BETHEL/RUMFORD, Maine - The University of New Mexico ski team will be bringing a third-place trophy from the 2009 NCAA National Ski Championships back to Albuquerque. UNM scored 602 points to finish third, just 0.5 points behind second-place Colorado with 602.5, today in Maine. Denver won the national title with 659 points. It is the third time in the last six seasons the Lobos have finished in the top 3 at the national finals.

"This is exciting for us," said Lobo head coach Fredrik Landstedt. UNM will arrive back in Albuquerque on Sunday, March 15, around 7:30 p.m. at the Sunport.

The Lobos picked up three All-America performances from Polina Ermoshina, Martin Kaas and Simon Reissmann in the Nordic freestyle races on Saturday. UNM earned a total 11 All-America performances over the eight-event competition.

Ermoshina earned her fifth All-America honor in six races over the past three seasons with an 8th-place finish in the women's 15-kilometer race. The junior from Moscow, Russia, finished with a time of 39:15.4.

Kaas recorded a career-best 4th-place finish in the men's 20-kilometer race with a time of 44:28.4. It is the second All-America finish for the sophomore from Oslo, Norway, in two races this week.

For Reissmann, a sophomore from Schotten, Germany, his 10th-place finish in the men's race is his first All-America finish in four attempts. Junior Tor-Hakon Hellebostad rounded out the Lobos team scoring with his 23rd-place finish.

NCAA Championship Notes:

• New Mexico won the national title in 2004 and was the national runner-up in 1992 and 2006.

• No team has ever won the national title with just 10 qualifiers, which is the total UNM took to Maine. Colorado (2006) and Denver (2008) won shorthanded with 11.

2009 UNM All-America finishes (top 10)
Women's Giant Slalom - Estelle Pecherand-Charmet, Stefanie Demetz
Women's 5K Classic - Polina Ermoshina
Men's 10K Classic - Martin Kaas, Tor-Hakon Hellebostad
Women's Slalom - Malin Hemmingsson (national champion), Estelle Pecherand-Charmet
Men's Slalom - Petter Brenna
Women's 15K Freestyle - Polina Ermoshina
Men's 20K Freestyle - Martin Kaas, Simon Reissmann

UNM Individual Results
Women's 15K Freestyle - March 14
8. Polina Ermoshina - 39:15.4

Men's 20K Freestyle - March 14
4. Martin Kaas - 44:28.4
10. Simon Reissmann - 44:45.1
23. Tor-Hakon Hellebostad - 45:54.4

Women's Slalom - March 13
1. Malin Hemmingsson - 1:42.36
2. Estelle Pecherand-Charmet - 1:43.58
12. Stefanie Demetz - 1:46.23

Men's Slalom - March 13
2. Petter Brenna - 1:37.50
17. Thomas Schwab - 1:41.17
31. Nikolai Herlofson Finne - 2:14.43

Women's Giant Slalom - March 12
2. Estelle Pecherand-Charmet - 2:36.30
5. Stefanie Demetz - 2:37.12
11. Malin Hemmingsson - 2:37.64

Men's Giant Slalom - March 12
20. Thomas Schwab - 2:35.88
32. Petter Brenna - 2:50.06
33. Nikolai Herlofson Finne - 3:01.78

Women's 5K Classic - March 12
2. Polina Ermoshina - 13:58.9

Men's 10K Classic - March 12
8. Martin Kaas - 24:56.4
9. Tor-Hakon Hellebostad - 25:01.6
24. Simon Reissmann - 25:38.8

Final Team Standings
1. Denver - 659 points
2. Colorado - 602.5
3. New Mexico - 602
4. Alaska-Anchorage - 584
5. Vermont - 573
6. Utah - 568
7. Dartmouth - 555
8. Middlebury - 426
9. New Hampshire - 394
10. Nevada - 284
11. Colby - 209
12. Northern Michigan - 195
13. Bates - 175
14. Williams - 147.5
15. Alaska-Fairbanks - 122
15. St. Lawrence - 122
17. Michigan Tech - 121
18. Montana State - 85
19. Wisconsin-Green Bay - 35
20. St. Michael's - 31
21. Gustavus Adolphus - 17
22. St. Scholastica - 13