Tag: Jorgen Grav

Tuesday Rundown: Soldier Hollow & Almaty (Updated x2)

Norway’s Fredrik Riseth (4) celebrates his win in the men’s classic sprint at U23 World Championships on Tuesday at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah. He beat out Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov (1) by 1.05 seconds for the victory and Norway’s Joachim Aurland followed in third (+2.3). (Photo: FlyingPointRoad.com)

FIS Nordic U23 World Championships (Midway, Utah): Classic sprint

[UPDATED] All four American women and three Canadians qualified for the women’s classic sprint heats on the first day of U23 World Championships on Tuesday, and in the men’s qualifier, three Americans finished in the top 30 to advance to the quarterfinals at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah.

Kelsey Phinney led the Americans in sixth in the women’s 1.3-kilometer qualifier, clocking in 2.77 seconds off the fastest women’s qualifying time of 3:39.40, set by Sweden’s Anna Dyvik.

Canada’s Dahria Beatty qualified eighth (+3.85), followed by Nichole Bathe (USA) in 14th (+8.8), Jesse Knori (USA) in 19th (+12.07), Jenn Jackson (CAN) in 22nd (+12.99), Corey Stock (USA) in 26th (+15.11), and Katherine Stewart-Jones (CAN) in 28th (+16.61).

In the men’s 1.5 k qualifier, American Cole Morgan claimed with the 11th-fastest time, 8.19 seconds behind Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov, who topped the qualifying round in 3:36.52.

Also for the U.S., Paddy Caldwell qualified 20th (+14.68) and Jack Hegman 23rd (+15.59), while Cal Deline missed the top 30 by 0.14 seconds in 31st.

In the quarterfinals, Morgan finished second by 0.85 seconds to Bolshunov, and both automatically advanced to the semifinals. There, the Russian finished second to Norway’s Fredrik Riseth while Morgan took fifth, 9.67 seconds out of first. Overall, Morgan placed ninth on the day for his best result at a Junior or U23 World Championship.

The top North American woman on Tuesday, Beatty finished third in her quarterfinal, 2.45 seconds behind the winner of her heat, Norway’s Thea Krokan Murud. Beatty advanced to the semifinals as a lucky loser, where she ended up sixth, 8.04 seconds behind Murud, who won that heat as well. Overall, Beatty placed 12th for her first top 20 at U23 Worlds.

Meanwhile, Stewart-Jones raced in the same quarterfinal as Beatty and finished fifth (+12.63) for 24th overall.

Knori was the top U.S. woman in 15th overall after placing third in her quarterfinal, 7.18 seconds behind Norway’s Tiril Udnes Weng, who won that heat.

Phinney was right behind in 16th overall after finishing fourth in her quarterfinal, 3.81 seconds behind Weng’s sister, Lotta Udnes Weng, in first. Stock also raced in that quarterfinal and finished fifth (+10.08) for 22nd overall.

Petra Hyncicova, who skis for the University of Colorado-Boulder but is representing her native Czech Republic at U23s, took 20th on Tuesday. She qualified in 21st then finished fourth in her quarterfinal, 4.33 seconds behind Sweden’s Maja Dahlqvist in first.

Dahlqvist went on to win the first semifinal and Norway’s Murud won the second semi. Both met in the final, where Dyvik — who had placed second from the first semifinal — dominated throughout to take the win in 3:32.40. Murud finished 3.42 seconds back in second, and Sweden had two on the podium with Dahlqvist in third (+3.76).

On the men’s side, Caldwell ended up 18th after placing fourth in the same quarterfinal as Morgan, finishing 6.17 seconds behind Bolshunov in first.

Hegman placed 28th on the day after finishing sixth in his quarterfinal, 5.71 seconds behind Norway’s Chrisander Skjoenberg Holth in first.

Norway’s Riseth won his quarterfinal and semifinal before taking the victory in the final, by 1.05 seconds over Bolshunov with a winning time of 3:32.78. Norway had two on the podium with Joachim Aurland in third (+2.3).

Results:

Women’s qualifier | Women’s brackets | Women’s overall

Men’s qualifier | Men’s brackets | Men’s overall

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FIS Nordic Combined Junior World Championships (Park City & Midway, Utah): Individual normal hill/10 k

Finland’s Arttu Mäkiaho winning the normal hill/10 k competition on Tuesday, the first day of Nordic Combined Junior World Championships, at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah. He won by nearly 22 seconds. (Photo: FlyingPointRoad.com).

[UPDATED] On the first day of Nordic Combined Junior Worlds, with the jumping taking place at Utah Olympic Park in Park City, Utah, and racing at Soldier Hollow in nearby Midway, Stephen Schumann achieved his first top 10 in the individual normal hill/10 k.

Schumann jumped to 28th then clocked the fifth-fastest cross-country time to place 10th overall, 55 seconds behind Finland’s Arttu Mäkiaho, who won in 25:54.5 minutes.

Mäkiaho started the 10 k in ninth, based on his jump, with a 35-second starting deficit to jump leader Laurent Muhlethaler of France. While Muhlethaler dropped to 17th in the 10 k, Mäkiaho clocked the third-fastest ski time to win the first nordic-combined competition of the championships.

Austria’s Mika Vermeulen finished 21.6 seconds back in second, after picking off 27 places in the ski race. He jumped to 29th and skied the fastest 10 k in 24:48.1.

Germany’s Martin Hahn rounded out the podium in third (+25.6), moving up from 26th in the jump with the fourth-fastest ski time.

Four Americans competed, with Ben Loomis landing in the top 20 in 18th (+1:38.5), Koby Vargas in 37th (+3:44.0) and Grant Andrews in 44th (+4:25.6).

Junior/U23 World Championships continue Wednesday with the junior 5/10 k freestyle individual starts, plus women’s and men’s ski jumping. Complete schedule

Results: Normal hill/10 k

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World University Games cross-country skiing (Almaty, Kazakhstan): 5/10 k freestyle pursuits

Jørgen Grav of Ford Sayre competing for Norway at the World University Games in Almaty, Kazakhstan. (Photo: Almaty2017.com)

Cross-country ski competitions continued at the World University Games on Tuesday with pursuit races based off the finish times from Monday’s 5 and 10 kilometer classic races.

In the men’s 10 k pursuit, Dmitriy Rostovtsev overtook Russian teammate (and yesterday’s winner) Valeriy Gontar to win by 14.7 seconds. Armenia’s Sergey Mikayelyan moved from fourth up to third place (+52.0) to claim the final podium spot.

Jørgen Grav of Norway, a former University of Vermont skier now in graduate studies at Dartmouth College and competing for Ford Sayre, placed 36th, +5:14.4.

For Canada William Dumas (Skinouk) skied from 48th all the way up to 40th to lead the team and finish +5:26.0. Carrington Pomeroy (Nakkertok) moved from 57th up to 48th (+6:01.2), Conor Thompson (Université Laval) finished 52nd (+6:33.3), Gavin Shields (Lappe Nordic) 58th (+6:54.6), Jordan Cascagnette (Team Hardwood) 62nd (+7:24.8), and Alexis Morin (Université Laval) 68th (+8:44.1).

Vincent Mason of the University of Wyoming had the best U.S. finish, clocking in at 55th (+6:36.6). Teammate Will Timmons finished 63rd (+7:29.9) and Sam Wiswell 71st (+9:27.9). Mitchell Hollman (Air Force Academy) 74th (+10:25.1), Kevin Geisen (Western State) 78th (+12:07.6), and Cameron Moore (Western State) 79th (+12:50.0).

