Completed Event: Skiing versus 20K Freestyle (M) on March 8, 2025 , , 1st
Final Score
Skiing
1st
vs 20K Freestyle (M)
Saturday, February 21
Elora, Colo.
TBA
University of Utah
at
Colorado Invitational
Skiers Place Fourth At CU Invitational
2/21/2004 12:00 AM | Skiing
Feb. 21, 2004
ELDORA, Colo. -
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The University of Utah ski team moved up a spot to finish fourth overall at the 12th Annual University of Colorado Invitational. Utah ended the invite with a 429.0 point total after the two-day event featuring both the alpine and cross country teams.
Denver remained in first-place and host Colorado took second. The Lobos of New Mexico tallied third, while the Utes took over at fourth. Nevada struggled in the nordic events, but managed to hang on to finish fifth.
"Our goal was to receive good NCAA qualifying results and that is what we did," said Head Coach Kevin Sweeney. "In the big picture, we have been battling illness and injury, which has taken a toll on this team."
Junior Henning Dybendal spearheaded the Utes, winning the 15-km freestyle event with a time of 36:19.9. Fellow junior Benjamin Sonntag clinched an eighth-place finish in 38:18.1, while teammate Tony Bozzio skied 27th in 41:39.9. The men finished the race scoring 64.0 points to take third.
"The big highlight on the men's side was Henning's performance in the freestyle," commented Sweeney. "It was also great to see Ben scoring in the top 10. We were really excited with those performances as a team."
The women's nordic team skied equally well, placing all three scores in the top 15. Freshman Sandra Gredig led the pack, skiing to a ninth-place finish with a two-run time of 28:46.6 in the 10-km freestyle. Junior Barbro Hatlevik finished 11th in 28:55.4, while Jenny Hansson made herself known giving an 14th-place effort with a combine time of 29:06.4. Sophomore Linda Pettersson climbed into the top 20, placing 17th.
"Sandra and Barbro scored really well," added Sweeney. "To have Sandra come in as a freshman and perform the way she has is amazing. It was also great to see Jenny contribute, finishing in the top 15."
The men's alpine squad scored 64.0 points to place third in the slalom event. After a 16th-place finish the day before, sophomore Will McDonald rebounded skiing fifth in 1:50.41. Junior Ben Thornhill scored a 10th-place performance with a two-run time of 1:53.10. Sophomore Andi Wieser skied 17th with a time of 1:57.12. Gaspar Perricone finished in front of Montana State's Wes Powell to take 29th.
"Will had a break through day," remarked Head Alpine Coach Aaron Atkins. "Ben skied great on a very difficult slalom course. Andi had a bit of a tough time today, but he is definitely headed in the right direction."
On the women's side, the Utes struggled placing only one score in the top 25. Junior Rowena Hyldahl skied to an 11th-place finish with a time of 1:40.18 in the slalom event. April Mancuso skied 39th, while freshman Lauren Lattimer did not start (DNS) the race.
Next up, Utah will ski in the WSC/Regional Championships in Crested Butte, Colo. These events will be skied Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 27-28. The opening day will consist of the giant slalom and 5/10-km classical events. Day two will wrap up with the slalom and 10/15-km freestyle races.
Colorado Invitational Results:1. Denver 583.0 2. Colorado 560.0 3. New Mexico 539.0 4. Utah 429.0 5. Nevada 391.5 6. Alaska Anchorage 371.0 7. Montana State 296.5 8. Western State 225.0 9. Whitman 198.0 10. Boise State 47.0
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