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BOZEMAN, Mont. — The University of Colorado ski team picked up a third regional champion in taking all three top spots in a race for the second straight day in extending its lead as the second day of competition was completed here Saturday in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association Championships, an event that doubles as the NCAA West Regional.

The Buffaloes finished the day with 711 team points, extending its lead over second-place Utah (625) from 40 to 86 points with two events remaining.   Denver moved from fifth into third (616) with host Montana State fourth (550). Heavy snowfall overnight and into the morning made things challenging for all the skiers, especially those competing in the giant slalom.

Eliska Hajkove

Colorado is bidding for its 12th RMISA/West Regional title in the 23 years that Richard Rokos as served as the program’s head coach, as its 23rd overall in the 60-plus year history of the conference.

For the second straight day, Colorado’s women’s Nordic team posted a 1-2-3 sweep, this time in the 15-kilometer freestyle race, duplicating the effort in Friday’s 5k classical event.  Prior to Friday, Colorado had not recorded a 1-2-3 sweep in women’s Nordic action since the sport went coed in 1983; with Saturday’s accomplishment, it matched the number of times Buff skiers had done in all other disciplines (two, once in men’s Nordic and in women’s alpine).

Senior Eliska Hajkova won for the first time this year, marking the first time in CU history that three different women’s Nordic skiers have captured races in the same season, joining senior Joanne Reid (eight wins) and freshman Maria Nordstroem (one).  Hajkova’s eighth career victory (third in freestyle) also allowed CU skiers to win all 10 RMISA women’s cross country races this winter, another school first.

Hajkova led the pack of 27 skiers in the mass start format in a time of 51:25.7, with Reid next in at 51:40.2 and then Nordstroem in 51:45.9; the first non-Buff was Utah’s Rose Kemp, who crossed the finish line some 37 seconds later.  The only “downside” to this was that Hajkova ended her teammate Reid’s string of seven consecutive wins, tied for the second longest in any discipline in Buff history.

“I wanted it so much today,” Hajkova said.  “I had prefect skis.  I was rested and my skis went so fast.  On the last uphill, I just felt like I should try, so I did and it worked.  It feels great when you’re at the end of the second lap and it’s just your teammates and friends around you.  Sometimes when people get away from the main pack, they slow down and rest, but we worked really hard to make it a bigger gap, and I’m so proud of all of us.”

“I was thinking that we should keep a gap as a team,” Reid said.  “I was in the lead on the final lap until the final uphill, which isn’t smart if you want to win a race, but we went 1-2-3, so it was worth it.  It’s pretty perfect for us to all get podiums again, and helps our confidence going to NCAA’s.”

“We thought our biggest competition would be from the Alaska Anchorage girl Marine (Dusser),” Nordstroem said.  “When she started falling back, I started pulling ahead on the flats.  But then I was struggling, so my teammates took over and it was awesome.  I’m a little relieved, the more you win in a row the more nervous you get and I’ve always said I want us to go 1-2-3 more than me winning, so I’m so happy right now.”

Arnaud Du Pasquier

And with senior Mary Rose coming in eighth in 52:46.8, it marked the fourth time this winter four CU skiers, and the only four on the roster this year, finished in the top 10.  It was Rose’s sixth career top 10 effort, all coming in her last 13 collegiate races, as she is one of the most improved skiers from freshman to senior seasons in school history.

In the men’s 20-kilometer race, Utah won as a team by placing four in the top five, including winner Miles Havlick in a time of 58:35.6.  Colorado sophomore Rune Oedegaard took second, less than three seconds back in 58:38.2; the two finished in reverse order from Friday’s classic result.

Sophomore Arnaud Du Pasquier recorded his best collegiate finish, as his 59:28.1 time placed him seventh, also his second top 10 effort.  Junior Andreas Hoye was CU’s third scorer, finishing 11th in 1 hour, 26.6 seconds.  Rounding out the CU men on Saturday were freshmen Charlie Von Thaden (matching his career best finish,15th, in 1:01:13.8) and Gustav Nordstrom (16th, 1:01:22.0), senior Ian Mallams (17th, 1:02:00.0) and freshman Michael Vigers (20th, 1:02:33.7).

“At the beginning, I started really easy, since I was sixth in our lane, so I knew it wasn’t worth killing myself to have a good start,” Du Pasquier said.  “You have to use a lot of energy out front anyway with these conditions.  Then I just wanted to keep the pace for every lap.  I was able to stay with the lead pack, I had some issues with pacing and I think that hurt me at points, but I was able to fight back and almost caught the lead pack again at the end.”

Hajkova, Reid and Oedegaard continued their climb up CU’s all-time podium (top three) list.  The Nordic trio has 67 among them: Hajkova is third with 31; Reid is now tied for 10th with 19, while Oedegard pulled into a tie for 12th.

The meet concludes Sunday with the slalom races; CU will return to Boulder ahead of departing next weekend for the NCAA Championships in Vermont.

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