Whitman's Laura Valaas, an NCAA All-American a year ago, placed fourth in the women's 10-kilometer classic as the University of Alaska-Anchorage (UAA) Invitational got underway Saturday at Soldier Hollow, Utah. The invitational, held in conjunction with the U.S. National Championships, opens the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA) qualifying season for Whitman and 10 other schools in the western U.S.
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Valaas, a senior from Wenatchee, Wash., finished her race in 39:22.9. The University of Denver's Anna Maeki, a senior from Kiruna, Sweden, took first in 37:44.3. The University of Colorado's Maria Grevsgaard, a sophomore from Geilo, Norway, was the runner-up in 37:58.1. The University of Utah's Sara Schweiger, a first-year competitor from Schwangau, Germany, took third in 38:41.2.
A trio of first-year Whitman skiers also placed. Kate Ceronsky (Arden Hills, Minn.) was 29th in 43:07.1, while Lindsay Records (Boulder, Colo.) was 34th in 45:15.8. Whitney Heyvaert (Maple Plain, Minn.) finished 39th in 48:19.3.
Alex Farnand, a senior from Bend, Ore., had Whitman's best showing in the men's 15-kilometer classic, also held on Saturday. Farnard placed 40th in 55:39.3, finishing one spot in front of sophomore teammate Davis Taylor (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.), who was clocked in 56:09.1. Charles Erdman, a junior from Williston, Vt., 45th in 58:24.3. Loren Schmidt, a sophomore Fairbanks, Alaska, missed the race due to illness.
The University of Denver's Rene Reisshauer, a sophomore from Erfurt, Germany, won the men's event with a time of 40:54.3. One of his teammates, John Stene (Trondheim, Norway), was second in 41:29.8.
In the combined men's and women's team scoring, Denver was in first place with 161 points. Whitman was ninth among 11 schools with 49 points, just three points behind Western State College and 11 points behind the University of Nevada-Reno.
In team scoring for the women's race, Whitman tallied 39 points to tie Montana State for seventh place. The Whitman men placed 10th in their separate scoring.
The UAA Invitational continues Sunday with the men's and women's Nordic freestyle races. The alpine portion of the invitational is set for next Wednesday and Thursday in Park City, Utah.
Laura Valaas, a Whitman College senior from Wenatchee, Wash., struck a blow for U.S. pride on Sunday, becoming the first American in nearly two years to win a women's Nordic race at a Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA) ski event.
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Competing in the University of Alaska-Anchorage (UAA) Invitational at Soldier Hollow, Utah, Valaas won Sunday's 5-kilometer freestyle in 15:50.5. She edged Colorado University's Kristin Soenstegaard, a sophomore from Lillehammer, Norway, by four-tenths of a second.
Sarah Hansen of Wasilla, Alaska, was the last American woman to have won a RMISA Nordic race. Skiing for the University of Alaska-Anchorage, Hansen won a freestyle race in late January 2004. That race also was held at Soldier Hollow. All races since then had been won by European skiers enrolled at U.S. schools.
As a ski conference, RMISA represents a total of 11 schools that compete in NCAA skiing in the western U.S. Whitman, now in its fourth season of NCAA competition, is the only Division III school in the ski conference. Other RMISA members include several Division I schools, including the universities of Utah, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Denver, and Alaska-Anchorage, as well as Montana State and Boise State.
Valaas is the first Whitman skier, female or male, to win a RMISA ski race. Late last February, she placed third in the classic race and fifth in the freestyle at RMISA regional championships at Bohart Ranch near Bozeman, Mont. Earning all-conference honors, Valaas qualified for the NCAA Championships, where she earned All-American honors by placing fifth in the classic and ninth in the freestyle.
The UAA Invitational is the first of five RMISA events. The Nordic portion of invitational was held Saturday and Sunday in conjunction with the U.S. National Championships. The alpine portion of the invitational is set for Wednesday and Thursday in Park City, Utah.
