Thursday, March 11
Jackson, N.H.
All Day
University of Colorado
vs
5/10K Classic
Photo by: Brett Wilhelm, NCAA Photos
Boee Wins National Championship, Buffs In Second
March 11, 2021 | Skiing
JACKSON, N.H. – Sophomore Magnus Boee won the Individual National Championship in the 10K classic race, helping the Colorado Buffaloes Ski Team into second place at the midpoint of the 2021 NCAA Championships here Thursday at Jackson Nordic Center.
Boee's win is his ninth of the season, setting a new CU record for men's Nordic skiers in CU history. It was also his fifth classic win of the season, another CU record. His NCAA Championship is the second in two days for the Buffs and the 99th in CU history (97 NCAA, two AIAW). The men were also boosted by freshmen Will Koch and Oyvind Haugan, who finished in seventh and eighth place, respectively, both earning second-team All-America honors.
The Buffs scored 88 points in the men's race and 45.5 points in the women's race and sit in second place with 252.5 points, 66.5 points behind Utah, who had a spectacular day finishing 1-2-3 in the women's race and 2-3-5 in the men's race to take control of the championship at the midpoint. Behind the Utes and Buffs in third is Montana State with 213.5 points while Alaska Anchorage (200) and Denver (193) give the RMISA the top five spots in the team standings.
The women all had solid races in the 5K women's classic race, with freshman Weronika Kaleta leading the way in 13th place followed by junior Ezra Smith in 14th and sophomore Anna-Maria Dietze tied for 20th. Dietze lost a pole early in the race that likely cost her some valuable seconds. A total of 16 skiers finished with a time between 17 and 18 minutes that spanned places 12 through 26.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Buffs held serve with the Utes in the men's race, as both teams predictably moved to the top of the standings and with Utah outsourcing CU 100-88 in the men's race, the team standings were just one point apart with Utah holding a 208-207 advantage after three races. But the Utes then swept the podium, picking up a perfect 111 points to open up a 66.5 point lead over the Buffs, which now has a 39 point lead over third place Montana state.
The Championship, however, is only half over and anything can happen, especially in Friday's slalom race, which CU coach Richard Rokos always calls "the great equalizer." Regardless, being in second place with a 39 point cushion over the rest of the field is a great spot to be.
UP NEXT: The alpine teams return to action Friday morning with the slalom races at Mittersill-Cannon Mountain. The men will get started at 7 a.m. with the first run followed by the women's first run at 8 a.m. The men's second run will begin at 10 a.m. and the women's second run will take place at 11 a.m. Nordic teams will close out the NCAA Championships Saturday with 15K women's and 20K men's freestyle races.
QUOTABLE:
Jana Weinberger: "Congrats to Magnus. He raced really well today. All our men raced well with all of them in the top eight. Magnus looked very strong. He's been looking very strong the whole season so I think it would have been a little bit of a disappointment if he didn't win."
"After looking into the results more closely, this is where they have been for the whole season. I was hoping they were going to do a little better, but they did what they've been doing the whole season. Anna-Maria had some unfortunate luck with her pole right off the start and probably lost 10 or 20 seconds right there. I think our women are a little better at skiing in heat. I hope that they will do better on Saturday."
"Utah had a very good day. Tomorrow is slalom and anything can happen in slalom. We're still hoping for the best, and we're still going to work hard to win the championship and get closer to Utah, if not pass them."
Magnus Boee: "The conditions were, I'd say, the toughest one yet this season. Although we were in sea level racing, I felt like I was in altitude. It was super hard. It was very draggy and suctiony snow on the skis. I put a lot of effort into deciding whether to use cake or not and I stuck going with cake which I'm pretty happy I did. I feel like I was able to find a good pace the entire way. I never went too fast or too slow. It was a pretty steady, even race. I used my energy well throughout the entire race so I'm pretty happy about how I executed."
"Definitely going into the race. like the days leading into the race, I could tell it was kind of different when it's an actual National Champion title depending on it. I just try to focus on doing the exact same thing I've been doing the entire season, don't make it any more special or don't get any higher shoulders. It's been working well the entire season just not overthinking or getting too tense about the race. I just focused on having fun and honestly I've been so busy with school which I'm kind of happy I have been because it keeps my mind off to race. When I think too much, it doesn't go by my habits. It doesn't go automatic, but it goes by my mind. When things have been working so well I just let my body remember what I've been doing all this year, let it happen, and don't overthink it. I think that was my approach. I know it's a big deal racing the National Championships and doing well, but I try to focus on not thinking too much about it and I think that worked."
"That's exactly what I'm thinking of (waiting to celebrate). When we're done on Saturday, whichever way it goes, I'm going to celebrate and have a fun time. Until then, we're just halfway there and I'm just going to still put my head down and get my school done and just be normal. Nothing special yet."