In the women’s 5 k skate pursuit, Anna Nechaevskaya of Russia moved up and stole the lead from Russian teammate (and yesterday’s winner) Lilia Vasilieva (+18.1). Anna Shevchenko of Kazakhstan kept her hold on third place (+21.3).

Elise Sulser of the University of Wyoming again led the United States, slipping one spot to finish 24th (+3:47.1). Her teammate Meghan Kent was 47th (+6:39.9) and Yara Thomas 50th (+7:20.0). Emma Malmqvist (Colorado Mesa University) placed 53rd (+8:04.7), Sierra Jech (State University of New York) 55th (+8:26.9), and Sierra Foster (Oregon State University) 61st (+10:00.3).

For Canada, Christel Pichard-Joliceur (Université Laval) finished 31st (+4:35.9). Shelby Dickey (Highlands Trailblazers) followed in 41st (+5:35.9), then Emma Camicioli (Rocky Mountain Racers) in 44th (+5:53.0) and Kyla Vanderzwet (Nakkertok) 45th (+5:54.8).

World University Games biathlon (Almaty, Kazakhstan): 15/20 k individual

In the women’s 15 k individual, the first biathlon competition of the Universiade, Kazakhstan took four of the top five places with much of their World Cup team competing on home turf. Alina Raikova won over Galina Vishnevskaya by 2:21.1 thanks to just two penalties to Vishnevskaya’s four. Ukraine’s Nadiia Bielkina was third, +2:23.6 with five penalties.

The lone Canadian finisher was Jessica Paterson of the University of Alberta, who finished 23rd (+13:06.1) with eight missed shots.

In the men’s 20 k individual, Baptiste Jouty of France came out on top by 41.0 seconds over Sergey Korostylev of Russia, with two penalties for each racer. Third place went to Semen Suchilov, also of Russia, +1:05.5 with three missed shots.

Seamus Boyd-Porter of Memorial University led Canada with a 36th-place finish, +13:33.1 and eight missed shots. Taij Isaac Mann of MacEwan University finished 42nd with two missed shots (+19:37.2), and Sasha Eccleston 45th with seven missed shots (+23:07.8).

No American biathletes competed.

Results portal

January 31, 2017
‘Fake It Until You Make It’, Flowers and Freeman First in Craftsbury SuperTour 10 k Classic

Erika Flowers (SMST2) (r) getting a congratulatory hug after winning the SuperTour women’s 10 k classic on Feb. 7 in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

The pre-race flurry of ski racers running about wax trailers and tents.

The tell-tale countdown beep indicating racers already on course.

The nagging notion that this race will be just like the last: not terrible, but not the desired outcome.

How does one put these distractions to rest, and instead, focus on the present?

That’s how Erika Flowers — the overall winner of the SuperTour women’s 10-kilometer classic individual start this past Sunday in Craftsbury, Vt. — started the past two weekend’s of racing. How she finished them was a different story.

“As a skier you set big goals and throw everything you have at them and sometimes you reach them but the truth is that sometimes you don’t,” Flowers of the Stratton Mountain School (SMS) T2 Team wrote in an email. “I didn’t have great races last weekend [in Lake Placid] but my goal never changed — I still wanted to win!”

After finishing some of her earlier races this season still hungry for more, Flowers explained that she entered the Craftsbury SuperTour weekend with the goal of “staying focused,” which left her bound and determined to summon a victory.

Erika Flowers (SMST2) racing to first place in the SuperTour women’s 10 k classic on Feb. 7 in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

“I think finding ways to put racing in perspective and enjoy it is the biggest ‘secret weapon’ out there. I’m obviously not always happy with my results or a specific training session but sometimes you have to fake it until you make it,” she wrote.

Reinforced by Saturday’s 5 k freestyle podium — and, according to Flowers, a little post-race cheesecake and a lot of water — Sunday found her fueled and raring to go.

“I started fast and as soon as I saw Anne [Hart] ahead of me I was on a mission to catch her,” Flowers wrote of her teammate, who won the 5 k the day before. “She was also great today — she heard splits that I was in the hunt for the win and really pushed me the last two laps.

“She started charging and basically tracking people and clearing traffic in front of me. That’s an awesome teammate right there,” Flowers added.

With a cleared set of classic tracks ahead of her, Flowers cruised around the 4 x 2.5 k course to finish in 27:19.6, about seven seconds ahead of second place, for her first SuperTour win.

“Today was my first SuperTour win ever and it feels so good!” she wrote.

Flowers found both focus and perspective on Sunday not only from within herself, but others competing on course as well.

“This is the best job in the world and we are pretty lucky to get to do it everyday. I was also completely inspired by one of my friends who recently lost his dad but had a smile on his face all weekend, just happy to have the opportunity to ski and race. That is perspective if you need some,” she wrote.

“I think finding ways to put racing in perspective and enjoy it is the biggest ‘secret weapon’ out there.” — Erika Flowers, Craftsbury SuperTour 10 k classic winner

Two other new faces, at least to this year’s SuperTour podium, were Craftsbury’s own Liz Guiney (Craftsbury Green Racing Project) and Stratton’s Julia Kern, a U.S. Ski Team D-team member.

Kern and Guiney both finished 7.4 seconds off of Flowers’ time in a tie for second.

“Racing at home is always great, can’t beat sleeping in your own bed!” wrote Guiney, who not only celebrated a second-place finish, but her 25th birthday on Sunday.

With her mother, stepfather, and Craftsbury GRP Head Coach Pepa Miloucheva out cheering on course, along with plenty of skiers around her during the race, Guiney kept her focus.

“There were probably around 100 racers on the loop at once between the college skiers, elite skiers, and juniors, and it almost felt like a mass start at times,” Guiney wrote. “I started out 15 seconds behind Rosie Frankowski from APU who was double poling on skate skis.”

First and a tie for second: Erika Flowers (c) of the SMST2 Team won the SuperTour women’s 10 k classic on Feb. 7 in Craftsbury, Vt., and was joined on the podium by Julia Kern (SMS/USST), left, and Liz Guiney (CGRP), right, who tied for second. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

Though a few other women chose to double pole the course on skate skis, Guiney opted for classic skis. She and Frankowski raced the rest of the course together.

“It was great having some back and forth where I would get ahead on the uphills and then she would catch up on the flats, and I think forced me to push harder than I might have if I were on my own,” she added.

It wasn’t until she and Frankowski crossed the finish line together, that Guiney realized she was tied for second place.

“On the last hill my coach Pepa told me I had to go for it, and it wasn’t until I crossed the line that I figured out I had tied for 2nd,” she wrote.

Kern, who shared the second step on the podium, also chose to race on classic skis.

“I am very glad I was on classic skis because I had perfect kick and glide, thanks to our great wax techs,” she wrote.

A course with minimal striding and maximal transitions, Craftsbury’s 10 k classic course played to Kern’s strength: indefatigable double poling.

“One of my strengths is the ability to ‘muscle through it’, so my double pole felt pretty strong today,” she wrote. “I also would say I am pretty experienced with transitions since I grew up skiing on the Weston Ski Track golf course [outside of Boston], which has a lot of turns and flatter terrain.”

Despite not classic skiing since last Sunday’s 10 k in Lake Placid due to New England’s “lack of snow, tricky waxing conditions,” Kern found her body responding well during Sunday’s classic race.

Julia Kern (SMS/USST) (l) chases Brandy Stewart (r) during a lap of the SuperTour women’s 10 k classic on Feb. 7 in Craftsbury, Vt. (Courtesy photo)

“My body felt surprisingly good today. I felt pretty strong in the arms for the double pole section and my legs felt pretty springy,” she wrote.

