten, Utah, 39:56.1;  3. Rene Reisshauer, DU, 39:56.9;  4. Andy Liebner, UAA, 40:21.9;  5. Jesper Ostensen, CU, 40:46.1;  6. Raphael Wunderle, UAA, 40:59.8;  7. Max Treinen, UAA, 41:11.5;  8. Anders Folleraas, MSU, 41:21.3;  9. Havard Selseng, DU, 41:32.0;  10. Karl Nygren, CU, 41:34.3;  11. Simon Reissman, UNM, 41:37.1;   12. Casey Simons, Utah, 41:45.5;  13. Bernhard Roenning, MSU, 41:49.1;  14. Ben Fick, Utah, 41:50.5;  15. Jonathan Pluvinet, UN, 42:00.5.