One national title is an honor, but two is twice as nice. Just ask Wyoming Nordic Ski Club coaches Christi Boggs and Rachel Watson. 

In a scene reminiscent of the 2004 University of Connecticut men’s and women’s basketball team, the Wyoming Cowboys and Cowgirls Nordic Ski Team both claimed top honors at the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association Nationals. In only their 10th year of competition, the Cowboys won their second national title while the Cowgirls grabbed their fourth. 

The men’s squad skied their way to the cross-country championship in dominating fashion. The Cowboys owned the lead from start to finish in the week-long USCSA Nationals. Wyoming won all three individual men’s races, and captured the relay team competition. 

In the first event, junior Daniel Lewis began his nationals performance. Lewis took gold in the 1.5k sprint race while teammate Eugeniy Panzhinskiy captured the silver. For an encore, Lewis, a Jackson native, struck gold again in his second race, the 8.4k. 

The Cowboys swept the 8.4k with Panzhinskiy capturing second and Eliah Pederson snatching the bronze. In the third and final individual race of the competition, the Cowboys again got out the broom, sweeping all three-podium spots. 

Lewis sealed his trio of individual national championships by placing first in his third straight race, while Panzhinskiy grabbed his third silver and John Kirlin took bronze. 

Wyoming then won the relay race with the team of Pederson, Lewis and Panzhinskiy, which in turn locked up the team national title.

“The men had an amazing day,” Boggs said. “Even if we took the top three men off the team, our men would still have won nationals.”  

Wyoming won the competition by scoring a team-low 25 points, with the next closest competitor being St. Olaf College, which ended with 117. 

The Cowgirls also captured the cross-country national championship, but in much more dramatic style. 

The Wyoming women placed third in the final event, the team relay, edging Whitman College by a narrow five-point margin. 

The team secured the national title by scoring a team total of 67 points. 

The women’s squad had a third-place athlete in each of the three individual races, with Kari Boroff taking bronze in the 1.5k sprint, and Gracey Lewis grabbing third in both the 8.4k and the 15k. As a team, Wyoming combined for second in the 1.5k, and first in the 8.4k and 15k. 

Coming into the final day of nationals, the Cowgirls clung to a 12-point lead over Whitman. The relay team of Lewis, Boroff and Gwynn Barrows skied their way to third place, and sealed their fate as national champions. 

Boggs and Watson have coached the team for the last decade, and were overwhelmed and ecstatic at the double national titles. 

“We couldn’t be more proud. This is our 10th year of coaching and although we never hoped for this, it sure is a nice gift,” Boggs said.

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