Jan. 12, 2012
CU Invitational Alpine Results 
BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. — The University of New Mexico Alpine ski team finished in third place at the CU Invitational/Spencer Nelson Memorial today after scoring 384 points. Utah and Colorado finished first and second, respectively. The Nordic portion of the invitational is set to take place on Friday and Saturday to complete the meet.
Today marked the completion of the Alpine portion of the CU Invitational. The slalom races originally were scheduled for last Sunday, but poor snow conditions forced the postponement until Wednesday for the women’s event and today for the men’s event.
The Lobos had fine performances in the slalom races to keep them within striking distance of the top-three teams as they head into the Nordic portion of the invitational.
“We had another solid performance by the team, although, we are capable of having several men and women on the podium in slalom,” head Alpine coach Tyler Shepherd said. “The conditions were again challenging due to the recent snowfall. The team is very confident in the slalom right now, and without question they are looking forward to another opportunity to land on the podium at this weekend’s DU Invitational.
Juho Pekka Penttinnen led the way for the Lobo men, finishing in fifth place with a time of 1:32.56. Three other Lobos joined Penttinnen in the top 15 with Joonas Rasanen placing ninth, Chriss Salbu 13th and Armin Triendl 15th.
The four top-15 finishes had to please Shepherd, who last week mentioned that all of his skiers should be striving for at least a top-15 placing.
On the women’s side, Mary Rachel Hostetter and Stefanie Demetz finished within a tenth of a second of each other of in sixth and seventh place. Kate Williams, the only other Lobo in the field, placed 26th.
Having two top-ten finishers on both the men’s and women’s side was huge for the Lobos as they kept themselves in the hunt heading into the Nordic portion of the invitational.
Shepherd was fairly pleased with his team’s performance in the slalom considering the conditions, but he reiterated the need for his team to be more consistent.
“We have been placing more focus on giant slalom lately, as I’m working hard to get the team’s giant slalom results on par with their slalom results. This is necessary, because to win an NCAA Championship, we have to be solid in both giant slalom and slalom.”
Next up for UNM skiing, the Nordic team will compete in the second part of the CU Invitational/Spencer Nelson Memorial on Friday and Saturday in Steamboat Springs, Colo., with race times still to be determined. The Alpine team also remains in Colorado, where it will participate in the Denver Invitational on Saturday and Sunday in Winter Park, Colo., with race times still to be determined.
New Mexico Individual Results:
Women’s Giant Slalom
4. Kate Williams, UNM, 1:57.69; 15. Mary Rachel Hostetter, UNM, 1:59.66; 16. Stefanie Demetz, UNM, 2:00.28;
Men’s Giant Slalom
5. Armin Triendl, UNM, 1:57:07; 12. Joonas Rasanen, UNM, 1:57.90; 15. Christopher Acosta, UNM, 1:58.15; 22. Sean Horner, UNM, 1:58.83; 24. Michael Bansmer, UNM, 1:59.03; 27. Chriss Salbu, UNM, 2:00.92; 28. Mark Miller, UNM, 2:00.96
Women’s Slalom
6. Mary Hostetter, UNM, 1:37.59; 7. Stefanie Demetz, UNM, 1:37.70; 26. Kate Williams, UNM, 2:43.15
Men’s Slalom
5. Juho Pekka Penttinnen, UNM, 1:32.56; 9. Joonas Rasanen, UNM, 1:33.06; 13. Chriss Salbu, UNM, 1:33.98; 15. Armin Triendl, UNM, 1:34.02; 22. Mark Miller, UNM, 1:35.23; 25. Sean Horner, UNM, 1:36.87; 27. Michael Bansmer, UNM, 1:36.92; DQ – Chris Acosta, UNM