by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
The 2004 NCAA skiing champions have a chance to get back to its winning ways on Friday and Saturday at the Red River and Taos ski valleys.
After bringing UNM its first national championship in any sport, the Lobos have yet to win a meet.
Head coach George Brooks said he knows how important UNM's Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association meet is to turning things around.
"Our goal is to do better than we've done in the past," he said.
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It would be nice to get a win on UNM's home course, Brooks said.
The squad has been without some of its skiers most of the season.
"We've been shorthanded, and we haven't skied well," Brooks said.
However, the Lobos should be at full strength this weekend. The returning skiers include senior All-American Martina Stursova.
Brooks said skiing in the Lobos' home state should be an advantage for the team.
"Otherwise, that's a lot of hard work for nothing," he said.
The Lobos have historically had success at the UNM invite.
"We won here last year, so we hope to do it again," Brooks said
UNM saw a few strong showings in individual races.
In the team's last meet, the Denver Invitational, Stursova returned with a strong performance. She won the women's 5K classic race, leading the Lobos to a third-place finish behind Denver and runner-up Utah. On the same day, sophomore Lars Loseth led the men in the slalom race, finishing fifth overall.
On Jan. 15, UNM finished second in team standings, led by junior Trine Lundamo, who grabbed second place in the women's 10K freestyle race. In that meet, UNM finished second to Denver.
Brooks said Denver will continue to be the Lobos' toughest competition.
Of the skiers with good performances this year, Brooks said he is most impressed with Loseth and Lundamo.
"They have done well this year," he said. "They have been good leaders."
The two All-Americans look to lead the squad to its first title of the season.
"If we ski well, that's great," Brooks said. "Hopefully, we will win. If we don't win, but we ski well, that is important."
While the coach is focused on the home meet, he said he is aware of the pressure and the expectations for the team after winning the NCAA crown last season.
"Anything is possible, as we proved last year," said Brooks. "We just hope to have good performances, and hopefully we can repeat as national champions."
