(CU Independent illustration/Kelly Kaoudis)
While the men’s and women’s basketball teams continued their downward slide in conference play, members of the CU ski team are displaying their athletic prowess in Eurasia with success.
Ski team members shine overseas
Buffs’ skiers overseas saw action on Sunday at the 25th World University Games in Turkey and the World Junior Cross Country Championships in Estonia.
But it’s senior Katie Hartman’s performance in the women’s Super G that’s becoming the biggest story of the tournament for the Buffs.
Representing team USA, Hartman won the gold medal in the Super G race on Saturday, becoming the first CU skier to win gold at the WUG and only the second Buff to bring a medal back to the Centennial State.
“I think a lot of it was luck of the draw,” Hartman said in a news release. “It was a crazy race with a lot of variables and a lot of wind. Some skiers got more wind, others less, but it was still a fun race. It was windy the entire way down the mountain.”
Sophomore Erika Ghent finished in fourth in the same competition. Freshman Kirsten Cooper placed 16th overall, one of the five skiers who finished in the top 16th for the US.
Senior Carolina Nordh and junior Sara Hjertman, representing Sweden, also competed in the race. Nordh finished in 39th place while Hjertman did not finish the race.
CU sophomore Joanne Reid competed abroad as well, participating in the 2011 World Junior Cross Country Championships, where she was the second American in the 5K freestyle race on Wednesday. Reid placed 24th in the 10K on Sunday.
Men’s basketball loses fourth straight
Colorado lost to Baylor on Saturday 77-66 at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas after leading by 17 points at the half.
The second-half meltdown was largely due to a low scoring percentage, as the Buffs were unable to match Baylor’s scoring within the first five minutes of the second half.
“Obviously, we talked about winning the second half, and then we came out and instead of us punching them in the mouth, they came out and punched us in the mouth,” Head Coach Tad Boyle said in a news release.
Despite the skid, which leaves the Buffs at a relatively unimpressive 14-8 mark, the team did see some success in freshman guard Andre Roberson, who posted 11 rebounds against a very tall Baylor squad.
“I’m not sure I’ve seen that from a true freshman in a long, long time,” Boyle said of Roberson’s boards, 10 of which were offensive.
The Buffs will need to regain some of the swagger they used to overcome ranked opponents during their Big 12 opening stretch if they hope to find themselves participating in March Madness this year.
The key for the Buffs will involve keeping their solid home court record a winning one, while sneaking in some road wins in the tough Big 12 schedule.
Colorado faces the Iowa State Cyclones on Tuesday at the Coors Events Center at 7 p.m.
Women’s basketball falls against Texas in Austin
The lady Buffs lost 50-67 against the Texas Longhorns in Austin on Sunday. With the loss, Colorado has now dropped two straight Big 12 matches.
Senior forward Brittany Spears led the Buffs in points with 16, while sophomore guard Chucky Jeffery and junior forward Julie Seabrook both scored 10 points a piece.
“I felt offensively we came out flat for the whole game, especially right off of halftime,” Head Coach Linda Lappe said in a news release. “I thought we had some good shots that we just didn’t knock down, and let that affect us for the rest of the half.”
The Buffs are now 11-9, lingering above .500 in their overall record but posing a dismal 2-5 record in conference play.
Colorado will travel to Kansas on Wednesday before a two-game home stretch at the Coors Events Center starting Feb. 6.
Morris claims top honors in track and field
Sophomore Joe Morris garnered top honors in three events at the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Don Barrett Duals on Saturday.
Morris won two individual titles and one team honor. Finishing with a time of 6.60 seconds in the 60-meter dash was enough to earn the athlete a first place finish, as did his time of 21.53 in the 200-meter dashes.
He was also victorious in the 4×400-yard relay team with a team finish of 3:18.21. Members of the four-athlete winning squad included sophomore Kyle MacIntosh, senior Matthew McCathran and freshman Blake Reimer.
Morris and the rest of the track and field squad will look to improve on their indoor season as athletes split between the New Mexico Classic and the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational this weekend.
Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Esteban L. Hernandez at Esteban.hernandez@colorado.edu.
