NCAA: West champ Denver is on a roll

By Published On: March 6th, 2007Comments Off on NCAA: West champ Denver is on a roll

The University of Denver is on a roll entering the NCAA Championships, having won three straight meets, including the Western regional two weeks ago in California. The Pioneers are now targeting their record 19th national title and fifth since 2000.
THE UNIVERSITY OF DENVER
is on a roll entering the NCAA Championships, having won three straight meets, including the Western regional two weeks ago in California. The Pioneers are now targeting their record 19th national title and fifth since 2000.
    Racing begins Wednesday in New Hampshire with the first cross-country events. Click here for a complete schedule of events.
    Here are some news and notes about the Pioneers’ chances for No. 19:
    RUNNING DOWN A DREAM: Rene Reisshauer won four of the five classical Nordic races this season, and took first in the freestyle at the Denver Invitational, the only meet in which he did not win the classical, finishing second. Reisshauer won both Nordic races at the 2005 NCAA Championships, becoming the first DU skier to sweep the events since Ola Berger in 2002.
    REPEAT AFTER ME: John Stene, Denver’s only national champion in 2006 with a win in classical, looks to become DU’s first back-to-back winner of an individual national championship since Pietro Broggini defended his 2000 Nordic freestyle win with another victory at the 2001 NCAAs. DU has had four repeat champions in its skiing history: Willis Olson (ski jumping, 1954-56), Otto Tschudi (downhill, 1970-72), Roberta Pergher (slalom, 1996-97) and Broggini (freestyle, 2000-01). Stene finished second, behind teammate Reisshauer, in the last two classical races of the season, and he won the freestyle at the Western regional.
   THREE'S COMPANY: This year mark the third consecutive NCAA Championship that Reisshauer, Stene and Havard Selseng have represented DU in the men’s Nordic races. With those three anchoring the team, the Pioneers have won 15 of 17 classical races and six freestyle events since the beginning of the 2005 season. All three plan to return to the Pioneers next season.
    QUICK ADJUSTMENT: Denver newcomer and France native Annelise Bailly wasted no time in adjusting to collegiate competition, winning the freestyle at her first college meet. In fact, Bailly won three freestyle races this season and finished third and fourth in the other two. In freestyle, Bailly finished fourth at New Mexico and 12th or better in the other four races.
    DIAMOND SOME DAY: Former junior world champion Adam Cole heads to New Hampshire looking for his first NCAA title. After returning from the 2007 Winter World University Games in Italy with three medals, Cole won the giant slalom at the Montana State Invitational and finished in the top three in the next four races.
    MORE ON MEN'S ALPINE: The DU men have won three of the four giant slalom races this season, as well as the last two slaloms. Francesco Ghedina won the slalom at the Western regional, 0.73 seconds ahead of teammate John Buchar. DU has gone without an alpine national champion since Jayme Smithers won the slalom in 1999. Denver’s last title in the GS was Erik Roland in 1994.
    THIS ONE GOES TO 11: DU qualified 11 skiers for the NCAAs, one short of the full allotment. However, Courtney Dauwalter is the first alternate, so if any women’s Nordic skier cannot race Dauwalter could compete.
    COACHED BY CHAMPIONS: Denver’s first-year head coaches, alpine coach Andy LeRoy and Nordic coach Wolf Wallendorf, both won national championships during their college careers. LeRoy won the slalom at the 2000 NCAAs while at the University of Colorado, and Wallendorf was a key cog in DU’s championship three-peat from 2000-02, winning the 2001 classic race and finishing in the top 10 six times. Wallendorf was promoted to head coach after serving as DU’s assistant Nordic coach for two seasons.

Share This Article

About the Author: Pete Rugh