Sunday's victory capped a strong season-opening week for Valaas. On Saturday, she placed fourth in the UAA Invitational's 10-kilometer freestyle. On Thursday, competing in the U.S. Nationals, she placed picked up a bronze medal by being the third American finisher in the 1.3-kilometer freestyle sprint.
The University of Alaska-Anchorage's Kjetilk Dammen, a sophomore from Oslo, Norway, won the men's race on Sunday, covering the 10-kilometer freestyle course in 26:15.7. The University of Denver's John Stene, a junior from Trondheim, Norway, was the runner-up in 26:59.4.
Loren Schmidt, a sophomore from Fairbanks, Alaska, was the top Whitman finisher in the men's race. He placed 43rd in 32:40.3. Alex Farnand, a senior from Bend, Ore., was 47th in 33:32.6. Sophomore Davis Taylor (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) placed 49th in 34:46.9, finishing one spot in front of junior Charles Erdman (Williston, Vt.), who was timed in 34:56.3.
Whitman also had three first-year skiers entered in the women's race on Sunday. Kate Ceronsky (Arden Hills, Minn.) was 30th in 17:46.9, while Lindsay Records (Boulder, Colo.) was 37th in 18:39.0. Whitney Heyvaert (Maple Plain, Minn.) placed 43rd in 20:16.7.
In the combined team scoring for the men's and women's Nordic events, Whitman finished in ninth place among 11 schools with 98 points. The University of Denver was in first place with 282 points, 10 points ahead of the University of Alaska-Anchorage. The universities of Utah and Colorado were in third and of fourth places with 258 and 252 points, respectively.
The UAA Invitational's alpine events are set for Wednesday and Thursday in Park City, Utah.
The next Nordic events in the RMISA qualifying season take place as part of the Montana State Invitational, slated for Jan. 14-15 at Bohart Ranch near Bozeman, Mont.
Whitman senior Laura Valaas skied to a fifth-place finish in the women's 5-kilometer classic in Saturday's Nordic portion of Montana State University Invitational at Bohart Ranch near Bozeman, Mont.
Continuing her strong early season push for a return ticket to the NCAA national championships, Valaas covered Saturday's course in 19:09.40. Last weekend, she won the freestyle race and took fourth in the classic at the University of Alaska-Anchorage Invitational.
The University of Denver's Anna-Karin Maeki, a senior from Kiruna, Sweden, won the women's race Saturday in 18:11.45.
In the men's race Saturday, a 10-kilometer classic, senior Alex Farnand placed 38th in 38:23.17 to give Whitman it's best finish. Denver's John Stene, a junior from Trondheim, Norway, won the men's competition with a time of 31:50.73.
Others placing for the Whitman men were sophomore Loren Schmidt (42nd, 39:17.88), freshman Davis Taylor (44th, 39:28.97), sophomore Robert Marcotte (45th, 39:48.29) and junior Charles Erdman (46th, 41:02.74).
Three first-year competitors also skied for the Whitman women: Kate Ceronsky (32nd, 20:55.32), Lindsay Records (34th, 21:19.41) and Whitney Heyvaert (40th, 22:15.57).
In the team scoring, the Whitman women tallied 41 points to finish seventh among 11 schools. The Missionary men scored nine points and placed 10th.
The Montana State Invitational continues Sunday with freestyle races.
Laura Valaas continued to place among the conference leaders and Loren Schmidt was the top finisher among the Whitman men as the Nordic portion of the Montana State University Invitational wrapped up Sunday at Bohart Ranch near Bozeman, Mont.
Valaas, a senior from Wenatchee, Wash., placed sixth in the women's 10-kilometer freestyle in 40:23.4. The University of Colorado's Lenka Palanova, a freshman from the Czech Republic, won the race in 39:20.7.