Even so, Kern did not leave the day unchallenged, earning her spot with the top podium contenders.

“One of the challenges for me today was the lack of rest. The course is very much a steady output course with no long downhills to recover. I had to pick spots where I would tuck a little longer than I should so I could catch my breath,” she wrote.

After the two second-place finishers, Chelsea Holmes of Alaska Pacific University (APU) crossed in fourth, 19.7 seconds back from Flowers.

“These past two weeks have been fun with great racing in the East!” Holmes wrote in an email.

After racing two weekends on the World Cup in Europe, Holmes described her transition back to the U.S. as going fairly well.

“Honestly the jet lag was a little harder coming back than going, but I think it all chalks up to plenty of racing combined with a quick trip with a big time change, basically it just caught up to me,” she wrote. “Other than that it’s been good, and I certainly am extremely glad that I had the opportunity to race the World Cup in Czech, I would have travelled to Europe just for that.”

Freeman Finds His Form in the 10 k Classic

The SuperTour men’s 10 k classic podium on Feb. 7 in Craftsbury, Vt., with Kris Freeman (Team Freebird) in first (c), Cole Morgan (l) of the University of Vermont in second and his UVM teammate Jørgen Grav (r) in third. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

Not many individuals know their own bodies better than athletes. Not many athletes know their bodies better than Sunday’s overall SuperTour winner in the men’s 10 k classic individual start, Kris Freeman.

In preparation for Sunday’s 10 k classic event, which he won in a time of 23:30.8, Freeman listened to what his body told him to do.

“I cooled down well after the skate race and stretched for about an hour before bed. I was still sore and tight this morning so I did some yoga this morning and warmed up for about and hour and half before the classic race,” he wrote in an email on Sunday.

“I wanted to be free of any twinges in my hamstrings and lower back because I knew I was going to double pole the race,” he added.

Kris Freeman (Team Freebird) leads UVM skier Jørgen Grav (297) during the SuperTour men’s 10 k classic on Feb. 7 in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

Though viewed by many as an athlete and a Type-1 diabetic, when it comes to racing, Freeman no longer distinguishes himself between the two.

“Diabetes is always a challenge to control. It is impossible to know how much of a role it plays when things go bad so I no longer try to separate it from my training and performance,” he wrote. “When I am rested and feeling good my glucose is more stable and I ski well. When I am tired and ragged the opposite happens.”

Thus, he entered Sunday as an athlete ready to climb back to the top.

“I really wanted to hit the early season in great shape. Instead I exhausted myself before the season even started. I have been working on rebuilding since US Nationals,” he explained.

However, he made the right call on Sunday, and double poled to first overall in the 10 k. Last month, Freeman also double poled to a victory in a 30 k classic marathon, the White Mountain Classic in Jackson, N.H., beating Tad Elliott by 1 second.

Finishing 6.6 seconds after Freeman was University of Vermont (UVM) skier Cole Morgan.

Morgan, currently a senior at UVM, also chose to double pole Sunday’s SuperTour course in Craftsbury.

“This course is kind of a perfect opportunity for me. I’m usually strong in short, flat classic races with a lot of double pole and today was just that,” Morgan wrote in an email.

With not much time to work into the race, Morgan wasted no time getting out from the start.

“My tactic today was to start fairly hard and try to build throughout the race. There’s not much time to ease into it when it’s such a fast course,” he wrote.

While Morgan was the first UVM skier on Sunday’s men’s SuperTour podium, as well as the first college skier in the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) race, UVM recorded another podium finish with Norwegian Jørgen Grav finishing third, 10.7 seconds back from Freeman.

UVM’s Jørgen Grav (l) double poles ahead of APU’s Eric Packer (296) during the SuperTour men’s 10 k classic on Feb. 7 in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

“Extremely fun to have Cole up there on the podium with me in his first career college win, he has worked incredibly hard for that and there is no one who deserves it more,” Grav wrote in an email.

Deciding to double pole for the first time and starting 15 seconds ahead of Freeman, Grav found his hours spent double poling in the summer all worthwhile.

“Since the course was so flat most people decided to double pole it. Super fun to try that for my first time and since Freeman started only 15 seconds behind me I got a pretty good ride with him for a lap,” Grav wrote.

“I did focus more on DP this summer and it looks like that paid off!” he added.

With the conclusion of the season’s fourth SuperTour event, many SuperTour racers’ paths diverge for a bit, some heading home for volume training.

“Despite the poor New England winter, Waterville Valley has had skiable snow since I have been home. I always enjoy putting in volume training there and I have responded well to it so far,” Freeman wrote.

Even though low snow presently plagues much of the east coast, most racers remained grateful to the volunteers and race crew and all they did in hosting the SuperTour event.

“Craftsbury has done an amazing job with the course out here, pulling off some amazing trails in spite of nature’s refusal to cooperate,” Holmes wrote.

Results: Women | Men

February 9, 2016
An Insider’s Look at the 2015 Blink Festival With UVM’s Jørgen Grav

Jørgen Grav of the University of Vermont racing in an Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) race. (All photos courtesy of Grav)

The 2015 Blink Festival brought many of the world’s best cross-country skiers together for three days of rollerski racing in Sandnes, Norway. But the festival is much more than just a race for World Cup level athletes. There are open races for junior athletes ages 11 to 20, as well as opportunities for those with low enough International Ski Federation (FIS) points to race against the best seniors in the world.

Anyone can try to sign up for the high-caliber race series, but because it has grown to be so popular, the 150 athletes with the lowest FIS points get chosen for the senior races. This year, one of them was 23-year-old Jørgen Grav of the University of Vermont (UVM).

Grav was born and raised in Oslo and is training at home in Norway for the summer before his senior year at UVM. He lives just five minutes away from the Holmenkollen ski jump and works at a nearby boat-classification company that certifies and insures large ships. He has an agreement worked out with his employers where he gets a week off every three weeks or so in order to more effectively train for his senior year of college racing. His work schedule also gave Grav an opportunity to compete in this year’s Blink Festival.

He began the festival with a strong showing in the Lysebotn Opp. He finished 45th in the 7-kilometer uphill rollerski race, ahead of household names like Petter Northug and Finn Hågen Krogh. The UVM Catamount described the location of the race in Lysebotn, located at the end of a fjord, as one of the prettiest places in Norway.

The men begin the climb during the Lysebotn Opp.

“[The race] starts at sea level and it literally goes straight up for 640 meters and it has 27 switchback turns. It goes through 1.1k of tunnel, and the first k is completely flat. So it’s basically all that climbing in 6 k,” Grav said in a recent phone interview. “At least we do it on number 1 wheels, because it would be brutal on number 2 wheels.”

The fastest racers in the Lysebotn Opp, Finland’s Matti Heikkinen, Russia’s Alexander Legkov and France’s Maurice Magnificat, manage to V2 the entire climb, which has an average incline of 10 percent. Grav was able to V2 most of the race, but had to take a few breaks and switch to V1, he said. His effort was good enough to put him within five minutes of the leaders and shatter his personal record from three years earlier.

“I finished at least two minutes faster than what I did three years ago so I am super happy about that and anything less than five minutes behind those guys up a tough course like that you should be satisfied with,” Grav said.

Friday and Saturday brought two more days of rollerski racing and other events in downtown Sandnes. One such event was the shooting duel, a range-focused event for the biathletes where they run about 10 meters to the shooting mat, shoot five targets as quickly as possible, and then run 10 meters back to the finish. The event goes quickly, with the winning times for both the men and the women being under 20 seconds.

“Its really entertaining; it’s good TV I think,” Grav stated about the shootout format.

A part of the race course in Sandnes.

