Crested Butte, Colo. After a heavy snow storm Friday, the University of Nevada skiing team finished fourth at the Western State Invitational last weekend at Crested Butte, Colo.
As a result of the snow storm, the men’s alpine team was unable to complete the giant slalom. Freshman Greg Berger-Sabbatel (Saint Maurice, France) did finished second-place behind winner Utah’s Taque Thorson in men’s slalom. Senior Cameron Barnes (Canmore, Alberta, Canada) and freshman David Apap (Gap, France) took 21st and 64th place, respectively.
In women’s alpine, senior Katie Lyons (Truckee, Calif.) led the Wolf Pack with a ninth place finish in the slalom and an 11th place showing the in giant slalom. New Mexico’s Malin Hemmingson took first place in the giant slalom and Utah’s Eva Huckova won the slalom.
Along with Lyons, freshmen Kristina Palovicova (Liptovsky Mikulas, Slovakia) and Amy Harris (Reno, Nev.) finished 24th and 27th in the giant slalom, respectively. In the slalom, junior Taryn O'Flynn (Beaumont, Alberta, Canada) finished 25th and Palovicova finished 27th.
At the Nordic events, junior Chelsea Holmes (Girdwood, Ala.) led the Wolf Pack to a fourth-place finish in the women’s freestyle with a time of 29:59.1. Overall winner Maria Grevsgrd of Colorado timed a 29:03.9. Seniors Kara LaPoint (Truckee, Calif.) and Paige Brady (Anchorage, Ala.) finished 16th and 17th, respectively.
LaPoint finished 19th with a time of 21:18.0 in the women’s classic to lead the Wolf Pack. Holmes finished 21st with a time of 21:20.2. Grevsgrd also won the women’s classic with a time of 19:03.7.
In the men’s Nordic, junior Lutz Preussler (Seiffen, Germany) led the Wolf Pack in both classic and freestyle. Preussler turned in a 30:34.2 to take 11th in the classic and a eighth place with a time of 37:19.4 in freestyle. Utah took overall wins with Even Sletten winning the classic with a time of 29:10.3 and Snorri Einarsson winning the freestyle with a 35:56.6.
Senior Dominic Henriques (Ketchum, Idaho) finished 31st in both the classic and freestyle races. Henriques turned in a 33:13.5 in the classic and a 41:01.3 in the freestyle. Freshman Samuel Newcomer (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) turned in a 37th place finish with a 34:24.6 in the classic. Newcomer also finished in 43:03.5 to take 38th in the freestyle.
The Wolf Pack will take return to action when the team heads to Red River and Taos, N.M. for the New Mexico Invitational on Feb. 8-9. Nevada will also race against Alaska-Anchorage on Feb. 5 in Crested Butte, Colo.
Western State Invitational (Feb. 2-3, 2008)
Final Results
1. Colorado 505.5; 2. Utah 502; 3. Denver 493.5; 4. Nevada 361; 5. New Mexico 360; 6. Alaska-Anchorage 341; 7. Montana State 306; 8. Whitman 176; 9. Western State 134; 10. Wyoming 38.
Women’s slalom - 1. Eva Huckova, Utah; Nevada finishers: 9. Katie Lyons; 25. Taryn O’Flynn; 27. Kristina Palovicova.
Women’s Giant slalom - 1. Malin Hemmingsson, New Mexico; Nevada Finishers: 11. Katie Lyons; 24. Kristina Palovicova; 27. Amy Harris.
Men’s Slalom - 1. Tague Thorson, Utah; Nevada Finishers: 2. Greg Berger-Sabbatel; 21. Cameron Barnes; 64. David Apap.
Women’s Classic - 1. Maria Grevsgrd, Colorado, 19:03.7. Nevada Finishers: 19. Kara LaPoint, 21:18.0; 21. Chelsea Holmes, 21:20.2; 22. Paige Brady, 21:28.1.
Women’s Freestyle - 1. Maria Grevsgrd, Colorado, 29:03.9. Nevada Finishers: 4. Chelsea Holmes, 29:59.1; 16. Kara LaPoint, 32:05.9, 17. Paige Brady, 32:11.216.
Men’s Classic - 1. Even Sletton, Utah, 29:10.3. Nevada Finishers: 11. Lutz Preussler, 30:34.2; 31. Dominic Henriques, 33:13.5; 37. Sam Newcomer, 34:24.6.
Men’s Freestyle - 1. Snorri Einarsson, Utah, 35:56.6. Nevada Finishers: 8. Lutz Preussler, 37:19.4; 31. Dominic Henriques, 41.01.3; 38. Sam Newcomer, 43.03.5.