Loren Schmidt, a sophomore from Fairbanks, Alaska, placed 36th in the men's race, completing the 15-kilometer course in 56:02.5. The University of New Mexico's Dirk Grimm, a junior from Unterlemnitz, Germany was the race winner in 48:58.9.
Two first-year skiers and a senior placed for Whitman in the women's race. Kate Ceronsky and Lindsay Records, the two Missionary rookiers, were 35th and 38th, respectively, in 45:40.5 and 47:24.1. Senior Tara Gregg, competing for the first time this season, was 40th in 47:40.0.
Davis Taylor, a sophomore, had the second-best finish for the Whitman men. He placed 44th in 59:17.3. Close behind in the next two spots were senior Alex Farnand in 59:29.7 and sophomore Robert Marcotte in 1:00.00.8.
The Montana State Invitational, which included two Nordic events and two alpine races for both the women and men, finished with the University of Denver edging the University of Colorado by three points, 568-564. The University of Alaska-Anchorage was third, the University of Utah fourth and the University of New Mexico fifth. Whitman scored 166 points and finished ninth among 11 schools.
With Whitman's top Nordic skier in Europe, Kate Ceronsky logged the best Missionary finish as the University of Colorado Invitational got underway Friday at the Howelsen Hill Nordic Center in Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Ceronsky, a first-year skier from Arden Hills, Minn., placed 33rd in the women's 5-kilometer classic, clocking a time of 18:21.8.
Whitman senior Laura Valaas, who won a college race earlier this month, is in Slovenia this week, preparing for the Under-23 World Cross-Country Championships, which get underway next Tuesday.
In the men's race Friday, Alex Farnand paced the Missionaries by placing 40th in the 10-kilometer classic. Farnand, a senior from Bend, Ore., finished in 32:57.2. He has been Whitman's top finisher in each of three classic races held so far this season.
Loren Schmidt, a sophomore, was 42nd Friday in 33:19.6. Davis Taylor, also a sophomore, was 46th in 34:26.5.
In the women's event, first-year skiers Whitney Heyvaert and Lindsay Records staged a battle of their own. Heygaert placed 37th in 18:48.1, finishing one-half second ahead of Records.
The University of Colorado's Maria Grevsgaard (Norway) and Jana Rehemaa (Estonia) finished first and second, respectively, in the women's race. Meanwhile, the University of Denver staged a one-two finish in the men's race. John Stene (Norway) was the winner, beating teammate Rene Reisshauer (Germany) by just two seconds.
In the combined men's and women's team scoring, Colorado was in first place with 163 points, 15 points ahead of Denver and 38 in front of the University of New Mexico. Whitman was in ninth place among 10 schools with 27 points.
The Nordic portion of the Colorado invitational continues Saturday with the freestyle races. The alpine portion of the invitational is set for Friday and Saturday, Feb. 3-4.
Whitman's Kate Ceronsky and Loren Schmidt turned in their season-best freestyle performances as the Nordic portion of the University of Colorado Invitational concluded Saturday at Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Ceronsky, a first-year skier, placed 26th in the women's 15-kilometer freestyle with a time of 55:57.1. Two of her first-year teammates, Lindsay Records and Whitney Heygaert, finished 33rd and 35th, respectively, in 58:39.7 and 1:02.03.3.
Schmidt, a sophomore, led the Whitman men, finishing 30th in the 20-kilometer freestyle in 1:05.21.8. Senior Alex Farnand was 41st in 1:09.20.7, and sophomore Davis Taylor was 44th in 1:11.07.1.
The University of New Mexico's Dirk Grimm, a junior from Underlemnitz, Germany, won a tight men's race in 58:10.1. Norway's Kjetil Dammen, a sophomore at the University of Alaska-Anchorage was second in 58:10.7, while the University of Colorado's Erling Christiansen, a senior from Norway, was third in 58:10.8.
Colorado's Lenka Palanova, a first-year skier from the Czech Republic, was an easy winner in the women's race, finishing in 49:21.7.