For those who attend Blink in person, like Grav, there are some added perks. The festival has a VIP tent with live music and bleachers set up all the way around the 900-meter course so spectators can enjoy the action. The organizers even temporarily pave part of a pedestrian-only street so the race goes right by the fans. They also add bridges and turns to keep it exciting for spectators.

Because of the tight course setup, Friday’s mass start could only accommodate 30 racers. World Cup skiers get a free pass to the final, but the rest of the participants have to qualify with a short, two-lap race to determine the remaining spots. There were only 12 available, and Grav finished 15th, missing the final by seconds.

“I wish [the World Cup skiers] all had to race the qualifier so we all had the same chance, but I think it’s good in a way because then in creates more exposure [for the sport] on TV,” Grav said.

He had strong races on Thursday and Friday, but met some trouble in Saturday’s sprint qualifier — and he wasn’t alone. Rain poured down all day, making an already technical course very slippery.

“I was way off. I couldn’t ski properly and I think a lot of people just didn’t want to race because it was not safe,” Grav said about the sprint. He finished 30th in the preliminary round, but much like the mass start, some spots in the heats were reserved for World Cup athletes who bypassed the qualifier. As a result, Grav’s 30th place was not enough to put him in the heats.

A look from above at a concert during the festival. (Photo: Jørgen Grav)

Though there are many things about Blink that Grav enjoyed, he said the kids in attendance were one of the highlights. They all get a chance to race, and then they stay to cheer on their idols and get autographs.

“They love standing around outside of the finishing area and are up in your face for getting you to sign their bib number or their autograph book and everything,” Grav said. “You feel like a real celebrity. It’s super cool.”

The energy from the spectators also impressed the incoming college senior, though at a rollerski festival in Norway, he didn’t expect much less.

“It feels like a festival with people that love skiing,” he explained.

Grav also attended last week’s Toppidrettsveka, where he finished 41st overall. He said feels he is in his best shape ever because he has been able to focus on his training and has a fast group of peers keeping him motivated and setting strong examples. Grav also feels he has made some promising technique changes this summer.

“I’ve been switching more over to increased double poling in my training which is the development of the sport right now, more upper body strength,” he said. “I think that is going to be a big thing this winter.”

Looking ahead to this winter, his main goal is to place in the top three at the 2016 NCAA Skiing Championships in Steamboat Springs, Colo. Last season, Grav finished ninth in the 20 k classic mass start.

Some kids racing at the 2015 Blink Festival.

As for after college, Grav plans to continue skiing. He will try and reach one of the recruit teams for the Norwegian National Team and then ultimately hope to get selected to the team. Grav knows it’s a tall order, but as long as he continues to love skiing, he sees no reason to end his career.

“It’s the toughest country in the world to get on the national team so its definitely a commitment to get all the way there, but as long as I have the motivation in the spring every year to start up a new year then I am probably going to keep going!” Grav said.

August 28, 2015
2015 NCAA Preview: Collegiate Championships Return to Lake Placid After 33 Years

The men’s podium in the 20 k freestyle mass start at the 2014 NCAA Championships in Soldier Hollow. (Photo: http://bertboyer.zenfolio.com) All proceeds from photo sales will be directly donated to NNF.

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Come Wednesday, the 148 best collegiate skiers in the U.S. will descend upon Lake Placid for the 2015 NCAA Skiing Championships. Hosted by St. Lawrence University, NCAA’s will serve as the premier collegiate races of the season as skiers aim for both individual and team success. The last time Lake Placid hosted the Championships was 33 years ago in 1982, when the national races were only for men.

The nordic portion of NCAA’s will take place on the trails of the Mt. Van Hoevenberg, the site of the cross-country events in the 1980 Olympic games. The first day of competition on Wednesday will comprise of the 5- and 10-kilometer women’s and men’s freestyle interval starts, while Friday will feature the 15/20 k classic mass starts. Conditions should be pristine in the Adirondacks as recent weather has provided ample snow and below average temperatures.

The 2015 NCAA Championships will have similar team favorites in 2014. At last year’s championships in Park City, Utah, the University of Denver dominated the nordic races to win the overall team title. With several departures from the Pioneers’ squad, however, other schools from the west and east will look to capture the trophy.

The University of Colorado enters the NCAA’s as the top-ranked team from the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA). The Buffs earned the most combined points throughout the season and were recently crowned the RMISA regional champions. If that wasn’t enough to boost their pre-championships confidence, their history in the east certainly will. Colorado has won the last two national collegiate titles in the east in 2011 and 2013.

Utah and Denver followed close behind in the 2015 RIMSA points rankings and will likely be Colorado’s top competition in New York, while the University of Vermont will look to extend its Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) dominance to the national stage. The last time Vermont won the NCAA team title was in 2012 in Bozeman, Mont.

University of New Hampshire’s Annika Taylor races in the 2013 NCAA Championships.

The East:

If there are two skiers from the EISA to know before the start of NCAA’s, they are Middlebury College’s Heather Mooney and University of New Hampshire’s Annika Taylor.

With five wins apiece in the 2014/2015 season, Mooney and Taylor have shut out the rest of the eastern competition from the top of the podium. While their fight for eastern dominance will continue in Lake Placid, it remains to be seen how they will match up with the western and central women.

The Middlebury College women’s nordic team has qualified a full team for the first time in many years, including Mooney, Kelsey Phinney and Stella Holt. The trio has won many women’s nordic competitions throughout the season and will look to do the same in Lake Placid. If the recent EISA Regional Championships results are any indication — where Mooney and Phinney finished second and third, respectively, in the 15 k classic mass start — the Panthers are well on their way to their goal.

Paddy Caldwell (Dartmouth College) finishes the men’s 15 k freestyle in fourth place at the 2015 Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Michigan.

If the eastern women have been defined by two individuals, the region’s men are characterized by dueling schools — Vermont and Dartmouth. The Vermont trio of Rogan Brown, Jørgen Grav and Jack Hegman ended the eastern season ranked second, third and sixth, while Paddy Caldwell, Fabian Stocek and Silas Talbot took the first, fourth, and fifth spots.

Caldwell, who spent a large chunk of the season in Europe at the U23 World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, enters as one of the favorites at NCAA’s. Last year, his best finish was fifth in the 20 k freestyle mass start. Talbot’s best finish at 2014 NCAA’s was 11^th in the 20 k freestyle.

Brown’s best finish at the same championships was 13^th in the 20 k freestyle, while Grav’s was 20^th in the 10 k classic.

The West:

Rune Malo Ødegård of CU races to first in the 10 k individual classic at the 2014 NCAA Championships in Soldier Hollow. (Photo: http://bertboyer.zenfolio.com) All proceeds from photo sales will be directly donated to NNF.

If Caldwell wants to step atop the NCAA podium, he’ll have to overcome the RMISA frontrunners from the University of Colorado, Rune Malo Ødegård and Mads Ek Strøm. With the exception of one race, the two have alternated on the top rungs of the 2014/2015 RIMSA podium in every single competition. By the end of the regular season, Ødegård won five of 10 races while Strøm won four.

Ødegård is no stranger to NCAA’s as the Norwegian won two national titles in 2013 and 2014. His wins made NCAA history, as he is the first collegiate skier to repeat as an individual national championship in the classic discipline. Strøm earned his national title in the 20 k freestyle mass start in 2014.

While the two Buffs are the RMISA favorites, there are several other standouts to watch in this week’s races. German Moritz Madlener of DU and enters Lake Placid as the third-ranked westerner after earning bronze in four western qualifiers. The University of Utah’s Niklas Persson is another potential top finisher. The Ute finished third at 2014 NCAA’s in the 10 k classic. Mats Rudin Resaland of the University of New Mexico is also another top contender, and will look to improve on his bronze from last year’s 20 k freestyle.

