STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo.—The University of Utah took control of CU’s Spencer James Nelson Memorial Invitational Saturday, scoring 80 or more points in all four giant slalom and freestyle races as the RMISA squads are competing for the first time on the same day in the same meet in 2016.
Led by a dominating 2-3-6 finish in the men’s 10K freestyle race, scoring 98 points, Utah has 468 points with six of eight races now complete in the meet. Denver is second with 440 points, just eight ahead of host Colorado (432) as the three look for another final day battle to determine the meet winner. Montana State is fourth with 389.5 points, followed by New Mexico (372), Alaska Anchorage (312.5), Westminster (240), Colorado Mountain (61) and Wyoming (58).
The women’s Nordic squads opened the day at Howelsen Hill and New Mexico’s Emilie Cedervarn was simply dominant in the race, winning in a time of 15:11.7, by more than a half-minute over the field, to pick up her second straight win. Montana State’s Cambria McDermott was second in 15:48.1 while Utah’s Veronika Mayerhofer rounded out the podium in 1:52.4 with the Bobcats’ Anika Miller finishing fourth in 15:58.1 and Colorado’s Petra Hyncicova taking fifth in 16:01.8.
The Bobcats won the race with 84 points in a three way battle over the Lobos (82) and Utes (80).
In the men’s race, Denver’s Mortiz Madlener also won his second straight race, taking the men’s 10K freestyle race in a time of 26:05.1. The men’s race was much closer, however, as he beat a pair of Utes, Niklas Persson (26:09.2) and Nick Henderson (26:10.2) with all three podium performers within 5.1 seconds. Montana State continued their great day with Sawyer Kesselheim taking fourth in 26:18.9 and teammate Karsten Hokanson rounding out the top five in 26:30.6.
Utah’s Noe Bellet was sixth giving the Utes three in the top six and the Utes also had six in the top 13, to rack up 98 points. Montana State was second with 82 points and Denver third with 75.
Meanwhile across town at Mt. Werner, CU’s Tonje Trulsrud got her second GS win of the season in a two-run time of 1:58.58, beating out Utah’s Julie Mohagen (1:56.73) and New Mexico’s Katharine Irwin (1:56.95), who got her first college podium. Denver’s Monica Huebner took fourth in 1:57.65 and then there was a rare three-way tie for fifth at 1:57.72 with Denver’s Kristine Haugen, Westminster’s Ann-Kathrin Bruening and Utah’s Chloe Fausa.
Utah won the race with 86 points, followed by Denver with 79 and New Mexico with 72.
In the men’s race, Utah’s Endre Bjertness won his first GS race of the season after slowing improving all season, starting 11th in the first race of the season and then taking fourth and third before Saturday’s win. His time of 1:55.26 was over a half-second head of Westminster’s Giulio Bosca (1:55.68), who edged out Colorado’s Max Luukko (1:55.70) and Ola Johansen (1:55.75) by just seven-tenths of a second. Alaska Anchorage’s Sean Alexander rounded out the top five in a time of 1:56.13.
Colorado won the hotly contested race with Utah by one point, 86-85, both 20 points ahead of the rest of the field.
Sunday’s classic races will close out the Spencer Nelson Invitational, the men’s 20K race will start at 9 a.m. followed by the women’s 15K race at 10 a.m. The alpine teams will remain at Mt. Werner for an RMSIA Qualifier race that will not count toward team scoring.
| Date | Race |
|---|---|
| Jan. 22 | Women's Slalom |
| Jan. 22 | Men's Slalom |
| Jan. 23 | Women's Giant Slalom |
| Jan. 23 | Women's 5K Freestyle |
| Jan. 23 | Men's Giant Slalom |
| Jan. 23 | Men's 10K Freestyle |
| Jan. 24 | Women's 15K Classical |
| Jan. 24 | Men's 20K Classical |