Utah Continues Impressive Performance At Montana State Invitational

Sunday, January 16, 2022 • by Curtis Snyder, RMISA

KETCHUM, Idaho—The Utah women's Nordic team did it again - a podium sweep.

Utah took a commanding lead at the conclusion of the Nordic racing here in Sun Valley at the Montana State Invitational, picking up 200 points on the day, including a perfect score of 111 in the women's race, to hold a commanding 123-point lead over the field.

This time it was Novie McCabe who came away with the victory. Utah has won all five women's races this season, with Sydney Palmer-Leger taking all three at Soldier Hollow and Sophia Laulki winning Saturday's freestyle race. Utah's women's Nordic team becomes the first team to sweep the podium twice at the same meet since Colorado's women's Nordic team accomplished the feat at the 2013 RMISA Championships.

On the men's side, Denver's Bernhard Flaschberger won his second straight race and with teammate Andreas Kirkeng's third place finish, DU was able to outscore Utah 93-89 and the Pioneers moved up from fifth to third place in the meet standings.

Utah's 123-point lead is over Alaska Fairbanks, 404-281. But between second and fifth places, the four teams are just 27 points apart. Behind UAF is Denver (272) with Colorado (258) and Alaska Anchorage (254) in close proximity. Montana State (215) and Wyoming (101) round out the team scoring.

The Nordic teams, many of which (except for the Utes, who hosted the first meet at Soldier Hollow) have been on the road for almost three weeks prior to the start of the season Jan. 2, will now have a couple of weeks off before heading to Fairbanks, Alaska, for the UAF Invitational and four total races in early February.

Action now shifts focus to the alpine teams, who get their respective seasons underway Tuesday at Bridger Bowl in Bozeman for the Montana State Invitational. The alpine teams will compete six times in eight days to close out both the Utah and MSU Invitationals and get halfway through the RMISA Invitational, a collection of various races being put together to form a team invitational.