"It is certainly two different levels racing World Cup, or even like Norwegian Cup races back in Norway. That level is so high. If you're not having a really good day you're just far down. There are just so many that can ski good. In college, the best skiers are really good here too, but we're talking less than 10 skiers that are really good I'd say, compared to say Norway, or of course the World Cup. It's a different level for sure. I know for a fact that I've been racing well this season. That's a fact and with the racing I've been doing this year I know that's some racing that will do pretty well in Norway. We're talking I guess like top-20 or top-10 results in Norway. That's my assumption. It's a high level when you get out there internationally, that's for sure."
"Will is I mean four years younger than me so he has a pretty bright future. I mean he was seventh (this year) and I was eight last year so it's going to be exciting to follow him and the team. I'm super stoked about that. Oyvind as well. He is a high school friend from back home in Norway. It's fun having him along and he's been adapting really good with the classical technique because he's originally a biathlete and they don't classic ski. We've been working well on that this year and it's been paying off so we're happy about that. I still think both of them can really improve and develop for the years to come. I'm pretty optimistic about that."
"That makes competing so much more fun. That's honestly one of the best aspects of college skiing and college sports. It's that sense of community that you have. You don't really find it elsewhere, at least not in the skiing world. Back in Norway, it's all kind of competitive, all individualistic and a lot of ego around. Here in college if a teammate does well it benefits you and vice-versa. Everyone's just so happy for each other's achievements. It just makes it so much more fun and more enjoyable, which just directly reflects to skiing better. For me it's been a blessing. I'm really enjoying college skiing."
ALL-AMERICAN NOTES:
MEN'S 10K CLASSIC (39 collegiate finishers)—1. Magnus Boee, CU, 26:17.7; 2. Luke Jager, UU, 26:30.5; 3. Samuel Hendry, UU, 26:43.0; 4. Espen Persen, UAA, 26:44.7; 5. Bjorn Riksaasen, UU, 26:48.0; 6. Bernhard Flaschberger, DU, 26:48.0; 7. Will Koch, CU, 26:51.2; 8. Oyvind Haugan, CU, 27:13.4; 9. Magnus Noroey, UAA, 27:14.5; 10. Emil Book Bratbak, UAA, 27:20.6.
WOMEN'S 5K CLASSIC (40 collegiate finishers)—1. Sydney Palmer-Leger, UU, 15:50.7; 2. Julia Richter, UU, 15:55.9; 3. Novie McCabe, UU, 16:12.0; 4. Astrid Stav, UAA, 16:21.9; 5. Molly Miller, NMU, 16:27.8; 6. Tuva Bygrave, UAA, 16:29.0; 7. Mariel Pulles, UAF, 16:31.8; 8. Anna Bizyukova, UVM, 16:40.2; 9. Hanna Ray, DU, 16:43.1; 10. Vera Norli, DU, 16:47.8. CU Finishers: 13. Weronika Kaleta, 17:09.7; 14. Ezra Smith, 17:15.9; t-20. Anna-Maria Dietze, 17:37.1.
Boee's win is his ninth of the season, setting a new CU record for men's Nordic skiers in CU history. It was also his fifth classic win of the season, another CU record. His NCAA Championship is the second in two days for the Buffs and the 99th in CU history (97 NCAA, two AIAW). The men were also boosted by freshmen Will Koch and Oyvind Haugan, who finished in seventh and eighth place, respectively, both earning second-team All-America honors.
The Buffs scored 88 points in the men's race and 45.5 points in the women's race and sit in second place with 252.5 points, 66.5 points behind Utah, who had a spectacular day finishing 1-2-3 in the women's race and 2-3-5 in the men's race to take control of the championship at the midpoint. Behind the Utes and Buffs in third is Montana State with 213.5 points while Alaska Anchorage (200) and Denver (193) give the RMISA the top five spots in the team standings.
The women all had solid races in the 5K women's classic race, with freshman Weronika Kaleta leading the way in 13th place followed by junior Ezra Smith in 14th and sophomore Anna-Maria Dietze tied for 20th. Dietze lost a pole early in the race that likely cost her some valuable seconds. A total of 16 skiers finished with a time between 17 and 18 minutes that spanned places 12 through 26.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Buffs held serve with the Utes in the men's race, as both teams predictably moved to the top of the standings and with Utah outsourcing CU 100-88 in the men's race, the team standings were just one point apart with Utah holding a 208-207 advantage after three races. But the Utes then swept the podium, picking up a perfect 111 points to open up a 66.5 point lead over the Buffs, which now has a 39 point lead over third place Montana state.
The Championship, however, is only half over and anything can happen, especially in Friday's slalom race, which CU coach Richard Rokos always calls "the great equalizer." Regardless, being in second place with a 39 point cushion over the rest of the field is a great spot to be.
