March 11, 2006
Final Results in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
The University of New Mexico ski team equalled its second best finish in school history with a second place showing at the 2006 NCAA Championships in Steamboat Springs, Colo., today. The Lobos posted 556 points overall and were 98 points behind Colorado, who won their fifth title since 1983. UNM held off a late charge from Dartmouth (537.5) and defending national champion Denver (522.5) to bring home the silver trophy.
Eight UNM student-athletes earned All-American honors, including a pair of women’s Nordic skiers who finished in the top-10 in today’s freestyle races. Sophomores Marit Rognmo and Laura Van Alst both posted solid finishes in the women’s 15K freestyle race. Rognmo crossed the line in 47:59.6, good enough for seventh place overall. Van Alst placed 10th with a time of 48:16.6 as both Lobos earned All-American honors. Freshman Crystin Jacques placed 23rd overall with a time of 50:07.2. Colorado’s Jana Rehemaa won the event, finishing the course in 46:27.4. The women snapped their streak of three-straight freestyle championships, finishing third today.
The men skied a 20K freestyle race at Helmsen Hill today and were led by senior Geir-Endre Rogn. He placed 14th overall with a time of 57:10.2. Junior Jedd Young had a solid 18th place finish with a time of 58:05.1. It was his best finish in four races at the NCAAs. Fellow junior Dirk Grimm had a disappointing 22nd place finish after winning the NCAA West Regional. He finished in 58:44.8, well off the pace set by Colorado’s Kit Richmond (55:14.7). The men placed seventh in the freestyle overall.
The Lobos also finished second in 1992, but their best mark at the NCAAs came in 2004 when they won the school’s first national title in any sport. This is also the second runner-up trophy for the University of New Mexico in the 2005-06 academic year. The Lobo men’s soccer team was a national finalist in the fall. Junior Alpine skier Lars Loeseth has certainly made his mark on Lobo athletics in his three years at UNM. Not only is he a three-time All-American skier and member of the 2004 and 2006 ski teams, he was also a mainstay on the 2005 Lobo soccer team, putting him on three of the four most successful squads in Lobo history.
“The NCAA Championships turned out to be a success for us,” stated UNM head coach George Brooks. “It wasn’t as well as we were hoping, but we battled from fifth place after the first day to second in the end. Even if we had skied up to our potential, Colorado was unbeatable. The best team won this week. We were the second best and that is where we finished. I am proud of our coaches and athletes and their efforts to make us a national powerhouse in skiing. The future looks good and many of these same skiers will be back next year.”
Brooks finishes his 36th year at the helm of the Lobo ski team, the longest tenure of any member of the UNM athletics department. He has posted 14 top-5 finishes at the NCAAs, including eight in a row.
2006 NCAA Championships Team Scores
1. Colorado – 654
2. New Mexico – 556
3. Dartmouth – 537.5
4. Denver – 522.5
5. Vermont – 516
6. Alaska-Anchorage – 451
7. Middlebury – 412
8. Utah – 400
9. New Hampshire – 309
10. Alaska-Fairbanks – 271
11. Nevada – 259
12. Bates – 189
13. Montana State – 185
14. Northern Michigan – 154
15. Williams – 137.5
16. Colby – 130.5
17. Western State – 126.5
18. Whitman – 62.5
19. Michigan Tech – 62
20. Boise State – 50
21. St. Lawrence – 25
22. Wisconsin-Green Bay – 22
23. St. Olaf – 17
24. Gustavus Adolphus – 9
Women’s 15K Freestyle Individual Results
1. JanaRehemaa, Colorado, 46:27.4
2. Johanna Turanen, Alaska-Fairbanks,46:37.4
3. Evelyn Dong, Middlebury, 46:38.6
4. Laura Valaas, Whitman, 47:39.5
5. Alison Crocker, Dartmouth, 47:54.3
6. Lenka Palanova, Colorado, 47:55.4
7. Marit Rognmo, New Mexico, 47:59.6
8. Kate Crawford, Vermont, 48:00.6
9. Maria Grevsgaard, Colorado, 48:06.2
10. Laura Van Alst, New Mexico, 48:16.6
23. Crystin Jaques, New Mexico, 50:07.2
Men’s 20K Freestyle Individual Results
1. Kit Richmond, Colorado, 55:14.7
2. Benjamin Sonntag, Alaska-Anchorage, 55:16.4
3. Erling Christiansen, Colorado, 55:20.1
4. Henrik Hoye, Colorado, 55:39.1
5. Glenn Randall, Dartmouth, 55:39.6
6. Brian Gregg, Alaska-Anchorage, 55:40.0
7. Marius Kourthauer, Alaska-Fairbanks, 56:11.7
8. Bart Dengel, Alaska-Fairbanks, 56:18.9
9. Kjetil Dammen, Alaska-Anchorage, 56:44.4
10. JohnStene, Denver, 56:56.3
14. Geir-Endre Rogn, New Mexico, 57:10.2
18. Jedd Young, New Mexico, 58:05.1
22. Dirk Grimm, New Mexico, 58:44.8
2006 New Mexico All-Americans
Tor Fodnesbergene – Slalom
Dirk Grimm – Classic
Lars Loeseth – Giant Slalom
Alex Mach – Slalom
Karin Ohlin – Slalom
Geir-Endre Rogn – Classic
Marit Rognmo – Freestyle
Laura Van Alst – Freestyle