Maria Graefnings Wins NCAA Women's 5k Freestyle Title

Wednesday, March 9

Stowe, Vermont

All Day

University of Utah

NCAA Championships

Maria Graefnings Wins NCAA Women's 5k Freestyle Title

3/9/2011 12:00 AM | Skiing

March 9, 2011

Race Results

Ski Racing Magazine: Graefnings, Tarling, Dillingoen, and Stiegler win individual titles by Bryce Hubner

STOWE, Vt. - Maria Graefnings won the NCAA 5k freestyle title on Wednesday and the University of Utah ski team is currently in third place with 353.5 points after the opening day of the 2011 NCAA Skiing Championships.

"The opening events were solid for the Nordic and Alpine teams," Utah Director of Skiing Kevin Sweeney said. "I am especially proud of the six All-American results we had today.

It feels good to have the first events completed," Sweeney said. "We had excellent leadership performances today, perhaps topped by Maria's magnificent national championship-winning race. There's no doubt that we are poised to give the next events our best shot."

Graefnings took the national crown for the first time in her career with a time of 13:51.9. The reigning Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Skiing Association's Women's Nordic MVP has taken first place in eight races this season. She earned All-American honors for the second time in her career after taking fourth in last season's 5k classic and was 10th in the 15k freestyle at last season's national meet.

Zoe Roy joined her in the top 15 with an 11th-place effort in 14:54.8. This is the fourth time Roy has competed in the NCAA Championships and her 11th-place finish was a career-high at the NCAA meet. In her first NCAA appearance, Marta Larsen finished 29th at a time of 15:27.0.

In the men's 10k freestyle race, Miles Havlick turned in a podium finish with a third-place effort in the men's 10k freestyle race after crossing the finish line in 26:11.8. He has now earned All-American honors two times in his career after finishing eighth in the same race at last season's NCAA meet.

Didrik Smith followed Havlick in sixth place with a time of 26:25.8 that earned him All-American honors for the first time in his career.

Tom Smith followed in 20th place at a time of 27:15.4 in his first career race at the NCAA Championships.

Ryan Wilson claimed third place in the men's giant slalom race as he paced the Utes with a time of 2:02.95. He earned the first All-American recognition of his career and placed on the podium for the third time this season in giant slalom events during his first competition at the NCAA meet.

Torjus Krogdahl joined Wilson in the top 10 with a seventh-place effort, crossing the finish line in 2:03.50. He has now earned All-American honors three times over his career.

Jeremy Elliot rounded out Utah's effort in the men's GS by placing 34th in a time of 4:24.63.

Tii-Maria Romar, who was also competing in the NCAA national meet for the first time, posted a team-best sixth-place finish in the women's giant slalom race at 2:06.98. She gained All-American efforts for the first time in her career.

Eva Huckova was the second-highest Ute finisher. She finished in a 12th-place tie with a time of 2:07.86.

Anna Kocken registered a 27th-place finish at a time of 2:10.06 during her NCAA Championships debut.

Colorado is currently in first place in the team standings with 408 points with Dartmouth as the runner-up with 362 points after the first day.

"We skied aggressively," Sweeney said. "We came up a bit short in some events but at this meet, you have to put it on the line. I feel like we are in the hunt for the overall title, solid on the team support front and excited for the upcoming slalom and classic events."

No events are scheduled for Thursday due to an impending storm in the Stowe, Vt., area. The nordic classical races will continue Friday with the women's 15k at 7:30 a.m. MT, and the men's 20km to follow at 9:30 a.m. MT.