Wednesday, March 11
Bridger Bowl
University of Denver
vs
Giant Slalom
Klomhaus, Kogler Individual Champions; Denver Leads at NCAAs
3/11/2020 8:52:00 PM | Skiing
BOZEMAN, Mont. — Storm Klomhaus and Tobias Kogler both won giant slalom races on the first day of the 2020 NCAA Championships, propelling the University of Denver ski team into the lead after the first of four days of competition.
Kogler and CU's Filip Forejtek battled it out for the second straight race. At RMISA Championships in the slalom race, Kogler beat Forejtek by one-hundredth of a second and in Wednesday's GS, Kogler doubled that margin to beat him by two-hundredths of a second. Kogler's win is his first individual NCAA Championship and sixth win of his career, including third in the last four races here at Bridger Bowl. He won the RMISA Qualifier GS race and the slalom race as part of the RMISA Championships two weeks ago.
Klomhaus continues her comeback story for the ages. After not having skied much in the 2018 and '19 seasons due to injury, she returned this season with a vengeance. Wednesday's win is her third of the season, including her second GS win at Bridger Bowl in the last two weeks after winning the RMISA Qualifier race ahead of RMISA Championships.
The two individual NCAA Championships are the 92nd and 93rd for the Pioneers all-time. DU has the second-most individual championships in NCAA Skiing history and closed to Colorado's total of 95. Klomhaus' win is the Pioneers sixth in women's GS at the NCAA Championships, all coming in the last 10 seasons. Kogler's win is also the sixth for men's GS at the championships, but the first in the last 10 years since Seppi Stiegler's win in 2011.
Equally as important as the wins, were the performances of the other skiers who didn't have as good of starting numbers, which is based on qualification. Jett Seymour started 29th and moved all the way up to 12th, missing out on an All-America honor by two places and just five-hundredths of a second. Simon Fournier, who started even further back in 33rd, moved all the way up to fifth place to earn a first-team All-America honor and pick up crucial team points. The Pioneers won the men's race with 88 points, ahead of Utah's 75 and New Hampshire's 57.
Almost the exact same situation played out in the women's race as Amelia Smart, winner of this race in 2018, started 25th and moved all the way up into seventh place to earn a second-team All-America honor. Andrea Komsic, who started 15th, moved up to sixth after the first run but slipped back to finish 12th, also missing out on an All-America honor by two places and two-tenths of a second. The women's team also won the day with 84 points of their own, ahead of Middlebury's total of 79 and Utah's total of 77.
The Pioneers scored 172 points on the day and hold a 20-point lead over Utah and 57 point lead over third-place Middlebury. It's the first time the Pioneers have led the NCAA Championships after the first day since 2010, when they held a 42.5 point lead en route to the National Championship. Denver was second in both 2014 and '16 and third in '18 after the first day before winning the championship.
For the latest University of Denver updates on the coronavirus, click here.
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.
Kogler and CU's Filip Forejtek battled it out for the second straight race. At RMISA Championships in the slalom race, Kogler beat Forejtek by one-hundredth of a second and in Wednesday's GS, Kogler doubled that margin to beat him by two-hundredths of a second. Kogler's win is his first individual NCAA Championship and sixth win of his career, including third in the last four races here at Bridger Bowl. He won the RMISA Qualifier GS race and the slalom race as part of the RMISA Championships two weeks ago.
Klomhaus continues her comeback story for the ages. After not having skied much in the 2018 and '19 seasons due to injury, she returned this season with a vengeance. Wednesday's win is her third of the season, including her second GS win at Bridger Bowl in the last two weeks after winning the RMISA Qualifier race ahead of RMISA Championships.
The two individual NCAA Championships are the 92nd and 93rd for the Pioneers all-time. DU has the second-most individual championships in NCAA Skiing history and closed to Colorado's total of 95. Klomhaus' win is the Pioneers sixth in women's GS at the NCAA Championships, all coming in the last 10 seasons. Kogler's win is also the sixth for men's GS at the championships, but the first in the last 10 years since Seppi Stiegler's win in 2011.
Equally as important as the wins, were the performances of the other skiers who didn't have as good of starting numbers, which is based on qualification. Jett Seymour started 29th and moved all the way up to 12th, missing out on an All-America honor by two places and just five-hundredths of a second. Simon Fournier, who started even further back in 33rd, moved all the way up to fifth place to earn a first-team All-America honor and pick up crucial team points. The Pioneers won the men's race with 88 points, ahead of Utah's 75 and New Hampshire's 57.
Almost the exact same situation played out in the women's race as Amelia Smart, winner of this race in 2018, started 25th and moved all the way up into seventh place to earn a second-team All-America honor. Andrea Komsic, who started 15th, moved up to sixth after the first run but slipped back to finish 12th, also missing out on an All-America honor by two places and two-tenths of a second. The women's team also won the day with 84 points of their own, ahead of Middlebury's total of 79 and Utah's total of 77.
The Pioneers scored 172 points on the day and hold a 20-point lead over Utah and 57 point lead over third-place Middlebury. It's the first time the Pioneers have led the NCAA Championships after the first day since 2010, when they held a 42.5 point lead en route to the National Championship. Denver was second in both 2014 and '16 and third in '18 after the first day before winning the championship.
For the latest University of Denver updates on the coronavirus, click here.
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
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
/ Skiing
Alpine
/ Skiing
Alpine
/ Skiing
Alpine
/ Skiing
Alpine
/ Skiing
Alpine
/ SkiingFriday, March 13
Thursday, March 12
Wednesday, March 11
Monday, February 23