The University of New Mexico’s Emilie Cedervarn is the top-ranked western woman after winning the last four RMISA races of the season. The Utes’ Veronika Mayerhofer is close behind for total wins in the west with three. Denver’s Sylvia Nordskar will look to repeat her podium performances from 2014 NCAA’s where she placed second and third. The Norwegian only raced the first four RMISA races this season. She won both the races in the Utah qualifiers and placed first and second at the Colorado invite before taking a six-race hiatus.

Other skiers to watch from the West are the Buffs’ Petra Hyncincova and the Utes’ Sloan Storey.

Central:

Kyle Bratrud of Northern Michigan University racing to 52nd in the men’s 15 k freestyle at 2015 World Championships in Falun, Sweden.

Kyle Bratrud of the University of Northern Michigan is the favorite from the central region after a successful season that saw him win the 15 k freestyle at the 2015 U.S. nationals and compete at the U23 World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, followed by senior World Championships in Falun, Sweden.

Bratrud will look to overcome the fatigue of weeks of international racing and travel to fight for a spot on the NCAA podium. In 2014, he was the top American in the 10 k classic in sixth overall.

Joining Bratrud in the quest for collegiate success will be teammates Fredrik Schwenke and Erik Soderman. If the UNM trio can repeat their impressive performances from U.S. nationals, they have the possibility of leading the men’s nordic at NCAA’s. Last year, the men finished third overall in the 10 k classic and helped their coach, Sten Fjeldheim, earn 2014 national coach of the year.

Logan Hanneman of the University of Alaska – Fairbanks is another strong skier to watch from central.

Despite the graduation of Rosie Frankowski, the central women have a chance at top performances from NMU’s Jordyn Ross and Michigan Tech’s Deedra Irwin, among others. They will look to build on the region’s successful 2014 Championships to gain more starting spots in future national events.

Live timing will be available at BartTiming.com. FasterSkier will be on site for both days of nordic racing, so stay tuned for recaps from Wednesday and Friday.

Schedule (all times Eastern Standard Time)

Wednesday, March 11:

Nordic:

10 a.m.: Men’s 10 k freestyle (start list)

Noon: Women’s 5 k at noon (start list)

Thursday, March 12:

Alpine: Women’s giant slalom (start list); men’s giant slalom (start list) at Whiteface

Friday, March 13:

10 a.m.: Women’s 15 k classic mass start (start list)

Noon: Men’s 20 k classic mass start (start list)

Saturday, March 14:

Alpine: Women’s slalom (start list); men’s slalom (start list) at Whiteface

Note: This article was corrected to state that the last time Lake Placid hosted NCAAs was in 1982, not 1983

March 10, 2015
Cold Continues, Races Carry On at Middlebury Carnival

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — Cold temperatures have been the norm for this season of EISA racing. The Middlebury Carnival was no exception, as some of the coldest predicted temps of the season lead to changes in race schedules in hopes of maintaining a safe and fair event. New snow also came along with the cold temperatures, creating slow and grueling conditions for both Friday and Saturday’s competitions. The Tormondsen Family Race Course, site of action at the 2013 NCAA Championships, featured plentiful natural snow and pristine conditions. A 10-kilometer classic race was held on Friday for both men and women, while 5 and 10-kilometer freestyle races were contested on Saturday.

Friday: 10 k Classic

Eirik Fosnaes (UNH) and Hugo Fontaine (LAV) round a corner in the men’s 10k classic at Middlebury (photo: Silke Hynes)

A familiar scene took place in the women’s race on Friday: three racers battling it out for the win, while others chased for fourth. Despite the individual-start format, it was once again the trio of Heather Mooney (Middlebury), Annika Taylor (UNH) and Corey Stock (Dartmouth) claiming the podium. The Panther cheering squads were out in force, and on her home course Mooney prevailed by 10 seconds over Taylor. Stock settled for third, another 23 seconds back.

With the exception of occasional appearances by other strong racers, the top of the women’s field has been relatively consistent this season. Mooney, Taylor and Stock have finished on the podium in many of the past few races, with Mooney and Taylor taking the lion’s share of the wins.

Mooney led the Panthers to a win in the team score, though the women of Bates College were the only team to put three racers in the top 10 en route to second place. Hallie Grossman, Sadie James and Tara Humphries finished in fifth, eighth and 10th place, respectively, helping the Bobcats edge the UVM women by one point.

The men’s podium was a much closer affair, with the top three men separated by a mere eight seconds. Jorgen Grav of UVM took the top spot, with Dartmouth’s Silas Talbot taking second.

Not far behind was Laval’s Frederic Touchette, who ended up less than three seconds behind Talbot. The first three men had a clear gap to fourth, as classic specialist Per Lindgren picked up his third top-10 of the season in 4th, 26 seconds back.

Saturday: 5/10 k Freestyle

Annika Taylor skates to a win in the Middlebury 5km freestyle (photo: Silke Hynes)

While the thermometer may have read a little warmer than the low single-digits of Friday, a damp day and some wind made Saturday’s freestyle event feel quite frigid. Most racers, accustomed to such conditions after multiple weeks of battling the cold, were well-prepared with buffs, face-tape and overboots.

Through the cold snow it was Annika Taylor of UNH who took the win for the women, swapping places with Friday’s classic champion Heather Mooney of host Middlebury. Mooney nearly earned a sweep of the weekend, finishing less than three seconds from the win.

For the second day in a row Dartmouth racer Corey Stock took third, and the women’s podium players remained consistent for both days of competition.

In the men’s race, Rogan Brown of UVM continued an impressive streak of freestyle performances with a win over Dartmouth’s Paddy Caldwell. Recently returned from strong results at the U23 World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Caldwell was unable to match Brown’s pace and settled for second place.

Finishing on the podium for a second day in a row was Catamount Jorgen Grav who, along with Jack Hegman in fifth, gave UVM a decisive hold on the team score for the event. In fourth was Laval’s Frederic Touchette.

The EISA will take a break this coming weekend. The EISA Regional Championships will be held February 27th and 28th in Lake Placid, New York. Saint Lawrence University will host the events on the 1980 Olympic trails of Mt. Van Hoevenberg, and will also play host to the 2015 NCAA Championships two weeks later.

Results

February 17, 2015
Video: Bender, Freeman Claim Craftsbury Sprints

Having trouble viewing the video? Click here. Also, check out our post-race interviews with the top-3 finishers at the bottom of the article.

CRAFTSBURY, Vt. — The cold spell that hit Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom couldn’t stop competitors from heating up the sprint course in the opening day of the Feb. 6-8 Craftsbury SuperTour. Skiing 1.4 and 1.6-kilometer loops at the Craftsbury Outdoors Center, the country’s best – in addition to the EISA college circuit – gave it their all in the freestyle event.

In the men’s 1.6 k sprint, Kris Freeman (Freebird) skied a tactical race to overcome Alaska Pacific University’s Reese Hanneman in the closing meters and win the final. Coming into the stadium he trailed Hanneman, but accelerated to ski even with the APU athlete. When they reached the line the two lunged, with Freeman barely besting his competitor. With a time of 2:59.07 Freeman bested Hanneman by 0.06 seconds to take the win.

Freeman, who trailed the pack after the start of both the final and semifinal, said that despite a slow begging he was able to maneuver his way to the front of the pack.

