PARK CITY, Utah — The slalom can be the great equalizer, or can serve to devastate. It was more of the latter here Saturday for the University of Colorado ski team, as the Buffaloes couldn’t rally to defend their title and finished fourth in the 61st annual NCAA Skiing Championships.
Denver came in to the day nursing a healthy 51½-point lead over host Utah and was never severely threatened. The Pioneers finished 556 team points, easily outdistancing Vermont (487½) for top honors. New Mexico finished third (458½), followed by the Buffaloes (402½) and then the host Utes (392).
Western schools have now claimed three of the top four spots in 29 of 32 championship meets since 1983, with this marking the 20th time four schools from the west occupied the top five. In addition, the leader at the midway point has now claimed seven of the last eight and 11 of the last 14 championships.
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2014 NCAA Championship Final Results