MIDWAY, Utah — Junior Rune Oedegaard became the University of Colorado’s first Nordic national champion to defend his title his some 45 years and in doing so helped the Buffaloes improve a notch, as CU moved into third place in the standings at the midway point of the 61st annual NCAA Skiing Championships.
Denver used five top eight finishes to wrestle the lead away from host Utah, as the Pioneers have 299 points, scoring 169 of those in Thursday’s cross country classic races. Utah is in second with 248 points, while the Buffaloes are third with 240.5 and New Mexico fourth with 231; the first eastern school is fifth, as Vermont has 186.5 points.
The leader at the midway point had won six titles in a row until last year, when Vermont led Colorado by 21½ points through four events only to see CU rally on the last day; the team in the lead at the halfway mark has claimed 10 of the last 13 championships.
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NCAA Skiing Results (Day 2)