UP NEXT: The alpine teams return to action Friday morning with the slalom races at Mittersill-Cannon Mountain. The men will get started at 7 a.m. with the first run followed by the women's first run at 8 a.m. The men's second run will begin at 10 a.m. and the women's second run will take place at 11 a.m. Nordic teams will close out the NCAA Championships Saturday with 15K women's and 20K men's freestyle races.
QUOTABLE:
Jana Weinberger: "Congrats to Magnus. He raced really well today. All our men raced well with all of them in the top eight. Magnus looked very strong. He's been looking very strong the whole season so I think it would have been a little bit of a disappointment if he didn't win."
"After looking into the results more closely, this is where they have been for the whole season. I was hoping they were going to do a little better, but they did what they've been doing the whole season. Anna-Maria had some unfortunate luck with her pole right off the start and probably lost 10 or 20 seconds right there. I think our women are a little better at skiing in heat. I hope that they will do better on Saturday."
"Utah had a very good day. Tomorrow is slalom and anything can happen in slalom. We're still hoping for the best, and we're still going to work hard to win the championship and get closer to Utah, if not pass them."
Magnus Boee: "The conditions were, I'd say, the toughest one yet this season. Although we were in sea level racing, I felt like I was in altitude. It was super hard. It was very draggy and suctiony snow on the skis. I put a lot of effort into deciding whether to use cake or not and I stuck going with cake which I'm pretty happy I did. I feel like I was able to find a good pace the entire way. I never went too fast or too slow. It was a pretty steady, even race. I used my energy well throughout the entire race so I'm pretty happy about how I executed."
"Definitely going into the race. like the days leading into the race, I could tell it was kind of different when it's an actual National Champion title depending on it. I just try to focus on doing the exact same thing I've been doing the entire season, don't make it any more special or don't get any higher shoulders. It's been working well the entire season just not overthinking or getting too tense about the race. I just focused on having fun and honestly I've been so busy with school which I'm kind of happy I have been because it keeps my mind off to race. When I think too much, it doesn't go by my habits. It doesn't go automatic, but it goes by my mind. When things have been working so well I just let my body remember what I've been doing all this year, let it happen, and don't overthink it. I think that was my approach. I know it's a big deal racing the National Championships and doing well, but I try to focus on not thinking too much about it and I think that worked."
"That's exactly what I'm thinking of (waiting to celebrate). When we're done on Saturday, whichever way it goes, I'm going to celebrate and have a fun time. Until then, we're just halfway there and I'm just going to still put my head down and get my school done and just be normal. Nothing special yet."
"It is certainly two different levels racing World Cup, or even like Norwegian Cup races back in Norway. That level is so high. If you're not having a really good day you're just far down. There are just so many that can ski good. In college, the best skiers are really good here too, but we're talking less than 10 skiers that are really good I'd say, compared to say Norway, or of course the World Cup. It's a different level for sure. I know for a fact that I've been racing well this season. That's a fact and with the racing I've been doing this year I know that's some racing that will do pretty well in Norway. We're talking I guess like top-20 or top-10 results in Norway. That's my assumption. It's a high level when you get out there internationally, that's for sure."
"Will is I mean four years younger than me so he has a pretty bright future. I mean he was seventh (this year) and I was eight last year so it's going to be exciting to follow him and the team. I'm super stoked about that. Oyvind as well. He is a high school friend from back home in Norway. It's fun having him along and he's been adapting really good with the classical technique because he's originally a biathlete and they don't classic ski. We've been working well on that this year and it's been paying off so we're happy about that. I still think both of them can really improve and develop for the years to come. I'm pretty optimistic about that."
"That makes competing so much more fun. That's honestly one of the best aspects of college skiing and college sports. It's that sense of community that you have. You don't really find it elsewhere, at least not in the skiing world. Back in Norway, it's all kind of competitive, all individualistic and a lot of ego around. Here in college if a teammate does well it benefits you and vice-versa. Everyone's just so happy for each other's achievements. It just makes it so much more fun and more enjoyable, which just directly reflects to skiing better. For me it's been a blessing. I'm really enjoying college skiing."
ALL-AMERICAN NOTES:
- The Buffs picked up three All-America honors, the 517th, 518th and 519th in CU history, the 293rd, 294th and 295th honors by a men's skier.
- Boee picked up first-team honors, his second career All-America honor and the first time he's been given first-team honors.
- Koch finished seven and thus second-team All-America honors in the 10K classic race. His first All-America honor in his first career opportunity.
- Haugan finished eighth and thus second-team All-America honors in the 10K classic race. It's his first All-America honor in his first career opportunity.
- Koch and Haugan are the 200th and 201st skiers in CU history to earn All-America honors. They are the 118th and 119th men's skiers to earn at least one honor.
- The Buffs now have 99 total All-America honors in Classic races, 50 in men and 49 in women's races.
- Boee is the 88th men's skier in CU history to earn first-team All-America honors.
