Hannah Cryder named All-American
For the last year, Western Colorado University Nordic Team coaches Kevin Geisen and Spencer WareJoncas have been preparing for what they would face on Mammoth Mountain. A second-place finish will light a fire in a team like nothing else can. They wanted to be ready so this year when their team came home from competing in collegiate Nordic skiing’s biggest race, they would be National Champions.
“Our goal was to approach every race knowing that anything was possible and leave everything out on the course,” Geisen said. “Whatever the result was, we would walk away knowing that we gave it our best.”
But while the race brought out the best Nordic programs from around the country, it was an unforeseeable foe, the weather, that served up the stiffest competition in Mammoth Lakes, CA, March 7-9. With an “atmospheric river” bringing historic snowfall and gusty winds to the event, a lot would need to change to accommodate the conditions.
“I have traveled all around the world for ski racing and have never seen as much snow as Mammoth had this year,” Geisen, said. “In the week leading up to Nationals, they received ten feet of snow.” And then the venues received a few more feet just as the competition was starting.
The Races Begin
Instead of beginning the week with a few days to train and acclimate, the conditions only allowed athletes one day to get ready. Still, the Western men came out with a strong start in the first event, the 7.5K individual start classic race, finishing second behind the reigning champ, Paul Smith’s College.
The second race would yield a different outcome, with the Western men’s team taking top honors in the skate sprint. But even after the win, the team remained just three points behind Paul Smith’s going into the final race, the 15K skate.
“The sprint day was very windy and snowy, but we managed to pull it off. There were a few moments where I couldn’t see more than 50 feet through the blowing snow,” Geisen said. “Overall, conditions favored us, as we are used to training on cold, dry snow, at altitude, with soft grooming conditions. The venue was at 8,500 feet in altitude, so that helped a bit too.”
It was just the kind of scenario the team had been preparing for since the Nordic season started in November: three points down with one race to go.
Western Wins with “Inspired” Effort
After skiing what Geisen called “an inspired race” on the final day of competition, with Albert Hesse coming in 1st, Eric DiFolco in 3rd, Conner Nilsen in 5th, Graydon Walker 7th and Tyler Hippchen in 15th place in the 15K skate, the Western Nordic Men’s team skied away with the U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association’s National Championship title with a seven-point advantage over Paul Smith’s College.
“The 15K race was another beautiful day, although we only narrowly escaped the stormy conditions that blew in that afternoon,” Geisen said.
The final race of the competition, The Team Sprint, was canceled due to the accumulation of an additional four to eight feet of snow on the course.
In addition to the men’s title, Hannah Cryder skied her way to an All-American performance on all three days, with an 8th place finish in the 7.5K individual start classic, a 12th place finish in the skate sprint, and a 10th place finish in the 15K. By the end of the week, she had finished in 8th place in the individual combined competition. To be named All-American, a skier needs to finish among the top 15 skiers.
In total, the Mountaineer team claimed seven All-American titles, 25 All-American finishes, seven scholar All-Americans and Albert Hesse, a junior from Bend, Ore. was named Individual National Champion in the 15K Freestyle event.
See below for a full list of how skiers placed in each race. For more information about the Western Nordic program or any of the Mountain Sports teams, find them on Facebook or Instagram @WesternMountainSports.
Race Results
7.5km Classic
Men
4th – Conner Nilsen
6th – Albert Hesse
7th – Graydon Walker
9th – Eric DiFolco
13th – AJ Maijala
18th – Tyler Hippchen
32nd – Sean Meeker
Women
8th – Hannah Cryder
33rd – Eirwen McClish
Freestyle Sprint
Men
2nd – Albert Hesse
5th – Eric DiFolco
6th – Tyler Hippchen
12th – Graydon Walker
14th – AJ Maijala
22nd – Sean Meeker
26th – Conner Nilsen
Women
11th – Hannah Cryder
25th – Eirwen McClish
15km Freestyle
Men
1st – Albert Hesse
3rd – Eric DiFolco
5th – Conner Nilson
7th – Graydon Walker
15th – Tyler Hippchen
22nd – AJ Maijala
24th – Sean Meeker
Women
11th – Hannah Cryder
Individual Combined
Men
3rd – Albert Hesse
4th – Eric DiFolco
6th – Graydon Walker
9th – Conner Nilson
11th – Tyler Hippchen
15th – AJ Maijala
27th – Sean Meeker
Women
8th – Hannah Cryder
38th – Eirwen McClish
Western Mountain Sports
Discover more about Western’s mountain sports teams.
Author Credit: Seth Mensing
Photo Credit: Courtesy
