{"id":2456631,"date":"2020-04-01T22:48:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-02T04:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/steamboat-skier-nearly-helps-du-to-national-title-before-ncaa-canceled-championships\/"},"modified":"2020-04-01T22:48:00","modified_gmt":"2020-04-02T04:48:00","slug":"steamboat-skier-nearly-helps-du-to-national-title-before-ncaa-canceled-championships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/steamboat-skier-nearly-helps-du-to-national-title-before-ncaa-canceled-championships\/","title":{"rendered":"Steamboat skier nearly helps DU to national title before NCAA canceled championships"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.7106518282989\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-323682-700\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled gallery-container\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wireSKI-atd-040220-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wireSKI-atd-040220-1-1024x740.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Joel Reichenberger\/Steamboat Today file | DU\u2019s Jett Seymour, a Steamboat Springs skier, cuts down Howelsen Hill during the men's slalom race at the 2018 NCAA Ski Championships in Steamboat Springs.\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>DU\u2019s Jett Seymour, a Steamboat Springs skier, cuts down Howelsen Hill during the men&#8217;s slalom race at the 2018 NCAA Ski Championships in Steamboat Springs.<\/strong><br \/>Joel Reichenberger\/Steamboat Today file<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wireSKI-atd-040220-1-1024x740.jpg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wireSKI-atd-040220-1-1024x740.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"DU\u2019s Jett Seymour, a Steamboat Springs skier, cuts down Howelsen Hill during the men's slalom race at the 2018 NCAA Ski Championships in Steamboat Springs.\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wireSKI-atd-040220-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wireSKI-atd-040220-1-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Shelby Reardon\/Steamboat Today | Denver University skier and Steamboat Springs native Evan Barbier competes in the Spencer James Nelson Memorial Invitational freestyle race at Howelsen Hill on Saturday, Jan. 18.\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Denver University skier and Steamboat Springs native Evan Barbier competes in the Spencer James Nelson Memorial Invitational freestyle race at Howelsen Hill on Saturday, Jan. 18.<\/strong><br \/>Shelby Reardon\/Steamboat Today<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wireSKI-atd-040220-1-1.jpg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wireSKI-atd-040220-1-1.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Denver University skier and Steamboat Springs native Evan Barbier competes in the Spencer James Nelson Memorial Invitational freestyle race at Howelsen Hill on Saturday, Jan. 18.\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wireSKI-atd-040220-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wireSKI-atd-040220-1-2-1024x581.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Joel Reichenberger\/Steamboat Today file | DU\u2019s Jett Seymour, a Steamboat Springs skier, cuts down Howelsen Hill during the men's slalom race at the 2018 NCAA Ski Championships in Steamboat Springs.\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>DU\u2019s Jett Seymour, a Steamboat Springs skier, cuts down Howelsen Hill during the men&#8217;s slalom race at the 2018 NCAA Ski Championships in Steamboat Springs.<\/strong><br \/>Joel Reichenberger\/Steamboat Today file<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wireSKI-atd-040220-1-2-1024x581.jpg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/wireSKI-atd-040220-1-2-1024x581.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"DU\u2019s Jett Seymour, a Steamboat Springs skier, cuts down Howelsen Hill during the men's slalom race at the 2018 NCAA Ski Championships in Steamboat Springs.\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/steamboat-skier-nearly-helps-du-to-national-title-before-ncaa-canceled-championships\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/steamboat-skier-nearly-helps-du-to-national-title-before-ncaa-canceled-championships\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">STEAMBOAT SPRINGS \u2014 The world will never know if the University of Denver would have won the 2020 NCAA ski championship, but man, did it come close.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Led by some extremely talented skiers, Denver came away with a second-place finish and three individual national titles from four completed events before the championships in Bozeman, Montana, were canceled due to COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI was pretty upset. I think most competitors were,\u201d said DU junior and Steamboat Springs native Jett Seymour. \u201cWe like to finish everything we start and see it through. Having an unknown or an asterisk by that championship just doesn\u2019t seem right, but we also understand that it\u2019s what\u2019s happening right now. \u2026 They probably made the right call to take preventative measures.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">While it was the right call, it\u2019s left Denver coaches and athletes wondering what could have happened.