STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO – The Colorado Buffaloes' skiing team was chosen as the host school for the 2024 NCAA Skiing Championships, little did they know this would be one of the biggest wins in NCAA skiing history.
Over the past few years, CU has struggled to get back into the national spotlight. Back in February, though, the team won their first conference meet in five years in Steamboat. The win was huge for the team, showing them what they were truly capable of.
From 2019-2023 (four years, 2020 did not have a national championship), the Utah Utes held the title of national champions. However, CU held strong this weekend, proving they had what it takes to pull through and become the champs.
The meet started on Wednesday with the giant slalom. Magdelena Luczak placed first, with her teammate Denise Dingsleder placing second in the women's giant slalom, the first of many massive wins for the Buffs.
Thursday was the 7.5k freestyle Nordic races. These races proved some of the worst for the Buffs this season, scraping a few points from the women, and a few more from the men with skier Will Koch placing second in the men's.
Friday night, the Buffs proved themselves to be some of the best in the nation under the lights at Howelson Hill. Luczak took gold by 13 hundredths of a second, proving to be the best in the NCAA. Filip Wahlqvist also proved to be a dominant force for the herd, placing first in the men's event.
At this time, the Buffs were down 51 points and sitting third in the meet. That was no small amount to make up, comparable to being down 28 or more at the end of the third quarter in the College Football National Championship.
Saturday, the last day of the comp, was the 20k classic ski. The women finished fourth, fifth, and ninth, earning some well-needed points for the buffs. The Buffs were then sitting behind by 17 points, and the race to victory was in its final stretch.
In the men's 20k classic ski, Magnus Boee was a massive help for Colorado. Boee took first in the final race of his collegiate career. Koch finished fourth in the race adding more well-needed points for the team.
As racers for the men's 20k classic ski race were still coming in, so was the final score. CU had won by a mere two points. The finish area erupted into cheer as the Buffs had placed gold, accompanied by the fight song with Colorado's Athletic Director Rick George in presence.
A near-surreal feat had been accomplished.
The stars aligned for the Buffs. If one person had placed lower, they would have lost. The win was an accomplishment in itself, even more so with the Buffs pulling off the second-largest comeback on the final day of the NCAA Skiing Championship in history. This was also the closest final score in NCAA history besides a tie. This was the first national title for CU as a whole since 2018, and the first for the ski team since 2015. Colorado now holds a total of 21 national titles.
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