Pioneers Hold Slight Advantage Over Buffs As MSU Invitational Opens

Sunday, January 10, 2016 • by Curtis Snyder, RMISA

BIG SKY, Mont.—Much the same as the Utah Invitational last week, the alpine battle between Denver and Colorado remained extremely close with the giant slalom races being run at here at Big Sky Resort.

Each team took home an individual win, DU’s Erik Read on the men’s side and CU’s Tonje Trulsrud on the women’s, and when all the snow settled Sunday the Pioneers had a two-point lead, 163-161. Utah is third with 146 points followed by Westminster with 122. Host Montana State and Alaska Anchorage are tied for fifth with 107 points while New Mexico (98) and Colorado Mountain College (38) round out the team scoring.

Denver’s Erik Read continued his brilliant season, winning his second straight and third overall race of the season. He won the slalom race at the Utah Invitational, was second in the GS there and then won the GS Saturday in the RMISA Qualifier on this same hill.

Read’s time of 2:09.48 was just seven-hundredths ahead of Colorado’s Ola Johansen, who won the other race and has been on the podium in all four races, as well. His time of 2:09.55. Utah’s Endre Bjertness was third in 2:10.06, Westminster’s Giulio Bosca was fourth in 2:10.44 and Colorado’s Max Luukko rounded out the top five in 2:10.50.

Denver had three in the top eight, offsetting the Buffs having two in the top five, as the Pioneers edged the Buffs, 90-86 in the race. Utah had 77 points to finish third, 15 points ahead of fourth place Westminster’s total of 62.

Trulsrud got her first college win, taking the women’s GS race in a time of 2:12.48, a quarter-second ahead of Montana State’s Benedicte Lyche (2:12.73) and Westminster’s Ann-Katharin Bruening was third in 2:13.06. Denver’s Tuva Norbye was fourth in 2:13.10 and Utah’s Chloe Fausa rounded out the top five in a time of 2:13.13.

The Pioneers and Buffs again duked it out, with Colorado gaining a two-point advantage over Denver, 75-73. In fact, six teams were just 15 points apart with Utah and Montana State both scoring 69 points, New Mexico 61 and Westminster 60.

The alpine portion of the MSU Invitational concludes on Monday with the slalom races. The Nordic teams will then take center stage in the invitational next weekend, but not before they close out the Utah Invitational Monday with mass start classical races.