After an impressive first-place finish in Crested Butte two weeks ago, the UNM ski team heads back to Colorado for the NCAA West Regional meet this Sunday and Monday in Winter Park, Colo.
The Lobos are seated third overall going into regionals, following Utah and Colorado respectively. If UNM's skiers perform the way they did at the Western State Invitational in Crested Butte, they could potentially take the NCAA West title to the national championships in early March.
The Lobos finished fourth last year in the NCAA West, but have developed into a more mature team -- the most successful UNM ski team in 11 years.
Before this season, UNM had not recorded an overall win since 1992 and had never won two meets in the same season. Prior to winning the meet in Crested Butte, the Lobos also brought home the first-place prize from Park City, Utah, in January.
"We have more depth and more quality than we've had in the past," head coach George Brooks said.
Since the skiers on UNM's team are strong individually, they form a unit that is unstoppable when each member is racing to full potential.
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Though skiing is an individual sport, the Lobo skiers are extremely team-oriented.
"We have a lot of athletes who have confidence in each other and confidence in themselves," Brooks said.
Sophomore Helena Woodrow is recovering from a separated shoulder and was recently cleared to race in Winter Park.
Although Woodrow's wish to return for regionals will come true, she did not doubt her teammates' abilities to win without her.
"We have such a strong team, even if we're missing one or two athletes, we'll do great," she said.
UNM was prepared to compete without two athletes this weekend. Besides Woodrow, freshman Katherin Spendier's fate was also uncertain, after an injury earlier this week during training. Both women will ski, Sunday.
The Lobos are looking to three alpine women -- Caroline Schicht, Jennifer Delich and Kathrin Spendier -- all of whom have already qualified for the national championships, to lead the team in regionals.
The women's alpine and cross-country teams have consistently scored the most points for UNM this season. The Lobo women currently hold top honors in the slalom and giant slalom team standings, ranked by the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association.
Three Lobo women are individually ranked in the top-10 in the slalom. Junior Caroline Schicht is No. 1, freshman Kathrin Spendier is third and junior Jennifer Delich is ranked 10th. All three are also ranked in the giant slalom top-10.
Three women on the Nordic team also go into this weekend's meet with high expectations. In the classic 5K race, Kristina Strandberg, Jenny Wissting and Martina Stursova are ranked third, fourth and fifth respectively. Strandberg and Stursova sit tied in sixth place in the 10K skate race, while Wissting is looking to move up one spot to first.
The UNM Nordic team swept competitors in every event at its last meet, except for the men's 10K classic, in which it took second.
On the men's side, freshman Jimmy Vika enters the regional meet holding first place in the 15K skate race. Junior, Johan Rydquist is currently in seventh, with sophomore Lars Krogsveen is close behind in eighth. Rydquist and Vika are seated second and fourth in the 10K classic.
The men's Alpine team is led by freshman Christian Jensen, who is ranked seventh by the RMISA in the slalom, while teammate Alexander Freberg is in 10th.
Jensen recently set a personal record by finishing fourth at the WSC meet.
The confidence the Lobos have picked up this season is invaluable and will help them tremendously in the post-season -- but as Freberg pointed out, with success comes pressure. UNM has earned a reputation to live up to.
Brooks, who is in his 33rd year as UNM ski coach, said he has faith that his athletes will do well under the pressure and succeed.
If the Lobos can accomplish that this weekend, they can take that momentum to Dartmouth for NCAA championships in March.
