The UAA ski team has seen sensational performances in back-to-back meets to kick off its season. UAA had podium finishes from freshmen Sigurd Roenning, Sky Kelsey and Liam Wallace — along with several top-10 performances from other key contributors.
Since returning from Colorado and Montana, the team has enjoyed its week off before traveling to the University of New Mexico to square off against the Lobos.
Nordic skier Roenning secured his first collegiate victory in the men’s 10-kilometer classic race during UAA’s first meet of the season in Colorado. This victory marked Roenning’s second career podium finish.
Roenning’s first podium finish came a day earlier, with a second-place finish in the men’s 10K freestyle race.
“He (Roenning) came in with the attitude that he was going to do exactly that (finish on the podium)," UAA skiing head coach, Sparky Anderson said. ”He has put the time and the volume in, he’s bought in to the program and I’m excited to see what he can do down the stretch."
Including Roenning, UAA had seven top-10 finishes at the University of Colorado Spencer James Nelson Memorial Invitational which took place on Jan. 9-13.
Among the highlights were sophomore alpine skier Georgia Burgess finishing fifth in the women’s giant slalom (1:56:74) and senior nordic skier Toomas Kollo finishing fourth in the men’s 10K freestyle race.
UAA finished fourth out of 10 teams at the Colorado Invitational, with the University of Utah placing first.
The Seawolves carried their momentum into their next meet, where they attended the Montana State Invitational meet in Bozeman on Jan. 16-20.
Highlighting UAA’s meet in Bozeman was a third place podium finish in the giant slalom by Anchorage native Sky Kelsey (1:33.86) and a second place finish in the giant slalom qualifier by Liam Wallace (1:31.74).
“Something just clicked this year with him (Wallace) he’s skiing really fast and producing some pretty good results. Again, not shocking, but pretty cool to see him do it this early,” Anderson said.
Other notable performances featured three Seawolves placing in the top 10 of the women’s 5K freestyle race, with Anna Darnell finishing fifth (16:43.9), Michaela Keller-Miller finishing ninth (16:57.3) and Jenna DiFolco finishing 10th (16:58.7).
The Seawolves finished sixth out of nine teams in Montana, with the University of Colorado taking first.
Despite recent performances, Anderson hopes for a strong showing by the Seawolves in their upcoming matchup against New Mexico this weekend.
“They’re (the Seawolves) are performing well, it’s just a little inconsistent. If they can get that consistency and the confidence to do what they’re capable of ... we’ll be in pretty good shape," Anderson said.
University of Colorado Spencer James Nelson Memorial Invitational
Top 10 UAA finishes:
Men’s giant slalom — 6) Sky Kelsey
Women’s giant slalom qualifier — 6) Li Djurestaal (tie)
Women’s giant slalom — 5) Georgia Burgess
Men’s 10K classic — 1) Sigurd Roenning
Men’s 10K freestyle — 2) Sigurd Roenning, 4) Toomas Kollo
Women’s 5K freestyle — 6) Anna Darnell
Montana State Invitational
Top 10 UAA finishes:
Men’s giant slalom — 3) Sky Kelsey, 10) Didrik Nilsen
Men’s RMISA giant slalom qualifier — 2) Liam Wallace
Women’s RMISA giant slalom qualifier — 8) Georgia Burgess
Men’s 20K classic — 6) Sigurd Roenning
Women’s 15K classic — 9) Jenna DiFolco
Men’s 10K freestyle — 7) Toomas Kollo
Women’s 5K freestyle — 5) Anna Darnell, 9) Michaela Keller-Miller, 10) Jenna DiFolco