Western Nordic Wins National Championship

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 1^st, Eric DiFolco in 3^rd, Conner Nilsen in 5^th, Graydon Walker 7^th and Tyler Hippchen in 15^th 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 8^th 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 8^th 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

4^th – Conner Nilsen

6^th – Albert Hesse

7^th – Graydon Walker

9^th – Eric DiFolco

13^th – AJ Maijala

18^th – Tyler Hippchen

32^nd – Sean Meeker

 Women

8^th – Hannah Cryder

33^rd – Eirwen McClish

Freestyle Sprint

Men

2^nd – Albert Hesse

5^th – Eric DiFolco

6^th – Tyler Hippchen

12^th – Graydon Walker

14^th – AJ Maijala

22^nd – Sean Meeker

26^th – Conner Nilsen

Women

11^th – Hannah Cryder

25^th – Eirwen McClish

15km Freestyle

Men

1^st – Albert Hesse

3^rd – Eric DiFolco

5^th – Conner Nilson

7^th – Graydon Walker

15^th – Tyler Hippchen

22^nd – AJ Maijala

24^th – Sean Meeker

Women

11^th – Hannah Cryder

Individual Combined

Men

3^rd – Albert Hesse

4^th – Eric DiFolco

6^th – Graydon Walker

9^th – Conner Nilson

11^th – Tyler Hippchen

15^th – AJ Maijala

27^th – Sean Meeker

Women

8^th – Hannah Cryder

38^th – Eirwen McClish

Western Mountain Sports

Discover more about Western’s mountain sports teams.

 

 

Author Credit: Seth Mensing

Photo Credit: Courtesy