RED RIVER, N.M. — In the last 20 years, the NCAA National Champion in collegiate skiing has come from the RMISA 18 times, and the runner up has been an RMISA school another 15 times. Stands to reason if you want to see the best in collegiate skiing, the Jade Enterprises/UNM Invitational is the place to go.
The meet will host all nine RMISA schools (host New Mexico along with Denver, Colorado, Utah, Alaska Anchorage, Montana State, Wyoming, Colorado Mountain and Westminster) with the slalom events being held at Red River, and the Nordic events at the Enchanted Forest Cross Country Ski Area.
The Lobos, who have finished fourth in both meets this season (Colorado has won both meets, in Colorado and Utah) took home the top honors last year at the Jade, UNM’s first meet win since the 2011 season. The Lobos should get a boost with the return of three women’s Nordic skiers in Anni Nord and Jessica Gnüchtel, who missed last week. Eva Sever Rus, the 2014 Nordic freestyle national champion, will be looking to potentially race as well as she is recovering from an injury.
UNM does enter the meet with a pair of RMISA Skiers of the Week in Sydney Staples and Mateja Robnik, and the Lobo coaching staff are hoping a little home mountain/trail cooking is in order to get the men’s alpine squad and Nordic squad back on track, although UNM has gotten some good results from Mats Resaland (two top-10s in Nordic) and Carl-Johan Öster, who finished seventh in his first collegiate raace last week.
The Jade is the third of three straight meets in four weekends before a big split in the schedule, which will allow several RMISA skiers to head to Spain for the World University Games.
Apline events can be followed along via www.live-timing.com. GoLobos will have complete results after each day, and the @UNMSkiing Twitter feed will have updates throughout the day.
This Week’s Schedule
Friday, January 30, 2015
Nordic Classical 10K
Women’s 9:30 a.m.
Men’s 10:30 a.m.
Slalom
Men’s First Run 9:15 a.m./Second Run 12:45 p.m.
Women’s First Run 10:45 a.m./Second Run 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Nordic Freestyle 5K women’s, 10K men’s
Men’s 9:00 a.m.
Women’s 10:15 a.m.
Slalom
Men’s First Run 9:15 a.m./Second Run 12:45 p.m.
Women’s First Run 10:45 a.m./Second Run 2:00 p.m.