April 10, 2006
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The 2006 University of New Mexico ski team had another banner year in NCAA competition. After being picked to finish third in the nation in Ski Racing Magazine’s preseason coaches poll, the Lobos finished second in the overall team standings at the 2006 NCAA Championships, equalling their second highest finish in school history. UNM won the title in 2004, the first and only for any team at UNM, and also took home the runner-up trophy in 1992. New Mexico posted 556 points in the four-day event, trailing NCAA champ Colorado’s 654 mark. Dartmouth (537.5) placed third while defending NCAA champion Denver (522.5) finished fourth. UNM has now finished in the top five in eight consecutive years. The Lobos have also scored more points at the NCAAs over the last three years than any other team in the country.
Individually, eight Lobos won All-American honors at the NCAA Championships, by virtue of placing in the top-10 in one of the eight races held at the championships. Also, nine Lobos earned Academic All-NCAA honors by holding a 3.50 grade-point-average and competing at the NCAA West Regional. The men’s Alpine team took home the 2006 NCAA Slalom title for the fourth time in school history.
Sometimes winning the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association’s regular season title can be harder than winning the NCAA’s. This season, UNM placed third in the RMISA race with a total of 2,000 points. Colorado won the league with a mark of 2,302 points while defending national champion Denver was second with 2,210.5 points. Utah placed fourth in the conference with 1,877.5 points with Alaska-Anchorage rounding out the top-5 with 1,642.5 points.
Eight Lobos also earned All-RMISA honors during the regular season with 12 ranking in the top-10 in at least one event. The men’s Alpine team finished first overall in the RMISA, sweeping the slalom and giant slalom events.
Freshman Karin Ohlin was the Alpine Women’s MVP. |
ALPINE TEAM NOTES
Overall, the Alpine team finished third in the RMISA, but finished first in the overall points race at the NCAA Championships. The men’s squad has dominated, winning four of the eight races this season and sweeping both events at the NCAA West Regional. The women’s Alpine team finished fourth overall, and they tied for second place in the slalom at the NCAAs.
ALPINE INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Lars Loeseth (Jr.) – All-American in the GS, placing third at the NCAAs…Finished 13th in the NCAA SL…All-RMISA ranking fourth in the SL and fifth in the GS…Helped the Lobo soccer team to the NCAA title game in the fall…Academic All-NCAA…Alpine men’s team tri-MVP…Nine top-10s overall
Alex Mach (Jr.) – All-American in the SL, finishing seventh at the NCAAs…Placed 23rd in the NCAA GS…Top-ranked SL skier in the RMISA after winning two events…All-RMISA, ranking 14th in the RMISA GS…Six top-10s, including two SL wins…Alpine men’s team tri-MVP.
Peter Roering (Jr.) – Won the MSU GS race and posted three top-10s in 2006 before a broken leg in February ended his season.
Tor Fodnesbergene (Fr.) – All-American in the SL, finishing third at the NCAAs…Placed 12th in the NCAA GS…Won both the SL and GS at the NCAA West Regional and four races overall in 2006, more than any other men’s skier in the RMISA…All-RMISA, ranking second in the SL and third in the GS in the RMISA…Posted nine top-10s…Alpine men’s team tri-MVP.
Tyson McGinty (Fr.) – Ranked 36th in the SL and GS in the RMISA.
Kathrin Spendier (Sr.) – Placed 11th in the SL and 25th in the GS at the NCAAs…Ranked 10th in the SL and 25th in the GS in the RMISA…Posted two top-10s…Academic All-NCAA.
Gladys Weidt (Sr.) – Ranked 15th in the SL and GS in the RMISA…Qualified for the NCAAs but did not compete…Two top-10s…Academic All-NCAA.
Amy Beresford (So.) – Placed 13th in the SL and 19th in the GS at the NCAAs…Ranked 31st in the SL and 19th in the GS in the RMISA…Posted two top-10s…Academic All-NCAA
Lene Kaasa (So.) – Ranked 49th in the SL and 31st in the GS in the RMISA.
Vibeke Vilhelmsen (So.) – Ranked 24th in the SL and 17th in the GS in the RMISA…Qualified for the NCAAs…Posted one top-10.
Karin Ohlin (Fr.) – All-American in the SL, placing fifth at the NCAA’s…All-RMISA, ranking fifth in the SL and 25th in the GS…Five top-10s…Alpine women’s team MVP.
Junior Dirk Grimm earned his third All-Ameircan honor at the 2006 NCAA Championships. |
NORDIC TEAM NOTES
The Nordic team placed third in the final RMISA standings, while finishing fourth at the 2006 NCAA Championships. The women’s squad placed second in six races during the season and won the 5K CL at the Western State meet in Crested Butte, Colo. The women were third in the CL and second in the FR in the RMISA race. The men’s team placed second three times and were ranked third in the CL and 4th in the FR in the RMISA
NORDIC INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Geir-Endre Rogn (Sr.) – All-American in the CL, placing ninth at the NCAAs…Finished 14th in the NCAA FR…Posted six top-10s in eight races…All-RMISA ranking 10th in the CL and FR…Academic All-NCAA.
Dirk Grimm (Jr.) – All-American in the CL, placing eighth at the NCAAs…Finished 18th in the NCAA FR…Had three wins in the FR in 2006, including the NCAA West Regional and the CU Invite…All-RMISA, ranking first in the FR and fifth in the CL…Academic All-NCAA…Nordic men’s team MVP.
Jedd Young (Jr.) – Placed 32nd in the CL and 22nd in the FR at the NCAAs…Posted one top-10…Ranked 23rd in the CL and 20th in the FR in the RMISA.
Casey Dyck (Fr.) – Qualified for the NCAAs but did not compete…Finished the regular season ranked 24th in the CL and 23rd in the FR…Academic All-NCAA.
Sophomore Laura Van Alst was the Nordic Women’s MVP. |
Rick Grahn (Fr.) – Competed in every event in the regular season, ranking 38th in the CL and 43rd in the FR in the RMISA…Academic All-NCAA.
Kathrine Alseen (So.) – Qualified for the NCAAs but did not compete…Ranked 23rd in the CL and 14th in the CL in the RMISA.
Marit Rognmo (So.) – All-American in the FR, placing seventh at the NCAAs…Placed 26th in the CL at the NCAAs…Had nine top-10’s in 10 races this season…Ranked ninth in the RMISA in both the FR and CL.
Laura Van Alst (So.) – All-American in the FR, placing 10th at the NCAAs…Finished 21st in the CL at the NCAAs…Four top-10s in 12 races this season…All-RMISA, ranking eighth in the FR and 18th in the CL in the RMISA…Academic All-NCAA…Nordic women’s team MVP.
Crystin Jaques (Fr.) – Finished 16th in the CL and 23rd in the FR at the NCAAs…Posted six top-10s this season…Ranked ninth in the CL and 15th in the FR in the RMISA…Academic All-NCAA.
Melanie Zemp (Fr.) – Qualified for the NCAAs but did not compete…Posted one top-10…Ranked ninth in the CL and 25th in the FR in the RMISA.