Dartmouth junior Glenn Randall (Collbrun, CO) became the first Big Green skier in 41 years to claim an NCAA cross country ski title, winning the men’s 10-kilometer freestyle race at the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Skiing Championships today.
Randall, whose previous best NCAA finish was fifth in the freestyle in 2006, won in 30:37.3, 11 seconds better than Alaska-Fairbanks’ Marius Korthauer. Colorado’s Jesper Ostensen was third, 24 seconds off of Randall’s pace.
“This is really special for me,†said Randall, who learned to ski high in the Colorado Rockies. “It’s a really tough course with a lot of long, grinding uphills. I happen to like long, grinding uphills.â€
Randall let the race from wire to wire, leading at the first interval in 14:34.1. “At around a kilometer-and-a-half, I heard I was in second place. Then, at about half way, I was told I was leading. From there I just tried to ski my race.â€
“I knew he had a shot,†said Dartmouth men’s cross country coach Ruff Patterson. “This course was built for Glenn. We’re at altitude, and it’s one tough course. He really shines in these conditions.â€
Randall becomes the Big Green’s first NCAA cross country champion since 1967, when the race was won by 1968 graduate Ned Gillette.
Randall's finish helped defending champion Dartmouth to a tie for third place 45 points behind Colorado. Led by Ostensen's third place finish, and the top two finishers in the women's event, CU jumped to an early lead.
Bates Sylvan Ellefson capped a strong comeback over the course of the season to finish fourth. DU was led by Rene Reisshaur in 5th place. Reisshauer was the defending National Champion in the 10km event. His teammate, John Stene, the 2006 National Champion in this event finished 7th.
Randall also has the distinction of being the first skier from an eastern college to win a men's National Championship in at least a decade. It has also been many years since an American born skier captured a title.
Coverage of Women's 5km Freestyle
 – 1st place (Photo Credit: Jackson Harris)</font></center></p>
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