Wednesday, March 11
Bridger Bowl
University of Denver
vs
Giant Slalom
Denver Ready to Put It All On the Line At NCAAs
3/10/2020 5:35:00 PM | Skiing
DENVER — On the heels of one of the most exciting ski meets in NCAA skiing history, the University of Denver ski team returns to the site of their incredible comeback at the RMISA Championships with even bigger aspirations this week -- that of winning the school's 25th NCAA Championship.
Two weeks ago, the Pioneers came back from as far back as 50 points on the final day, needing a sweep of the podium in women's slalom to win the RMISA Championship. After Utah had dominated the standings in three regular season meets, DU's performance proved as much as winning a conference championship that the big prize of an NCAA Championship was still up for grabs.
The three teams that battled it out on the final day of the RMISA Championships, Colorado along with DU and Utah, are the only three teams that will send a full 12-skier team to Montana State. The action gets underway Wednesday.
WHO: The NCAA Championships will host 148 athletes from across the country competing from 23 teams. All seven teams from the RMISA will be in action (Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Fairbanks, Colorado, Denver, Montana State, Utah and Westminster) along with four teams from the Central Region (Green Bay, Michigan Tech, Northern Michigan and St. Scholastica) and 12 teams from the Eastern Region (Bates, Boston College, Bowdoin, Colby, Dartmouth, Harvard, Middlebury, Plymouth State, St. Lawrence, Vermont and Williams).
Individually, the Pioneers will be sending an experienced alpine squad in which five of the six skiers have skied at NCAAs previously, including Andrea Komsic making her fourth appearance and Tobias Kogler, Jett Seymour and Amelia Smart making their third appearances, while the Nordic squad will be sending four first-timers to the Championship and two others making their second appearance. The full list of Denver's qualifiers can be found here.
WHAT: The 2020 NCAA Championship is the 67th version of the event that began in 1954. From its inception until 1983, it was a men's championship and since 1983 it is one of just three coed championships from the NCAA, along with Fencing and Rifle. The Pioneers have won three straight championships in the West (the championship alternates hosting sites from the west and east), taking titles in 2014 in Utah and 2016 and '18 in Steamboat Springs, hosted by Colorado. The Pioneers' titles usually come in bunches, as DU won the first four NCAA Championships from 1954-57 then won seven straight from 1961-67 and three in a row from 1969-71, 2000-03 and 2008-10.
WHEN: Racing begins on Wednesday with giant slalom races, with the women's first run set for 9 a.m. (MT) followed by the men's first run at 10:15 a.m. (MT). Second runs are set for 12:45 p.m. (MT) (women's) and 2 p.m. (MT) (men's). Nordic racing gets underway Thursday with the freestyle races, a 5K interval start for the women at 10 a.m. (MT) and a 10K men's race set for noon (MT). Friday's slalom races will close out the alpine action with the women again starting at 9 a.m. (MT) and men at 10:15 a.m. (MT) with second runs slated for 12:15 p.m. (MT) (women's) and 1 p.m. (MT) (men's). The 15K women's and 20K men's classic races will close out the championship Saturday with the men's race set for 10 a.m. (MT) and men's race set for Noon (MT).
WHERE: Montana State University is hosting the 2020 version of the championships, the eighth time Bozeman has served as host. Denver won a championship there in 2008. The alpine events will take place at Bridger Bowl and the Nordic events at nearby Crosscut Mountain.
WHY: The NCAA Championships are the culmination of the college ski season and by far the most important meet from the eyes of the college coaches and athletes. This year's championship should be an exciting one, seemingly up for grabs by anyone of six to eight teams, more than most years. DU is one of just three teams that will field a full 12-skier squad along with Colorado and Utah, but eastern region favorites Dartmouth, Middlebury and Vermont (who finished all east region meets in the top three) and Montana State will all be present with 11 skiers each and Alaska Anchorage and New Hampshire will have 10 each. The east meets saw Vermont and Middlebury battling it out with Dartmouth a close third most of the time. The fact that teams can't ski with a full team, each and every skier will count and each and every mistake will hurt, unlike regular season meets, is what makes the NCAA Championships different and in many ways more exciting.
SHOP PIONEERS:
Get dressed for Game Day! Get your Pioneers gear at ShopPioneers.com, the official online store of University of Denver Athletics.
PIONEER MOVEMENT:
Fans interested in making a donation to the ski program can do so by clicking here. Your contribution will make a direct impact on the success of YOUR Pioneers. Thank you in advance for your unwavering support of our student-athletes and their quest for excellence.
2020 DENVER ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME RECEPTION: Denver announced its 2020 Athletic Hall of Fame class in January. The inductees will be honored on the DU campus May 16. For more information, registration for the reception and donation information, click here.
- Our Journey, Our Time –
Visit DenverPioneers.com for complete coverage of all 17 of Denver's NCAA Division I sports.
