Utah Takes Lead At RMISA Championsihps

Friday, February 27, 2026 • by Curtis Snyder

BOZEMAN, Mont. and MIDWAY, Utah.— Utah seized control of the 2026 RMISA Championships on Friday, building a 54-point lead after the opening four events of the meet, which is being hosted by Montana State. Nordic competition was relocated to Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, while alpine events remained at Bridger Bowl in Bozeman, Mont.

The Utes lead with 344 points after one day, followed by Denver (290) and Colorado (286). Montana State sits fourth with 247 points as the championships head into Saturday’s final events.

Utah was paced by strong performances across all four races, including three podium finishes. In the men’s slalom, Johs Herland placed third, while the Utes added three top-10 finishers. In the women’s 7.5K classic, Erica Laven captured the victory to give Utah its first win of the championships. The Utes also placed three skiers inside the top nine in that race.

Four different teams claimed victories on the opening day. Alaska Anchorage’s Erling Bjoernstad won the men’s 7.5K classic, Montana State’s Justine LaMontagne captured the women’s slalom title, and Westminster’s Alejandro Puente Tasias edged Colorado’s Filip Wahlqvist by two-hundredths of a second to win the men’s slalom.

Colorado won the men’s Nordic race behind a runner-up finish from Storm Pedersen and a fourth-place effort from Jakob Moch. Denver’s Mia Hunt finished second in the women’s slalom and Eve-Ondine Duchaufour placed second in the women’s Nordic race as the Pioneers remained within striking distance entering the final day.

The championships conclude Saturday with giant slalom races at Bridger Bowl and the 20K freestyle races at Soldier Hollow.

Team Scores Thru 4 Events (Final Day 1 Scores)
1. Utah 344; 2. Denver 290; 3. Colorado 286; 4. Montana State 247; 5. Alaska Anchorage 177; 6. Westminster 126; 7. Alaska Fairbanks 116; 8. Nevada 110; 9. Colorado Mountain 72.

Men’s 7.5K Classic
1. Erling Bjoernstad, UAA, 18:22.3 (40); 2. Storm Pedersen, Colorado, 18:44.5 (37); 3. Zachary Jayne, Utah, 18:48.5 (34); 4. Jakob Moch, Colorado, 18:52.5 (31); 5. Mons Melbye, Utah, 18:53.8 (29); 6. Eemil Juntunen, Denver, 18:56.6 (27); 7. Johannes Flaaten, Colorado, 19:15.0 (25); 8. Luka Riley, Colorado, 19:19.1; 9. William Bentley, Colorado, 19:29.2; 10. Simon Chappaz, Montana State, 19:33.8 (23).

Women’s 7.5K Classic
1. Erica Laven, Utah, 23:15.4 (40); 2. Eve-Ondine Duchaufour, Denver, 24:02.4 (37); 3. Rosie Fordham, Alaska Fairbanks, 24:02.6 (34); 4. Tilde Baangman, Colorado, 24:17.3 (31); 5. Witta Walcher, Utah, 24:29.3 (29); 6. Astri Lunde, Colorado, 24:38.8 (27); 7. Sofia Pedersen, Utah, 25:14.8 (25); 8. Selma Andersen, Utah, 25:22.2; 9. Maja Moland, Denver, 25:28.0 (23); 10. Katey Houser, Montana State, 25:39.9 (22).

Women’s Slalom
1. Justine LaMontagne, Montana State, 1:45.21 (40); 2. Mia Hunt, Denver, 1:45.47 (37); 3. Louison Accambray, Colorado, 1:45.97 (34); 4. Stella Buchheister, Denver, 1:46.61 (31); 5. Erica Lynch, Nevada, 1:46.93 (29); 6. Christina Jacobsen, Utah, 1:47.14 (27); 7. Paige DeHart, Colorado, 1:47.39 (25); 8. Kaila LaFreniere, Utah, 1:47.66 (23); 9. Melanie Dahlberg, Utah, 1:48.03 (22); 10. Josephine Trueblood, Denver, 1:48.04.

Men’s Slalom
1. Alejandro Puente Tasias, Westminster, 1:43.55 (40); 2. Filip Wahlqvist, Colorado, 1:43.57 (37); 3. Johs Herland, Utah, 1:43.78 (34); 4. Sindre Myklebust, Utah, 1:43.75 (31); 5. Pierick Charest, Utah, 1:44.04 (29); 6. Christian Soevik, Denver, 1:44.06 (27); 7. Bosse Mikelsson, Montana State, 1:44.19 (25); 8. Torius Hepsoee, Montana State, 1:44.33 (23); 9. Benjamin Angerer, Westminster, 1:44.63 (22); 10. Gianluca Boehm, Montana State, 1:44.69 (21).