With the invitational's Nordic events complete, Colorado hold a 321 to 265 lead over second place New Mexico. The University of Denver is in third with 261 points. Whitman, the only NCAA Div. III school in the western ski conference, is in 10th place (among 11 schools) with 54 points. The Missionaries trail the University of Wyoming by just four points.
The alpine portion of the invitational is set for Friday and Saturday, Feb. 3-4.
Senior Tara Gregg placed 30th in the women’s 5-kilometer freestyle on Friday to give the Whitman Nordic ski teams their best finish in the Western State Invitational at Crested Butte, Colo.
Gregg finished in 18:31.0, beating first-year teammate Kate Ceronsky by about 10 seconds. Ceronsky placed 31st in 18:41.2.
In the men’s 10-kilometer freestyle, sophomore Loren Schmidt placed 34th in 31:38.7. Senior Alex Farnand was 36th in 33:35.2, while sophomores Davis Taylor and Robert Marcotte placed 37th and 38th, respectively, in 33:41.0 and 34:04.2.
Whitman also had two other first-year competitors place in the women’s race. Lindsay Records was 33rd in 18:52.1 and Whitney Heyvaert was 38th in 20:11.3.
Whitman’s top racer, senior Laura Valaas, stayed on campus to catch up on class work. She recently spent two weeks in Europe for the Under-23 World Cross Country Championships. Based on results earlier this season, Valaas is a virtual lock to qualify for second consecutive trip to the NCAA National Championships.
Rene Reisshauer, an University of Colorado sophomore from Erfurt, Germany, won the men’s race in 27:08.4. Estonia’s Jana Rehemma won the women’s event in 15:29.3.
Both Whitman teams scored 27 points to finish eighth. Colorado won the women’s team scoring with 84 points and tied the University of Denver for the top spot in the men’s scoring with 80 points.
In the combined men’s and women’s Nordic and alpine scoring on Friday, Colorado was in first place with 309 points. Denver was second with 285 points and the University of New Mexico third with 259. Whitman with 93 points was in eighth among 10 schools.
The invitational concludes Saturday.
First-year competitor Kate Ceronsky and sophomore Robert Marcotte were the top Whitman finishers in Saturday’s classic races as the Nordic portion of the the Western State Invitational concluded at Crested Butte, Colo.
Ceronsky placed 29th in the women’s 5-kilometer classic in 20:56.1. Marcotte was 30th in the men’s 10-kilometer race in 35:27.5.
Others placing for the Whitman women included first-year skiers Whitney Heyvaert, who was 33rd in 21:49.7, and Lindsay Records, who was 35th in 22:34.4. Senior Tara Gregg, Whitman’s top placer in Friday’s freestyle, finished 37th on Saturday in 23:26.1.
Loren Schmidt, who had the best Missionary finish in the men’s freestyle on Friday, placed 35th in Saturday’s classic in 36:34.1. Sophomore Davis Taylor was 36th in 36:57.3.
Kit Richmond, an University of Colorado sophomore from Red Deer, Alberta, won the men’s race in 29:25.9. Estonia’s Jana Rehemma, also skiing for Colorado, was the winner on the women’s side for a second consecutive day, finishing the classic in 17:53.8.
The Whitman women tallied 28 points to finish eighth in the team scoring in Saturday’s classic. The Missionary men also placed eighth with 27 points.
The invitational’s final team scoring, combining men’s and women’s Nordic and alpine events, will be decided later today when the final alpine races are completed.
Skiing her first college race in nearly six weeks, Whitman's Laura Valaas placed eighth in the 5-kilometer classic Thursday at the NCAA West Regional, hosted by the Auburn Ski Club near Donner Summit, Calif.
Valaas, who missed the last two NCAA events while representing the U.S. at the Under-23 World Cross Country Ski Championships in Europe, finished Thursday's race in 15:41.53. She was about 4.5 seconds out of sixth place and about 23 seconds out of third.