“I have a horrible start in skate sprints. The douple-pole only transition into skate is particularly difficult for me. I had to fight really hard to get into positioning,” he said in a post-race interview. “Reese [Hanneman] is really good at taking up two lanes and so he managed to keep me behind him the whole time. Coming in the finish, in the semi and the final, it was me and him. He got me in the semi an I got him in the final.”

After the Craftsbury SuperTour weekend Freeman is traveling to Falun, Sweden to compete in the 2015 World Championships. He explained that his preparations are going well before the eighth World Championships of his career.

“I’ve been feeling really good and it’s fun to feel good. My body feels good and I’m recovering in races. That’s all I can ask for,” he added.

In third was Eric Packer (APU) who skied in sixth for much of the race before surging through the pack on the final hill. He trailed Freeman’s time by 2.03. Behind Packer in fourth and fifth were a pair of University of Vermont skiers – Jørgen Grav (+2.72) and Cole Morgan (+2.84), who were the first college skiers. Friday’s race also served as the opening day of the Dartmouth Carnival, and the two UVM skier led their team to a convincing lead in the men’s nordic portion of the event. Rounding out the heat was Alexis Turgeon (CNEPH) who trailed by 9.44 seconds.

The women’s 1.4 k sprint was equally exciting, with Bridger Ski Foundation’s Jennie Bender claiming victory by a large margin. Bender crossed the line with a time of 3:01.29, outlasting a late charge by Erika Flowers of Stratton Mountain School T2.

Bender almost missed a shot at the podium after a fall in the semifinal, but recovered to place first in the heat.

“Sometime breaking stuff and falling takes you out and sometime it gives you a little bit of extra fire,” she said of the fall in the semifinal. “It fired me up so I was able to catch back up. I was nervous that I would be lost in that shuffle but it ended up working out in my favor.”

Bender entered the final worried that the energy she spent to advance from the semifinal would hinder her performance in the final. However, she skied the heat with a cool head and a sound plan that ultimately earned her the victory.

“There was a group of four of us jockeying for a position the whole way up. I knew the most important part was staying with the pack and saving it for the finish,” she said of the final.

Behind Bender was Flowers, who trailed the BSF skier by 1.90 seconds. Claiming the final spot on the podium was Middlebury’s Heather Mooney who was the first college skier in Friday’s competition and finished 4.25 seconds behind Bender. She, along with teammate and ninth-place finisher Kelsey Phinney, led the Middlebury team to win the women’s nordic portion of the day’s Dartmouth Carnival.

Rounding out the final were Becca Rorabaugh (+4.95) of APU, Chelsea Holmes (+8.26) of APU, and Kaitlynn Miller (+9.81) of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project.

SuperTour and EISA competition continues tomorrow with a 10 k freestyle individual start for both the men and women at 10:30 and 12:00 EST. Saturday also marks the addition of Eastern Cup racing, which, in addition to the 10 k, will include a 5 k for both junior boys and girls that begins at 9:30.

Results: Men | Women

February 6, 2015
Blackhorse-von Jess Plows Through Competition for U.S. Champs Sprint Victory (with Gallery)

Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess strides to a near seven-second win in Tuesday’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich. (Photo: Jake Ellingson)

HOUGHTON, Mich. — As the heavy, wet snow fell on the trails of the Michigan Tech Nordic Skiing Center Tuesday morning, the first starter in the men’s 1.5-kilometer classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships emerged from the dense cloud of white.

Plowing through the roughly seven inches of snow that had fallen in three hours, Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess (Bend Endurance Academy) notched the second-fastest time of the day. But much like the wind and snow, he wasn’t going to stop there.

Similar to his female counterpart, Rosie Brennan of Alaska Pacific University (APU), Blackhorse-von Jess breezed through the quarterfinal and semifinal – earing the top spot in both. Once in the final, it was more of the same for the 28 year old, who surged over the course’s second-to-last hill to enter the stadium far ahead of his competitors and across the line with a smile and a winning time of 4:06.16.

The next competitor, Ben Saxton (SMST2/USST), crossed the line 6.29 seconds after Blackhorse-von Jess in second, while Michigan Tech skier Håken Hjelstuen of Norway rounded out the podium in third, 7.12 seconds back.

While Blackhorse-von Jess had the task of tackling the slow, new snow in qualification, he said it was a common factor between he and the other first starters. Once in the heats, he explained, the unusually slow nature of the race made tactics less important.

“In a four-and-a-half minute long race you just go ski and you wait and see what happens. Obviously there are certain spots on the course where certain people do different things better than other people. [For me] it wasn’t a goal to lead and it wasn’t a goal to be in last,” he said of his strategy in a post-race interview.

Although he wasn’t aiming to lead, it was a position that Blackhorse-von Jess found himself in during the quarterfinal. Entering the stadium with a sizable lead over David Sinclair (GMVS) and Forrest Mahlen (MSU), he skied across the line with the speed of a 30 k instead of a sprint.

In the semifinal it looked as if the same would happen as the heat of six skiers sped up the ultimate hill. However, there was one competitor who held onto Blackhorse-von Jess – Cole Morgan of the University of Vermont.

“In the semifinal Cole Morgan was on my tail and wouldn’t let go and it made it sound like there were a lot more people around. So I had to push it into the finish,” Blackhorse-von Jess said.

The Bend Endurance Academy skier held off the challenge and the two automatically advanced to the final, where a similar situation took place. On the second-to-last hill, again, Blackhorse-von Jess felt Morgan on his tails. At that point he made the push to lose the 20-year-old college skier.

“I said, ‘well, I’m done with this,’ and I took off. Suddenly the woods got quite and I was by myself, so I went for it,” he said.

Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess (Bend Endurance Academy) leads Cole Morgan (UVM) in the semifinal finish in the men’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.

Tuesday’s win is Blackhorse-von Jess’ second national championship. Although he has landed on the podium multiple times, his only other win was in a 2013 freestyle sprint at Soldier Hollow. He explained his win in that race was more meaningful because it was unexpected and “something I really had to fight for.”

The 2015 title is different for Blackhorse-von Jess because it’s been a part of his season plan for a long time, and the highlight of that plan is not a national championship.

”This year everything has been geared toward Word Championships so this is a stepping-stone. The goal was to put myself in a position to win and see if I can do it. So everything worked out really well and I’m excited. Obviously I can’t control if I go to World Championships but I know that the way we set up the training, we are on the upswing and things will continue to rise in February,” he said.

Blackhorse-von Jess will not be selected for World Championships based on the objective criteria outlined by USSA, which includes a top 60 ranking in the overall World Cup. However, he does have a chance in the additional objective criteria, which is based on USSA sprint and distance points. Blackhorse-von Jess currently sits in third position behind World Cup skiers Andy Newell and Simi Hamilton in the most recent sprint ranking list released Jan. 2.

While he has no control over whether he will be selected for World Championships, Blackhorse-von Jess does have a say in earning the 2015 SuperTour sprint title, which could result in World Cup starting spots later this season.

“I think that being the best of the rest is best I can do. The only thing in my control is winning the sprint SuperTour so I can secure those two world cup starts at the end. Obviously it would be great to go to World Championships, but two years ago I had a first and a third and I still didn’t go,” he said.

In the meantime, however, Blackhorse-von Jess is skipping the 30 k classic mass start on Thursday to focus on Saturday’s freestyle sprint. He explained that, historically, the second sprint of nationals has always been a challenge for him but this year he’s hoping that will change.

“The goal for us is to figure out how to get through the next four days to be able to have a good race, because I haven’t had an awesome race the second time,” he said.

The Fight for Second

Saxton’s silver medal finish is his second in two years. In 2014, he was the runner-up to the national title behind Torin Koos in the freestyle sprint at Soldier Hollow.

