Utah Wins Westminster Invite, Saethereng, Boehm Take GS Races

Friday, January 19, 2024 • by Curtis Snyder, RMISA

PARK CITY, Utah—Utah closed out one of the closest meets in RMISA history, taking the crown of the 2024 Westminster Invitational, the first completed meet of the 2024 season, here Friday at Olympic Park.

While the Utes didn't have a top five finish in either GS race, Sindre Myklebust took sixth, Mikkel Solbakken ninth and Gustav Voello 12th in the men's race and Kaja Norbye 10th, and Michelle Kerven 22nd in the women's race to hold on to the meet lead.

The closest meet in 15 years from first through fifth place saw the Utes take the final standings with 579 points, 22 ahead of second place Denver (557) with third place Montana State (536) edging out Colorado (525) and Alaska Anchorage (511). The 68 points separating the top five teams is the closest meet of the current scoring system dating back to 2014 and closest since the 2009 Alaska Anchorage Invitational when 61 points separated the top five teams.

In that meet in 2009, Colorado won with 542 points with host UAA (529) taking second followed by New Mexico (527.5), Utah (492.5) and Denver (481) rounding out the top five.

Individually, Montana State's Gianluca Boehm and Westminster's Hannah Saethereng took medalist honors, each leading their respective teams to the race wins. In the men's race, MSU also had fourth place Isak Staurset and 11th place Jamie Casselman to pick up 91 points while the Griffins also had Evelina Fredricsson in third place and Giulia Tintorri in 13th place for 92 points. Both Saethereng and Boehm had the first run leads in their respective races and held on for victory.

Action continues Saturday with the GS race for the Utah Invitational, also closing out that meet.

TEAM STANDINGS (Final): 1. Utah 579; 2. Denver 557; 3. Montana State 536; 4. Colorado 525; 5. Alaska Anchorage 511; 6. Alaska Fairbanks 260; 7. Westminster 254; 8. Wyoming 134; 9. Colorado Mountain 108; 10. Nevada 101.

MEN'S GIANT SLALOM (34 Collegiate Finishers): 1. Gianluca Boehm, MSU, 2:10.59; 2. Leon Nikic, UAA, 2:11.69; 3. Filip Wahlqvist, 2:11.91; 4. Isak Staurset, MSU, 2:11.95; 5. Jeremie Lagier, WMC, 2:12.02.

WOMEN'S GIANT SLALOM (27 Collegiate Finishers): 1. Hannah Sethereng, WMC, 2:16.97; 2. Liv Moritz, DU, 2:17.17; 3. Evelina Fredricsson, WMC, 2:17.41; 4. Justine Lamontagne, MSU, 2:17.55; 5. Denise Dingsleder, CU, 2:17.57.