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Utah (286) is just 22 points shy of the leader Colorado (308) and is anxious to close in on the Buffs.
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Jan. 31, 2003
BOULDER, Colo. -
The Ute ski team continues to battle as they perch in second-place behind only Colorado in the first day of the Colorado Invitational. The alpine team rallied to a second-place finish in the giant slalom, while the cross country squad also skied second in the 5/10 km freestyle.
"Colorado is always a tough place to ski," remarked Head Coach Kevin Sweeney. "I'm not surprised CU came out strong. We had some great scores in each discipline and I'm really excited about that. I felt both teams came out strong."
Katrin Smigun led the cross country team, placing first in the 5 km FS with a time of 15:19.1, which was a little over five seconds in front of the competition. The junior is on a tear this season recording a unbeaten record thus far this season. Teammate Sara Svendsen rounded out the top-five, finishing fifth just behind Colorado's Claire Critchely. Sophomore Barbro Hatlevik skied to a 11th-place effort, while Ashley McQueen was close behind grabbing a 13th-place finish.
The men's nordic team fared well in the 10 km FS, skiing third behind New Mexico and Colorado. A little under 13 seconds was the only separation between seniors Zack Simons and Ryan Quinn as they skied fifth and sixth respectively. Freshman Anders Hasson came through with a 14th-place finish, while Torin Koos garnered a placing of 25th. Freshman Jess Kiesel and Tony Bozzio contributed with 27th- and 32nd-place efforts.
The alpine team excelled in the GS race placing five athletes in the top-10. For the men's squad, it was junior Pierre Olsson's time of 2:08.35 issuing him a first-place finish that led the Utes, followed by senior Jernej Bukovec who skied third with a combine time of 2:09.68. Sophomore Josh Whitham finished the day tied for ninth, while Benjamin Thornhill skied 21st.
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"The alpine team skied awesome today," said Sweeney. "It's a tight race and one mistake in just one discipline can really cost a team. It's tough out here, but I'm optimistic that we will ski well tomorrow."
As for tomorrow, Feb. 1, the Ute ski team will be at it once again, finishing up the final day of the Colorado Invitational. The Utes are hopeful to gain ground on the leader Colorado in both the slalom and 5/10 km classical events.
