Utah Extends Lead At NCAA Ski Championships Following Day 2

Thursday, March 7, 2024 • by Tanner Feith, RMISA

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo.—The Utah Utes extended their lead on day two of the NCAA Ski Championships after the first Nordic races. Two more RMISA schools follow in trail, the host, Colorado Buffaloes, and the Denver Pioneers.

Utah holds the team lead at 312.5 points followed by Colorado in second place with 256.5 points and Denver in third at 251 points. Dartmouth is currently in fourth place with 184 points followed closely by Montana State at 183 points.

Alaska Fairbanks moved into 10th place after a solid day at Howelsen Hill accumulating 72 points and are currently the second-highest-ranked single discipline team in Steamboat.

The RMISA has dominated both days, picking up 31 of 40 overall All-America honors and 15 of 20 first-team honors, including all five in women's GS on Wednesday and four of the five in men's freestyle on Thursday.

Utah won the men's 7.5K freestyle race as a team, as Joe Davies finished second and Tom Mancini finished third. Colorado was second with Will Koch, Magnus Boee, and Johannes Flaaten picking up All-America honors. Denver finished in fourth with two Pioneers, Florian Knopf and Andreas Kirkeng, awarded with All-America honors.

The women's race was then a close affair with three RMISA teams placing in the top four. Utah scored 68 points with the Utes' Sydney Palmer-Leger receiving first-team All-America honors and her third individual national championship, her first since 2022. Montana State finished in third with 60 points helped by Tilde Baangman and Kate Oldham picking up first-team All-America honors. Denver finished in fourth, scoring 58 points. Pioneer Selma Andersen was awarded with second-team All-America honors.

Alpine returns to action Friday with the night slalom races starting at 6:40 p.m. at Howelsen Hill. Nordic teams close out the championship on Saturday with the 20K women's and 20K men's classic races.