Nov. 20, 2007
As the snows start to head towards the University of New Mexico, spirits are high for the start of the 2007-08 ski season. Fredrik Landstedt is replacing the retired George Brooks as head coach. Landstedt is only the second head coach of the program since it started 37 years ago. He is in his 11th season at UNM, coaching the women to their third straight NCAA Nordic Freestyle title in 2005, and helping the Lobos to a second place finish overall at the 2006 NCAA Championships. During his tenure at UNM he has coached 18 Lobos to 30 All-American awards, two individual national championships and four team national titles. With the future of the Lobos in his hands he looks forward to a promising season.
“Our overall goal is to be a top 4 team,” said Landstedt. “When you are at nationals and you can see yourself being a top 4 team, anything can happen.”
New Mexico skied to a sixth-place NCAA finish in the 2007, making an end to the Lobos eight-year run in the top five. However, spirits were raised when Malin Hemmingson, an Alpine skier from Sweden, won the women’s slalom individual national title. Hemmingsson earned the 10th individual gold medal at NCAA Championships in the school’s history.
New Mexico has 16 returning skiers. All of the women from the 2007 season have returned and six of the men, along with five talented newcomers. Landstedt feels it is important to establish the team in the West Region and challenge for a win in the upcoming season.
The Alpine men lost three very strong skiers that will be hard to replace however, they have very strong back up. Among the returners are junior Tor Fodnesbergene and sophomores Jon Masdal, Gary Beresford and Olivier Lacaille. Fondnesbergene has won All- American honors and in 2006 was second in slalom and led the league in the giant slalom. He also won both races in the NCAA West Regional in Reno, NV. Lacaille is back and hungry, according to Landstedt, along with Beresford who is getting better each year and looking for a top spot. Masdal, Beresford and Lacaille all made the 2007 NCAA National All-Academic Ski Team. The Alpine team is excited to welcome newcomer Christoffer Norell of Sweden to the team. Norell is a strong skier ready to challenge for a spot at the NCAA national level.
The Alpine women welcome back all five returners, seniors Amy Beresford and Lene Kaasa, junior Karin Ohlin, and sophomores Malin Hemmingson and Jessica Dakers. Look for Hemmingson, who won the women’s slalom individual national title in 2007, to be strong again in 2008. She is back and will be a consistent figure in the top this season. Ohlin is looking strong this year.
“Karin is looking better and is back to the way she skied two years ago when she was 15th in NCAA,” said Lanstedt.
Beresford, who made the 2007 NCAA National All-Academic Ski Team, is back to challenge for another top spot in the NCAA. Kassa, who is training harder than ever, according to Landstedt, is stronger than before and will be a challenger for a top-three spot. Rounding out the Alpine women’s team is Dakers who is looking to improve from last season.
The Nordic men’s team is the most improved. Returners for the Nordic team are juniors Casey Dyck and Rick Grahn, both of who made the 2007 NCAA National All-Academic Ski Team. Dyck just missed qualifying for NCAAs last year, but is back and ready to compete for a spot this season. This season Grahn is looking much stronger and ready to ski. New to the team is sophomore Tor-Hukon Hellebostad, and freshmen Martin Kaas and Simon Reissmann. Hellebostad and Kaas are both Norwegian and looking very good on dry land. Both are expected to be in the top-three of the UNM Nordic team. Reissmann, from Germany, is expected to push for the top spot.
“Simon looks to be our top guy and should easily qualify for NCAA Championships,” said Landstedt. “Overall the Nordic men’s team will be very competitive this season.”
The Nordic women welcome back four skiers, senior Laura Van Alst, juniors Crystin Jaques and Melanie Zemp, and sophomore Polina Ermoshina. Ermoshina is the top returning Nordic skier this season. In 2007 she made the All-America Team by finishing sixth in the 15K Classic race. She is expected to be consistently in the top three at NCAA. Competing for the other two spots will be Van Alst, Jaques and Zemp, all NCAA qualifiers over the past few seasons. Jaques placed in the top 25 in 2006 and will challenge again for a top spot. The women are improved this year and are looking to win a few meets.
With all the talent on the Lobos ski team, they can accomplish many of Lanstedt’s goals as head coach.
The collegiate ski season begins in the West Region on Jan. 4-5 at the Colorado Invitational with the alpine teams competing in Steamboat Springs, Colo. The Lobos will host the UNM Invitational on Feb. 8-9 in Taos and Red River. The Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association championships and the NCAA championships will be held at Bridger Bowl, Mont. The RMISA/NCAA West Regional will be Feb. 22-23, followed by the NCAAs on March 5-8.