Like Denver Pioneers and Denver Skiing on Facebook
Follow @DU_Pioneers and @DU_Skiing on Twitter
Follow @denverpioneers and @DU_Skiing on Instagram
Two weeks ago, the Pioneers came back from as far back as 50 points on the final day, needing a sweep of the podium in women's slalom to win the RMISA Championship. After Utah had dominated the standings in three regular season meets, DU's performance proved as much as winning a conference championship that the big prize of an NCAA Championship was still up for grabs.
The three teams that battled it out on the final day of the RMISA Championships, Colorado along with DU and Utah, are the only three teams that will send a full 12-skier team to Montana State. The action gets underway Wednesday.
WHO: The NCAA Championships will host 148 athletes from across the country competing from 23 teams. All seven teams from the RMISA will be in action (Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Fairbanks, Colorado, Denver, Montana State, Utah and Westminster) along with four teams from the Central Region (Green Bay, Michigan Tech, Northern Michigan and St. Scholastica) and 12 teams from the Eastern Region (Bates, Boston College, Bowdoin, Colby, Dartmouth, Harvard, Middlebury, Plymouth State, St. Lawrence, Vermont and Williams).
Individually, the Pioneers will be sending an experienced alpine squad in which five of the six skiers have skied at NCAAs previously, including Andrea Komsic making her fourth appearance and Tobias Kogler, Jett Seymour and Amelia Smart making their third appearances, while the Nordic squad will be sending four first-timers to the Championship and two others making their second appearance. The full list of Denver's qualifiers can be found here.
WHAT: The 2020 NCAA Championship is the 67th version of the event that began in 1954. From its inception until 1983, it was a men's championship and since 1983 it is one of just three coed championships from the NCAA, along with Fencing and Rifle. The Pioneers have won three straight championships in the West (the championship alternates hosting sites from the west and east), taking titles in 2014 in Utah and 2016 and '18 in Steamboat Springs, hosted by Colorado. The Pioneers' titles usually come in bunches, as DU won the first four NCAA Championships from 1954-57 then won seven straight from 1961-67 and three in a row from 1969-71, 2000-03 and 2008-10.
WHEN: Racing begins on Wednesday with giant slalom races, with the women's first run set for 9 a.m. (MT) followed by the men's first run at 10:15 a.m. (MT). Second runs are set for 12:45 p.m. (MT) (women's) and 2 p.m. (MT) (men's). Nordic racing gets underway Thursday with the freestyle races, a 5K interval start for the women at 10 a.m. (MT) and a 10K men's race set for noon (MT). Friday's slalom races will close out the alpine action with the women again starting at 9 a.m. (MT) and men at 10:15 a.m. (MT) with second runs slated for 12:15 p.m. (MT) (women's) and 1 p.m. (MT) (men's). The 15K women's and 20K men's classic races will close out the championship Saturday with the men's race set for 10 a.m. (MT) and men's race set for Noon (MT).
WHERE: Montana State University is hosting the 2020 version of the championships, the eighth time Bozeman has served as host. Denver won a championship there in 2008. The alpine events will take place at Bridger Bowl and the Nordic events at nearby Crosscut Mountain.
WHY: The NCAA Championships are the culmination of the college ski season and by far the most important meet from the eyes of the college coaches and athletes. This year's championship should be an exciting one, seemingly up for grabs by anyone of six to eight teams, more than most years. DU is one of just three teams that will field a full 12-skier squad along with Colorado and Utah, but eastern region favorites Dartmouth, Middlebury and Vermont (who finished all east region meets in the top three) and Montana State will all be present with 11 skiers each and Alaska Anchorage and New Hampshire will have 10 each. The east meets saw Vermont and Middlebury battling it out with Dartmouth a close third most of the time. The fact that teams can't ski with a full team, each and every skier will count and each and every mistake will hurt, unlike regular season meets, is what makes the NCAA Championships different and in many ways more exciting.
SHOP PIONEERS:
Get dressed for Game Day! Get your Pioneers gear at ShopPioneers.com, the official online store of University of Denver Athletics.
PIONEER MOVEMENT:
Fans interested in making a donation to the ski program can do so by clicking here. Your contribution will make a direct impact on the success of YOUR Pioneers. Thank you in advance for your unwavering support of our student-athletes and their quest for excellence.
2020 DENVER ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME RECEPTION: Denver announced its 2020 Athletic Hall of Fame class in January. The inductees will be honored on the DU campus May 16. For more information, registration for the reception and donation information, click here.
- Our Journey, Our Time –
Visit DenverPioneers.com for complete coverage of all 17 of Denver's NCAA Division I sports.
Like Denver Pioneers and Denver Skiing on Facebook
Follow @DU_Pioneers and @DU_Skiing on Twitter
Follow @denverpioneers and @DU_Skiing on Instagram
Players Mentioned
Alpine
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Alpine
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Alpine
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Thursday, March 12
Wednesday, March 11
Monday, February 23