The west regional, which also serves as the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA) Championships, is the final tune-up and chance to qualify for the NCAA National Championships, slated for March 8-11 at Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Valaas, a senior from Wenatchee, Wash., is a virtual lock to qualify for her second consecutive trip to the national. Earlier this season, she became the first U.S.-born skier in nearly two years to win an RMISA race. She also placed fourth, fifth and sixth in other RMISA races.
In the men's 10-kilometer classic on Thursday, sophomore Robert Marcotte placed 42nd in 32:40.21 to pace the Whitman contingent. Davis Taylor, also a sophomore, was 43rd in 32:50.48. Senior Alex Farnand and sophomore Loren Schmidt filled the next two spots, finishing in 33:06.57 and 33:13.32. Charles Erdman, a junior, was 46th in 34:56.30.
Four teammates joined Valaas in the women's race. Kate Ceronsky, a first-year skier, placed 34th in 17:15.46, while senior Tara Gregg was 39th in 17:48.35. Two more first-year skiers, Lindsay Records and Whitney Heyvaert, finished 40th and 41st, respectively, in times of 18:03.77 and 18:10.57.
Two University of Colorado skiers, Jana Rehemaa (Estonia) and Maria Grevsgaard (Norway), finished one-two in the women's race. Rehemaa's winning time was 14:46.54, about eight seconds better than her teammate.
Norway's Henrik Hoye, who also skies for Colorado, won the men's race in 26:24.96. The University of Denver's John Stene, also from Norway, was the runner-up in 26:30.38.
Skiers return to the snow on Friday for the men's and women's freestyle races.
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For the second time in as many days, Whitman's Laura Valaas placed eighth in a women's Nordic race as the NCAA West Regional concluded Friday near Donner Summit, Calif.
Valaas, a senior from Wenatchee, Wash., finished the women's 15-kilometer classic in 44:04.2, finishing less than 20 seconds out of second place. The University of Colorado's Jana Rehemaa, a senior from Tartu, Estonia, won the race in 42:47.9, beating her nearest competitor by nearly one minute.
"It was a great race," Whitman Nordic coach Nathan Alsobrook said. "Rehemaa had broken away from everyone by the mid point in the race and Laura was part of a chase pack. Laura broke away on her own, trying to catch the leader. It was a gutsy move on Laura's part, but she was going for the win. She wasn't able to catch the leader, and then she didn't have enough to hold off the chase pack on the last lap.
"Laura knew she had already qualified for nationals, so she wasn't really concerned with where she placed," Alsobrook continued. "She wanted to give it her all as a final tune-up for nationals."
The west regional, which also serves as the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA) Championships, was the final chance for skiers to qualify for the NCAA National Championships in early March. Valaas made the cut with several spots to spare, advancing as the seventh seed from the region.
A year ago, Valaas earned All-American honors at the national championships, placing fifth and ninth.
In the men's race Friday, sophomore Loren Schmidt had Whitman's best time. He completed the 20-kilometer race in 58:46.4. His Missionary teammates filled the next four slots. Sophomore Robert Marcotte was 37th in 59:04.5, followed by sophomore Davis Taylor in 59:14.7, senior Alex Farnand in 1:01:54.96, and junior Charles Erdman in 1:05:06.23.
Germany's Dirk Grimm, skiing for the University of New Mexico, won the men's race in 49:59.8.
Kate Ceronsky, a first-year skier, placed 28th for Whitman in 47.48.1. Senior Gregg was 35th in 48:46.3. Two more first-year skiers, Lindsay Records and Whitney Heyvaert, finished 38th and 39th, respectively, in 52:03.6 and 53:39.4.
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Competing against an international field, Whitman's Laura Valaas tied for 13th in the women's 5-kilometer cross country classic Thursday at the NCAA National Championships at the Howelsen Hill Nordic Center in Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Valaas, a senior from Wenatchee, Wash., finished in a tie with Alison Crocker, a Dartmouth College senior from Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Both skiers were timed in 17:33.1.
