On January 26 and 27, WSCU Nordic skiers competed in the Colorado Mesa University Invite on top of Colorado’s Grand Mesa just outside of the city of Grand Junction, CO. It was the team’s second race weekend this season.
In Saturday’s 1 kilometer freestyle sprint, Chris Lange placed 3rd, Sage Smith finished 6th, and Justin Barr finished 10th. Sunday’s 10 kilometer classic race was another good stage for the mountaineers despite high winds, intermittent snow and sun, and an hour-long start delay: Lange took 1st, Smith earned 7th, and Barr came in 12th.
Sage Smith grooves his way up the incline during the CMU Invitational.
I already feel much stronger than our first race at Snow Mountain Ranch. I hope to continue improving until Nationals in Sun Valley. The track Sunday was extremely wind blown and I know Chris worked hard, breaking trail for the win. For Owl Creek, Duncan Koehn [CMU] and Willie Via [University of Wyoming] are in my sights. – Sage Smith ~ Team Vice President, racer, and WSCU Senior
This race weekend was a great one for Western skiers, we all skied well to individual triumphs. With two race weekends behind us, the season is off to a great start and I am very excited for the races to come. – Chris Lange ~ Racer and WSCU Senior
- Coach Ansel Schimpff inspecting equipment on race day.
- Prepping for the day.
- WSCU’s Justin Barr holding speed on the straight-away.
- Smith on the tails of what looks to be a Fort Lewis College racer.
- Lange Leads the pack.
- Feel the burn!
Complete results from the race weekend can be found HERE.