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation p-0\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/at-banner-paypal.jpg)\" class=\"col-xl-8 p-3 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/donate\/?utm_source=website&amp;utm_medium=news%20article&amp;utm_campaign=donation\">Donate<\/a><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cFrom a coach\u2019s side, I\u2019ve never seen such a strong team so well prepared with the conditions we had out there, along with our nordic team,\u201d said DU alpine head coach Andy Leroy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">On the first day of competition, a pair of Pioneers walked away with giant slalom national titles. Senior Storm Klomhaus out of Boulder won the women\u2019s competition, while junior Tobias Kogler of Austria was the victor on the men\u2019s side. Narrowly missing the top 10 and All-American status, Seymour finished 12th in the giant slalom race. After one day, Denver was the No. 1 team in the standings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The next day, Denver skier Eveliina Piippo won the women\u2019s 5-kilometer freestyle race. However, the University of Utah had an excellent Nordic team, giving them the No. 1 spot in the team standings after day two.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Before the slalom and classic races, the NCAA decided to cancel the remainder of the championships. So, the Pioneers will forever sit in second with 261 points, while Utah is frozen in first with 293.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">With such a strong slalom squad, Leroy was hesitant to say an event sweep would have been certain, but it was likely.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI do wonder what that team would have looked like at that slalom championship because we were skiing so much better than everybody else,\u201d he said. \u201cWe had so many strong athletes. It would have been interesting. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever brought a team that was capable of sweeping both events.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Seymour was the defending national champion in men\u2019s slalom, picking up the only title for a Pioneer skier in 2019.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The 2020 slalom team was a different beast, though. At the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association West Regional Championships, the Denver women swept the podium in slalom. Amelia Smart was the victor, as teammates Klomhaus and Katie Hensien earned second and third, respectively.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">On the men\u2019s side, Kogler won, while Simon Fournier finished third. Seymour took 22nd but was still confident he could potentially repeat as national champion. Cole Puckett, another Steamboat athlete, earned eighth in the men\u2019s slalom at the West Regional Championships. Complete domination gave Denver the West Regional victory ahead of nationals.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Of course, there really is no way of telling how things would have shook out if the national competition continued. The Utah Nordic team\u2019s performance in the final classic race could have very well earned the school its second straight title. Then again, maybe Denver could have kept the streak of winning every other year since 2014.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI am confident we would have been competitive,\u201d Seymour said. \u201cStuff would have had to go right, so there\u2019s no saying how we would have done. Most athletes are thankful we ended the season healthy even if it was an abrupt ending.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Fortunately for him, Seymour has one more year to prove what he can do. For eight seniors, including Steamboat\u2019s own Evan Barbier and Serina Kidd, 2020 was the year for one last team national title.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Still, the Denver ski team has a lot to be proud of, and Seymour hopes the seniors can take solace in that.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cOut of the four races that were held, DU was able to take home three national titles out of four,\u201d Seymour said. \u201cThose are the only four national titles that will be awarded in 2020.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:sreardon@steamboatpilot.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sreardon@steamboatpilot.com<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/steamboat-skier-nearly-helps-du-to-national-title-before-ncaa-canceled-championships\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DU\u2019s Jett Seymour, a Steamboat Springs skier, cuts down Howelsen Hill during the men&#8217;s slalom race at the 2018 NCAA Ski Championships in Steamboat Springs.Joel Reichenberger\/Steamboat Today file Denver University skier and Steamboat Springs native Evan Barbier competes in the Spencer James Nelson Memorial Invitational freestyle race at Howelsen Hill on Saturday, Jan. 18.Shelby Reardon\/Steamboat [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2456631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 06:33:45","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2456631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2456631"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2456631\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2456631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2456631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2456631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}