Valaas and Crocker finished 12.8 seconds out of 10th place, which was claimed by the University of Utah's Sara Schweiger, a first-year skier from Schwangau, Germany. The top 10 finishers earned NCAA All-American honors.
Two University of Colorado skiers placed first and second. Jana Rehemaa, a senior from Tartu, Estonia, won the race in 16:29.6. Teammate Maria Grevsgaard, a sophomore from Geilo, Norway, was the runner-up in 16:36.0.
U.S. Olympic Team member Lindsey Weier, a senior from Mahtomedia, Minn., who skies for Northern Michigan University, placed third in 16:54.3, edging the University of Denver's Anna Maeki (Kiruna, Sweden) by 1.5 seconds.
Valaas wraps up her college career on Saturday when she skies in the women's 15-kilometer freestyle. Two weeks ago, competing at the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA) West Region Championships, Valaas placed eighth in both the classic and freestyle events.
RMISA skiers dominated Thursday in the women's classic race at nationals, filling eight of the first 12 spots. Of the top eight RMISA finishers, seven are Europeans.
Valaas earned All-American honors in both the classic and freestyle events at the NCAA nationals a year ago, placing fifth and ninth.
In the men's 10-kilometer classic Thursday, the University of Denver's John Stene, a junior from Trondheim, Norway, took first in 27:57.2. Stene was one of eight RMISA skiers to place in the men's top 12.
Whitman is the only NCAA Division III member of RMISA. The ski conference also includes seven Division I school and two Division II schools.
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Making up for a disappointing finish in Thursday’s classic race, Whitman’s Laura Valaas placed fourth in the 15-kilometer freestyle – earning NCAA All-American honors for the third time in her career – as the NCAA National Ski Championships concluded Saturday at Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Valaas, a senior from Wenatchee, Wash., finished the course at the Howelsen Hill Nordic Center in 47:39.5.
“What a great way for Laura to cap her four years of skiing at Whitman,” director of skiing Tom Olson said. “Laura was very happy with her results today.”
In placing fourth, Valaas finished nine spots better than she did in Thursday’s classic event. “Laura just didn’t have a good race on Thursday,” Olson said. “It kind of made her mad that she didn’t finish higher, which is one of the reasons she skied so well and competed so hard today.”
The University of Colorado’s Jana Rehemaa, a senior from Tartu, Estonia, won Saturday’s race in 46:27.4. Rehemaa also won Thursday's classic race.
Johanna Turunen, a senior from Joensuu, Finland, who skis for the University of Alaska-Anchorage, was Saturday's runner-up in 46:37.4. Evelyn Dong, a junior from Wayland, Mass., who skis for Vermont’s Middleburgy College, was third in 46:38.6.
Valaas finished nearly 14 seconds in front of Alison Crocker, a senior at Dartmouth College. Valaas and Crocker tied for 13th in Thursday’s classic.
A year ago at the NCAA championships, Valaas placed fifth in the classic and ninth in the freestyle, earning All-American honors in both events.
Valaas and five of her Nordic and alpine teammates were also named Saturday to the NCAA All-Academic Team, which is sponsored by the College Ski Coaches Association and requires a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5.
Valaas was joined on the All-Academic Team by Nordic teammates Kate Ceronsky (Arden Hills, Minn.), a first-year skier, and Loren Schmidt (Fairbanks, Alaska), a sophomore on the men’s squad.
Three members of the Whitman alpine team also earned national academic honors: senior Hannes Zirknitzer (Bright, Australia) from the men’s team, and junior Maria Corcorran (Bellevue, Wash.) and sophomore Charlotte Gourlay (Ketchum, Idaho) from the women’s team.
“The skiers miss some school at times, but they stay ahead of their academics,” Olson said. “They have the same drive to succeed in academics as they do in athletics.”