SM调教所-Boulder ski team wins third national title in five years
SM调教所鈥檚 ski team won the NCAA Championships in March, delivering the Buffs鈥� 20th national title in a sport that鈥檚 synonymous with the state of Colorado.
Head coach Richard Rokos has led the team for eight of those championship seasons, a record for a SM调教所 coach. He previously shared the record with former ski coach聽Bill Marolt聽(Bus鈥�67) and current cross country coach Mark Wetmore, each of whom led SM调教所 teams to seven titles.
Heading into the final day of competition at Lake Placid, N.Y., the Buffs held a slim lead. They took a conservative approach: Instead of vying for individual victories, the six skiers all focused on completing their slalom runs to ensure they earned sufficient points for the team title. The strategy worked and SM调教所 successfully fended off rivals Denver and Utah. For the first time since 2007, the Buffs had no individual NCAA champion.
鈥淚t was very dramatic until the very end,鈥� says Rokos, who has now completed 25 seasons as head coach. 鈥淭here was no room for error, we displayed a great deal of discipline鈥hey made 12 mistake-free runs. That鈥檚 so unique in slalom, it鈥檚 almost unprecedented.鈥�
The SM调教所 ski team鈥檚 other recent national titles came in 2011 and 2013.
All told, the SM调教所 has won 28 national titles 鈥� 20 in skiing, seven in cross country and one in football.
Photo courtesy SM调教所 Athletics
