Sunday, January 14, 2018 • by Brooke Frederickson, RMISA
WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont.—It was a Utah sweep on the final day of the Montana State Invitational as Martin Bergstroem and Guro Jordheim won the men’s and women’s 10-km freestyle races in West Yellowstone, Mont., at Rendezvous Ski Trails.
Colorado won the meet with 658 points, followed by Utah (581.5), Denver (561), Montana State (534) and Alaska Anchorage (419) in the top five. New Mexico finished sixth (371) followed by Alaska Fairbanks (217), Westminster (193.5), Wyoming (97) and Colorado Mountain College (71).
The Nordic teams return to action next weekend with their portion of the Utah Invitational. The races will be held in West Yellowstone, Mont., due to ski conditions in Salt Lake City. The meet begins on Thursday, Jan. 18, with the 15-km and 20-km freestyle races with the 5-km and 10-km classic races on Friday, Jan. 19. Denver leads with 329 points following the alpine portion of the meet with Montana State second (293.5), Colorado third (273), New Mexico fourth (258) and Utah fifth (239.5).
Women’s 10-km Freestyle
- Guro Jordheim, Utah
- Petra Hyncicova, Colorado
- Hailey Swirbul, Alaska Anchorage
- Hedda Baangman, Colorado
- Emma Tarbath, Montana State
- Christina Rolandsen, Colorado
- Linn Eriksen, Denver
- Taeler McCrerey, Denver
- Aja Starkey, Denver
- Mariah Bredal, Utah
- Race points: Colorado 95, Denver 70, Montana State 66, Alaska Anchorage 62, Utah 61, Alaska Fairbanks 51, New Mexico 39, Wyoming 27.
- Utah’s Guro Jordheim is the fourth different winner in as many races this year. It was her first career win. She has three top-five finishes this year.
- Second-place Petra Hyncicova of Colorado is the only skier who has been on the podium in all four races this year.
- Third-place Hailey Swirbul of Alaska Anchorage has three podium finishes this year.
- Swirbul and Hyncicova are the only two skiers in the top five in every race this year.
- Colorado’s Hedda Baangman (fourth) has three top five finishes this year.
- Montana State’s Emma Tarbath earned her first top five finish of the season.
- Denver’s Linn Eriksen, Denver’s Taeler McCrerey and Denver’s Aja Starkey all earned their first top five finishes of the season.
Men’s 10-km Freestyle
- Martin Bergstroem, Utah
- Dag Trolleboe, Denver
- Evind Kvaale, Denver
- Karsten Hokanson, Montana State
- Petter Reistad, Colorado
- Haakon Hjelstuen, Utah
- Bjørn Riksaasen, Utah
- Seiji Takagi, Alaska-Fairbanks
- Sondre Bollum, Colorado
- Arnaud Guynon, Alaska-Fairbanks
- Race points: Utah 92, Denver 71, Colorado 69, Montana State 64, Alaska Fairbanks 63, Alaska Anchorage 48, Wyoming 23, New Mexico 14.
- Utah’s Martin Bergstroem has won three of four races this season. He has five career wins.
- Denver’s Dag Trolleboe (second) has finished on the podium in every race this season.
- Third-place finisher Eivind Kvaale of Denver has been on the podium in three races this season.
- Montana State’s Karsten Hokanson (fourth) earned his first top five finish of the year.
- In addition to Bergstroem, Trolleboe and Kvaale, Utah’s Haakon Hjelstuen and Colorado’s Petter Reistad have all been in the top 10 in every race this year. Reistad earned his second top-five finish in the race.