ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico Lobos are off to Minturn and Beaver Creek, Colorado for the RMISA Championships/NCAA West Regionals as the squad makes its final push for nationals and the NCAA meet in two weeks.
UNM has finished fifth twice and fourth twice in its four regular season meets, and UNM is looking to finish at least third in the league for the eighth straight year. Ironically, the squad which owns one national title (in 2004) only owns one RMISA championship (in 2009). The Lobos will hopefully be back at full strength after missing four Nordics last Sunday due to illness and injury, including eight time circuit winner Emilie Cedervärn.
New Mexico finished third last year at the RMISA Championships with 550 points before coming in fifth at the NCAA meet, despite two national champions in Cedervärn (Nordic 15K Classical) and Mateja Robnik (Slalom). Assuming the Nordic squad is back to full strength, what will bode well for UNM is the continued resurgence of the alpine squad, as the Lobos had high marks and career marks all around at the Drew Judycki Memorial/Jade Enterprises/UNM Invitational last week. Carl-Johan Öster had a career-best fourth place finish in the slalom, and Courtney Altringer had her first career podium finish with a second place showing in the slalom as well. Rob Greig added a top 10 mark and several other Lobos such as Patrick Brachner, Taylor Grauer, and Alex Barounos had season-best marks in the slalom.
The championships get underway on Friday with the Nordic Freestyle (5K for women, 10K for men, interval start) and the giant slalom for alpine. Sunday will see the Nordic Classical (15K for women, 20K for men, interval start) and the slalom for alpine. Timing results will be posted at ussalivetiming.com or live-timing.com for alpine and fourcornerstiming for Nordic, with updates throughout on twitter @UNMSkiing and @RMISA.