- The Buffs now have 171 men's first team honors and 107 men's second-team honors.
- The Buffs scored 133.5 points on the day and are in second place, 66.5 points behind Utah and 39 points ahead of Montana State. The RMISA continues to hold the top five spots and six of the top seven and all seven teams are in the top 11 of the 17-team standings.
- The Buffs finished second in the men's race with 88 points, 12 behind Utah's total of 100.
- The Buffs finished fourth in the women's race with 45.5 points, behind Utah (111), Alaska Anchorage (72) and Northern Michigan (65).
- Scoring for the Buffs were Boee (40), Koch (25) and Haugan (23) in the men's race and Kaleta (18), Smith (17) and Dietze (10.5) in the women's race.
- Magnus Boee won third straight race and his ninth race of the season in 11 overall opportunities (he was third and fourth in the other two races).
- Boee's nine wins this season set a new CU record for men's Nordic skiers, breaking a tie with Mads Stroem, who won eight in 2016. His nine wins matches the total of Joanne Reid in 2013 for fourth place all-time and those two are behind just Line Selnes (11 in 1998), Maria Grevsgaard (11 in 2008) and Dave Butts (10 in 1960).
- Boee's nine wins are also second most for a men's skier all time behind Butts (10). His five classic wins also sets a new CU record, surpassing the total of Ove Erik Tronvolle (1999) and Stroem (2016) with four a piece.
- Boee's 12 career wins ranks tied for seventh all-time at CU with John Skajem (1986-87), and those two are also tied for fifth among men's skiers in CU history. He is alone in fourth place for most wins by a men's Nordic skier behind Rune Oedegaard (19, 20012-15), Stroem (14, 2014-17) and Per Kare Jakobsen (13, 1988-90).
- He now has seven career classic wins, matching the second most in CU history with Tronvoll (1998-99) behind only Oedegaard (12, 2012-15).
- Boee's win is the 99th Individual National Championship in CU history, 97th NCAA along with two AIAW. It's the 71st men's individual NCAA Championship, the 42nd in Nordic action, the 14th in classic races and it's the seventh men's classic title in CU history. Since 2010, CU has won six of the last 12 men's classic national championships.
- It's the first classic title for CU since Petra Hyncicova won the women's classic race in 2017 here at Jackson Nordic Center, and the first in men's action since Stroem won the race in 2016 at Steamboat Springs.
- Will Koch finished seventh, his best classic finish of the season and second-best overall visit, taking sixth in the freestyle race at Park City ahead of the RMISA Championships. He now has four top 10 finishes this season and has finished in the top 13 in every race. He now has two top 10 finishes in both classic and freestyle races.
- Oyvind Haugan finished eighth and has finished in the top 11 in all nine races he's participated in and picked up second-team All-America honors. He has finished in the op eight in eight of those nine races.
- Weronika Kaleta finished 13th and has finished in the top 16 in all 10 races this season that she's finished.
- Ezra Smith finished 14th, giving her 11 top 15 finishes in 11 races this season. In a time of 17:15.9, she was just 31.9 seconds away from the top 10 and an All-American honor. In 31 career races, she now has 26 career top 20 finishes.
- Anna-Maria Dietze finished tied for 20th with a time of 17;37.1, less than a minute from the top 10. It's her 21st career top 20 finish in her 22nd career race. She was 19th in the 5K freestyle race last season at the NCAA Championships.
MEN'S 10K CLASSIC (39 collegiate finishers)—1. Magnus Boee, CU, 26:17.7; 2. Luke Jager, UU, 26:30.5; 3. Samuel Hendry, UU, 26:43.0; 4. Espen Persen, UAA, 26:44.7; 5. Bjorn Riksaasen, UU, 26:48.0; 6. Bernhard Flaschberger, DU, 26:48.0; 7. Will Koch, CU, 26:51.2; 8. Oyvind Haugan, CU, 27:13.4; 9. Magnus Noroey, UAA, 27:14.5; 10. Emil Book Bratbak, UAA, 27:20.6.
WOMEN'S 5K CLASSIC (40 collegiate finishers)—1. Sydney Palmer-Leger, UU, 15:50.7; 2. Julia Richter, UU, 15:55.9; 3. Novie McCabe, UU, 16:12.0; 4. Astrid Stav, UAA, 16:21.9; 5. Molly Miller, NMU, 16:27.8; 6. Tuva Bygrave, UAA, 16:29.0; 7. Mariel Pulles, UAF, 16:31.8; 8. Anna Bizyukova, UVM, 16:40.2; 9. Hanna Ray, DU, 16:43.1; 10. Vera Norli, DU, 16:47.8. CU Finishers: 13. Weronika Kaleta, 17:09.7; 14. Ezra Smith, 17:15.9; t-20. Anna-Maria Dietze, 17:37.1.