En route to this year’s podium finish, Saxton had to maneuver a challenging quarterfinal to advance to the next round. In what he called the “quarterfinal of death,” Saxton faced a collection of strong sprinters including Reese Hanneman (APU), Tyler Kornfield (APU), Eric Packer (APU), Matt Gelso (SVSEF) and Welley Ramsey (MWSC). The heat was the fastest quarterfinal of the day, but Saxton crossed the line in first followed by Packer and Hanneman, both of whom advanced.

Ben Saxton holds his position over APU’s Eric Packer and Reese Hanneman during one of Tuesday’s quarterfinals in the men’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.

“You could have taken those six names and said this will be the A-final for today, and I wouldn’t have doubted you for a second. They are all really strong skiers, so I felt really lucky to advance out of that,” he said in a post-race interview.

By the time he reached the final Saxton was ready to fight for the top spot. At the start, however, he had trouble finding his top speed and suffered the consequences.

“In the final it was the first time all day I had a bad start and it came back to bite me. There were only two or three lanes in play when you’re going around the course, so when I fell down to sixth from the gun there was no way for me to move myself up,” he said of the final.

But he did move himself up, and by the time he reached the bottom of the last climb Saxton was third with a considerable distance to make up on Hjelstuen who was sitting in second. With a surge of energy Saxton reached the Norwegian and skied past him to gain an advantage on the straight away into the finish and earn silver.

While Saxton said he was hoping to win Tuesday’s race, he explained that a podium finish is never disappointing.

“Dakota is a good friend and he is the standard for domestic sprinters so there is no shame in watching him do his thing. I’m barely 21 and Dakota is almost 8 years older than me so there’s some catching up to do. I have so much to learn from him and I’m just psyched to do that for now,” he said.

The finish comes after Sunday’s 15 k freestyle in which Saxton finished 57^th – a result that he said left him shaken.

“It’s nice to have some mojo back. It was a pretty tough day on Sunday,” Saxton explained.

Brian Gregg (l) Logan Hanneman (c) and Håken Hjelstuen Men’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.

Hjelstuen, a student at local Michigan Tech and native of Oslo, Norway, qualified first and had a successful campaign throughout the quarterfinals and semifinals. However, by the time he reached the final, his kick wax was deteriorating.

“My kick was not good in the semifinal. We tried to fix it for the final, but it got worse. Up the last hill I was fourth or fifth and I really wanted that podium so I was just double-poling all I could. Maybe with better kick I could maybe fight Dakota. I would have been fun to have a fight close to the end,” he said after the final’s completion.

While he is a student at MTU, Hjelstuen has yet to become a racing member of the Huskies’ ski team. Since he is an exchange student, his eligibility for NCAA racing has been up in the air. However, he predicted that within the next week the issue would be resolved.

A Strong Showing for Vermont

Men’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.

Despite challenging Blackhorse-von Jess in the middle of the course, Morgan ultimately ended his day in fourth. The University of Vermont senior from Bozeman, Mont. originally worried that the day would be a “grinder” due to the slow snow he faced in qualification, but found that conditions improved once organizers had groomed the trail between then and the heats.

While Morgan said he normally has a tendency to start too hard, a key factor in Tuesday’s strategy was to hold back until it the second third of the race.

“I just tried to tuck behind people for most of those heats until the last half kilometer where it was just rolling. It worked in the quarter and the semi, but in the final I got a little tired so I didn’t really have quite the punch as the other ones,” he explained.

Morgan was the second U23 skier behind Saxton, thus earning valuable points for a possible bid to make the U.S. U23 World Championship team. In regards to the U23 Championships, Morgan said he’s more focused on the season’s college races, but will see where he stands when the selections are announced Saturday.

“That wasn’t one of my big goals coming into here. I’m just looking to get some good racing before the college season. We’ll see how it ends up at the end of the week and how I feel there,” he said.

The University of Vermont saw another of its skiers in the final in the form of Jørgen Grav.

Grav, a junior from Oslo, Norway, said that he felt faster in the qualification and quarterfinal because he could ski his own pace. In the semifinal and final, he said it was more difficult to ski efficiently due to the grouping of the pack.

Men’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.

“Other than that I’m pretty satisfied. I didn’t expect to get to the A-final. I would say I was a very lucky loser,” Grav, who advanced to the final as a lucky loser, said after the race.

With their fourth and fifth place finishes, Morgan and Grav, were the top affiliated college skiers (as Hjelstuen has yet to gain eligibility). Prior to Tuesday’s race, UVM was ranked second behind Northern Michigan University in the Championship’s College Cup rankings.

“We worked pretty hard and we tried to hang on. We finished strong… It was great having a teammate in the final,” he said.

Taking the last spot in the final was Sun Valley’s Miles Havlick, who said that despite making a few tactical errors, he was happy with his result.

“I think the longer sprint and the conditions played in my favor as more of a distance skier,” he said in a post-race phone interview.

The 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships continue Thursday with a 20/30 k classic mass start for senior skiers and a 10/5 k classic mass start for juniors.

Results

— Alex Kochon contributed reporting

Men’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.

Men’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.

Men’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.

Men’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.

Men’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.

Men’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.

Men’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.

Men’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.

Men’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.

Men’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.

Men’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.

Men’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.

Men’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.

Men’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.

Ben Saxton (l) and the men’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.

Men’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.

Men’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.

Men’s 1.5 k classic sprint at the 2015 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich.

January 6, 2015
2014 NCAA Preview: Colorado, Utah, Vermont, and Others Hungry for Title

An NCAA banner hangs at the 2013 NCAA Skiing Championships in Vermont. The 2014 Championships are set to begin Wednesday in Park City Utah. Photo: Flyingpointroad.com (All proceeds benefit NNF)

FasterSkier’s coverage is made possible through the generous support of Madshus.

One-hundred and forty-eight. That’s the number of skiers who have descended upon the ski town of Park City, Utah, to participate in the 2014 NCAA Skiing Championships. The championships will be hosted by the University of Utah, who last had the honor in 2000. The four day event, which consists of two alpine and two nordic races, begins Wednesday and continues through Saturday.

The cross country portion of the event will take place at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, the site of the 2002 Olympic Games and many national events, including the 2014 U.S. Cross Country Championships.

The weather in Utah looks to be warm and wet with highs in the mid 40s to lower 50s and precipitation expected on Thursday and Friday, making for tricky waxing and racing conditions.

Given the nature of course, sloppy conditions, the field, and the stakes, the competition is set to be fierce. Several schools will be in the hunt for the title of america’s fastest skiing school, but only one will walk away with the championship title.

Last year at the 2013 NCAA Championships in Ripton, Vt., it was the University of Colorado that came out on top followed by the University of Utah and the University of Vermont. Colorado’s chances in Utah seem a more slim in 2014, as they were unable to win a collegiate weekend all season. However, with a strong showing for men’s nordic, the Buffs may be able to make up for their other weaknesses.

The University of Utah is hungry to break a three-year-streak of finishing second at NCAAs. After winning last weeks Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA) Championships, Utah goes into this week’s races with confidence and energy. Having the home advantage should certainly help Utah as well. However, if they want the title that’s slipped out of their hands the past three years, they’ll have to rely less on their alpine team and see better results from their nordic squad.

It would be asinine to discount the University of Vermont, whose skiers have been looking especially strong this year. In the 2012 Championships they demonstrated that they could tackle western altitudes with ease in Bozeman, Mont. And with Soldier Hollow looking to be warm and wet this week, the conditions may favor eastern skiers who are used to rough easter weather.

