It was another dominating performance by Katrin Smigun (Utah) today in the 20K Classic Mass Start race at the NCAA Championships, hosted by Dartmouth College.
Smigun blazed around the 15K course at Oak Hill to take 49 second victory over Sigrid Aas of Alaska-Fairbanks (UAF). Third was Karin Camenisch of Denver. Hilary Patzer (Northern Michigan) in 7th and Dartmouth freshman Alison Crocker in 9th were the only Americans to score top ten finishes.
<Women's NCAA 15K Classic Results
In the men's 20K Classic Mass start race, Chris Cook of Northern Michigan scored the first and only American NCAA cross country victory of the Championships. He had to work very hard for it though, as he just outsprinted Vermont's Ethan Foster to the line by 0.2 seconds. Tobias Schwoerer of Alaska-Anchorage took third. Other Americans in the top ten were Justin Easter (Bates) in 5th, Zach Violett (UAA) in 7th, Tim Weston (Middlebury) in 9th, and Brayton Osgood (Dartmouth) in 10th.
Cook becomes the first American to win an NCAA cross country title since Amy Crawford in 1997, and the first American male to win since Luke Bodensteiner and Pete Vordenberg won the races in 1993.
<Men's NCAA 20K Classic Results
Here is an article on the <pyramid start used in NCAA mass start races
After three of four events (XC Freestyle, Giant Slalom, XC Classic) , Utah holds a commanding 100 point lead over New Mexico. Utah took team wins in both the Mens and Womens Giant Slalom, as well as the Women's XC Classic race, to earn the leading margin. The NCAA skiing champion is a combined title of both men and women, alpine and nordic.
The cross country races of the NCAA's are complete, and the overall team champion will be crowned after tomorrow's Slalom event at the Dartmouth Skiway.
Skiers who place in the top ten in any race earn All-American status. The following cross country skiers are 2003 All-Americans:
Women's 5K Free
SMIGUN, Katrin          UU        Â
KAEMPF, Mandy           UAA  Â
AAS, Sigrid             UAF       Â
REHEMAA, Jana           CU  Â
STURSOVA, Martina       UNM    Â
WISSTING, Jenny         UNMÂ
SVENDSEN, Sara          UU         Â
CAMENISCH, Karin        DU        Â
PATZER, Hilary          NMU     Â
MCALLISTER, Abby        NEV        Â
Women's 15K Classic
SMIGUN, Katrin          UU  Â
AAS, Sigrid             UAFÂ
CAMENISCH, Karin        DUÂ
STURSOVA, Martina       UNM  Â
SVENDSEN, Sara          UU  Â
SAARINEN, Maija         NEV  Â
PATZER, Hilary          NMUÂ
STRANDBERG, Kristina    UNM Â
CROCKER, Alison         DAR     Â
HATLEVIK, Barbro        UUÂ
Men's 10K Free
VIKA, Jimmy             UNM  Â
BAILEY, Lowell          UVM Â
SCHWOERER, Tobias       UAA  Â
COOK, Christopher       NMU Â
MALAK, Michal           UAF
KROGSVEEN, Lars         UNMÂ
FOSTER, Ethan           UVM  Â
CHRISTIANSEN, Erling    CU  Â
OSGOOD, Brayton         DAR        Â
QUINN, Ryan             UUÂ
Men's 20K Classic
COOK, Christopher       NMU Â
FOSTER, Ethan           UVM  Â
SCHWOERER, Tobias       UAA Â
VIKA, Jimmy             UNMÂ
EASTER, Justin          BAT Â
HOYE, Henrik            CU Â
VIOLETT, Zach           UAA Â
CHRISTIANSEN, Erling    CUÂ
WESTON, Tim             MID Â
OSGOOD, Brayton         DAR  Â