RENO, Nev.— Colorado nearly pulled off a stunning final-day comeback Tuesday at Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe, surging up the standings behind a dominant men's performance and a women's race victory, but Utah ultimately held on to win the Nevada Invitational by eight points.
Utah finished with 317 points to Colorado's 309, while Denver placed third with 288 as four days of racing in Tahoe came to a close. Colorado entered the day tied for fourth and 61 points behind Utah, but the Buffs made a major push in the two giant slalom races to close the gap to single digits by the end of the meet.
The rally was sparked in the men's giant slalom, where Colorado delivered a podium sweep and a perfect 111-point score. Filip Wahlqvist earned his second straight victory, while Justin Bigatel and Feb Allasina tied for second place to complete the sweep. Utah kept pace with key finishes from Sindre Myklebust in fifth and Johs Herland in sixth to maintain its overall advantage heading into the women's race.
In the women's giant slalom, Colorado's Louison Accambray delivered again, winning by 1.81 seconds to extend her season-opening podium streak to eight. Denver's Cecilia Pizzinato finished second, and Montana State's Tea Kiesel rounded out the podium in third. Utah's Melanie Dahlberg placed fifth to help the Utes limit the damage and secure the meet win despite Colorado outscoring Utah in the race.
RMISA teams now turn their attention back to Nordic action, with the DU Invitational picking back up next weekend at the Frisco Nordic Center.
AGATE
Final Team Scores: 1. Utah, 317; 2. Colorado, 309; 3. Denver, 288; 4. Montana State, 228.5; 5. Nevada, 212; 6. Colorado Mountain, 184; 7. Westminster, 160; 8. Alaska Anchorage, 115.5.
Men's Giant Slalom: 1. Filip Wahlqvist, Colorado, 1:56.55; T2. Justin Bigatel, Colorado, 1:56.92; T2. Feb Allasina, Colorado, 1:56.92; 4. Pietro Motterlini, Denver, 1:57.06; 5. Sindre Myklebust, Utah, 1:57.48; 6. Johs Herland, Utah, 1:57.55; 7. Christian Soevik, Denver, 1:57.57; 8. Christoffer Oestroem, Colorado, 1:57.66; 9. Gianluca Boehm, Montana State, 1:58.19; 10. David Morken, Nevada, 1:58.27.
Women's Giant Slalom: 1. Louison Accambray, Colorado, 1:57.03; 2. Cecilia Pizzinato, Denver, 1:58.84; 3. Tea Kiesel, Montana State, 2:00.32; 4. Guro Hestad Vognild, Westminster, 2:00.87; 5. Melanie Dahlberg, Utah, 2:00.90; 6. Paige DeHart, Colorado, 2:00.92; 7. Erica Lynch, Nevada, 2:00.99; 8. Nicola Rountree-Williams, Denver, 2:01.10; 9. Alexa Brownlie, Colorado, 2:01.40; 10. Kaila LaFreniere, Utah, 2:01.49.
| Date | Race |
|---|---|
| Feb. 1 | Women's Slalom |
| Feb. 1 | Men's Slalom |
| Feb. 3 | Women's Giant Slalom |
| Feb. 3 | Men's Giant Slalom |