The East

The eastern skiers are as strong as ever this year with the undefeated University of Vermont setting its sites on another NCAA victory. The 2012 champions have a strong team in both alpine and nordic which has contributed to their uncontested dominance this season.

Anja Gruber (University of Vermont) racing to fourth in the 10 k classic mass start at Soldier Hollow for her best U.S. nationals result by more than 20 places. (Photo: Bert Boyer/http://bertboyer.zenfolio.com/) All proceeds from photo sales will be directly donated to NNF.

The east finds its greatest strength in its women. Anja Gruber, a native of Germany, has been UVM’s shining star this year, and finishes the regular season as the top-ranked skier in the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA). Last year’s NCAA 5 k classic champion, she placed fourth at the 2014 U.S. nationals at Soldier Hollow on the same course where the NCAAs are being held. Throughout the season the senior has been a top contender in the EISA circuit, consistently winning all but one classic race and finishing in the top three in every freestyle race.

UVM’s talent doesn’t stop there, with sophomores Linda Danvid-Malm of Umea, Sweden and Stephanie Kirk of Anchorage, Alaska, showing that Gruber isn’t the only catamount with claws. Danvid-Malm has been dominant in freestyle, winning three out of six EISA races this season. Kirk, who competed in Italy as part of the U23 World Championships, has been a consistent performer as well highlighted by a spectacular win in the 15 k skate mass start at the EISA Championships at Middlebury College last weekend.

Annie Hart of Dartmouth College has been the only real threat to Vermont’s dominance all season, having been the only non-UVM woman in the east to win a scored collegiate race this season. Consistently on the podium in classic races, Hart finally saw her hard work pay off at the EISA championships when she won the 5 k classic. With the same event being held on Thursday, Hart is hungry for a national championship title. Corey Stock, also of Dartmouth, has had a decent season as well, ranking fifth in the eastern points standings.

While not as dominant as their women, the UVM men shouldn’t be taken lightly. Their lead skier, Scott Patterson of Fairbanks, Alaska, has won three of the six collegiate races he’s participated in this season. Patterson made the headlines earlier this year when he riskily tried to break away from the men’s field in the 30 k mass start. Unsurprisingly, the move failed on the national level, but a similar move with in a collegiate field may be what Patterson needs to secure a title..

Sophomore Jorgen Grav is another UVM skier to watch in Soldier Hollow. The Oslo, Norway native finished fifth in the EISA rankings, followed by teammate Rogan Brown of Durango, Colo., in sixth.

Silas Talbot of Dartmouth racing in the 2013 NCAA Championships at Middlebury, Vermont.

Two Dartmouth College skiers have the chance to dethrone the dominant catamounts. Paddy Caldwell and Silas Talbot have both been atop the results this year both winning multiple carnival races. Caldwell skied to a convincing win in the men’s 20 k freestyle at the ESIA Championship and was named 2014 rookie skier of the year for the region.

A notable emission from this year’s NCAA Championships will be Ben Lustgarten of Middlebury College. Lustgarten had a spectacular year which started with strong skiing at the 2014 U.S. National Championships, continued with racing at the U23 World Championships, and finished with a win in the 10 k classic (by 50 seconds!) at the EISA Championships. Lustgarten would have been a top contender in Soldier Hollow this year but due to an knee injury he sustained in the 20 k mass start at the EISA Championships the senior will be on the sidelines.

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The West

Unlike the east, there has been no clear contender for the top spot in the west. At the beginning of the season it looked as if the University of Denver might be ready for another NCAA Championship, but by the time the RMISA Championships was over last week, Denver had finished fourth, roughly 60 points behind the winner, the University of Utah. Despite the end-of-season falter, Denver still held the top spot in the regular season standings demonstrating their potential.

Sylvia Nordskar of the University of Denver racing in West Yellowstone, Montana earlier in the 2013/2014 season.

Sylvia Nordskar of Bærum, Norway, is the most-likely woman from the West to capture an NCAA title. The University of Denver freshman has either won or placed second in every collegiate race that she has competed in this season and has no signs of stopping.

Senior Makayla Cappel, a Sun Valley native skiing for Denver, became a late-season standout after winning the 5 k classic and taking third in the 15 k freestyle mass start at the RMISA Championship in Minturn, Colo. After dealing with illness upon her return from the World University Games in Italy, Cappel recovered from a slow start to her season to rocket herself onto the first team All-RMISA. Rounding out the Denver women is Silje Benum, who has also had many top finishes this season.

Only two non-Denver skiers have been able to top Nordskar this season. The first is Marine Dusser of the University of Alaska Anchorage, who was third in the women’s 15 k in 2013 and has had several wins in the RIMSA circuit this year. The second is Slovenian Eva Severrus of the University of New Mexico, a freshman who has helped New Mexico improve its standings in the west.

Sloan Storey of the University of Utah is another western woman to watch. Storey joined the U.S. contingent at the Junior World Championships in Italy earlier this year and made first team All-RMISA after and exemplary collegiate season.

Rune Ødegaard racing in the West Yellowstone Super Tour.

Like its women’s team, the Denver men were the top team in the west during the regular season. The trio of Moritz Madlener, Pierre Guedon and Trygve Markset made the Pioneers proud in 2014 and hope to continue the trend into the NCAA Championships. However, they’ll need to have a better performance than they did at the RMISA Championships, where they garnered only 46 points compared to the University of Colorado’s 93.

Norwegians Rune Ødegård and Mads Strøm, a junior and freshman, have been the top skiers from Colorado throughout the latter half of the 2014 collegiate season. After sitting out the first two weekends of collegiate racing the duo has consistently been in the top five. Ødegård won last year’s 10 k classic at the 2013 NCAA Championships and looks to continue that success into 2014.

The University of Utah men have shown that the best skiers in the west aren’t just based in Colorado. Niklas Persson, Oscar Ivars, and Noe Bellet have all performed well this season, garnering spots on the second team All-RMISA. However, all three will need to up their game if they want to outpace the Catamounts and the Buffs.

Colorado, Denver, and Utah have had steady competition from the 2013 RMISA skier of the year, Lukas Ebner of the University of Alaska Anchorage. The senior, who hales from Germany, hopes to build on a season that has included multiple podiums.

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Central

The Central Collegiate Ski Association (CCSA) has traditionally trailed the east and west in terms of results at past NCAA Championships, which is reflected in the small numbers of qualifiers from the region. Despite that fact, there are several top performers who have a chance at an NCAA podium in Utah.

Rosie Frankowski of Northern Michigan University in the 20 k freestyle mass start at U.S. Nationals at Soldier Hollow.

Rosie Frankowski, a senior of Northern Michigan University, has had an excellent season and looks to continue her speed into her time in Utah. Frankowski finishes her regular season as the top skier in the CCSA.

Freshman Nicole Bathe of University of Alaska Fairbanks has turned out to be quite the powerhouse in classic races. Bathe has had excellent start to the season after finishing third in the classic sprint at the 2014 U.S. Cross Country Championships.

Fellow Fairbanks teammate Logan Hanneman looks to be the top male competitor for the CCSA in Utah. The junior finished fifth in the freestyle sprint at U.S. Nationals earlier this season.

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Whether Colorado can reclaim its title, Utah can snap its second place curse, or Vermont use the sloppy conditions to their advantage, the NCAA Championships will be an exciting display of talent from the fastest skiers in the country.

The 5 k and 10 k classic will take place this Thursday at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. MST. The Championships will conclude with the 15 k and 20 k freestyle mass starts on Saturday, also at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m, MST. Watch the action unfold live on the NCAA site and check FasterSkier for reports.

March 4, 2014