PARK CITY, Utah— Utah’s Johs Herland and Montana State’s Justine LaMontagne captured individual national titles Wednesday as the NCAA Ski Championships opened with giant slalom races, while the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association placed four teams atop the standings after the first day of competition.
Colorado leads the team race with 137 points after finishing second in both races, holding a narrow four-point edge over host Utah (133). Montana State (109.5) and Denver (108.5) round out the top four, giving the RMISA the only four teams above the 100-point mark through the first two events.
Herland claimed the men’s national championship with a combined time of 1:55.41, holding off Colorado’s Feb Allasina, who finished second in 1:55.82. Middlebury’s Nick Unkovskoy placed third in 1:56.10. Utah also placed another skier in the top six as Sindre Myklebust finished sixth, helping the Utes post the highest team score in the men’s race with 83 points.
In the women’s race, LaMontagne delivered the fastest first run and held on through the second to win the national championship in 2:03.98. Colorado’s Louison Accambray finished second in 2:05.60 while Denver’s Mia Hunt placed third in 2:05.81. LaMontagne also pushed the Bobcats to posting the highest women’s team score with 73 points.
The RMISA controlled much of the leaderboard across both races. Seven RMISA skiers earned first-team All-America honors and 14 overall All-America honors on the opening day, compared to three first-team and six total honorees from the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association.
Colorado’s strong opening day was highlighted by runner-up finishes from Accambray and Allasina. The Buffaloes also placed Cathinka Lunder eighth and Filip Wahlqvist seventh, giving the team four All-America performances and positioning them atop the team standings heading into the Nordic races.
The NCAA Championships continue Thursday with the Nordic 7.5-kilometer classic races at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah.
Team Standings (After Day 1)
1. Colorado 137; 2. Utah 133; 3. Montana State 109.5; 4. Denver 108.5; 5. Middlebury 94; 6. New Hampshire 72; 7. Dartmouth 60; 8. Nevada 51; 9. Colby 48; 10. Westminster 44; 11. Vermont 41.5; 12. Alaska Anchorage 34; 13. St. Lawrence 17.5; 14. Boston College 11; 15. St. Michael’s 10; 16. Williams 8; 17. Harvard 6.
Women’s Giant Slalom Top 10
1. Justine LaMontagne, Montana State, 2:03.98; 2. Louison Accambray, Colorado, 2:05.60; 3. Mia Hunt, Denver, 2:05.81; 4. Guro Hestad Vognild, Westminster, 2:06.09; 5. Melanie Dahlberg, Utah, 2:06.12; 6. Kjersti Moritz, Middlebury, 2:06.16; 7. Ella Bromee, Alaska Anchorage, 2:06.43; 8. Cathinka Lunder, Colorado, 2:06.64; 9. Carly Elsinger, Dartmouth, 2:06.72; 10. Kaila Lafreniere, Utah, 2:06.85.
Men’s Giant Slalom Top 10
1. Johs Herland, Utah, 1:55.41; 2. Feb Allasina, Colorado, 1:55.82; 3. Nick Unkovskoy, Middlebury, 1:56.10; 4. Townsend Mikell, Colby, 1:56.13; 5. Oscar Zimmer, Dartmouth, 1:56.24; 6. Sindre Myklebust, Utah, 1:56.26; 7. Filip Wahlqvist, Colorado, 1:56.33; 8. Adrian Hunshammer, Denver, 1:56.47; 9. Christian Soevik, Denver, 1:56.56; 10. Jayden Buckrell, New Hampshire, 1:56.69.
| Date | Race |
|---|---|
| Mar. 11 | Women's Giant Slalom |
| Mar. 11 | Men's Giant Slalom |
| Mar. 12 | Women's 7.5K Classic |
| Mar. 12 | Men's 7.5K Classic |
| Mar. 13 | Women's Slalom |
| Mar. 13 | Men's Slalom |
| Mar. 14 | Women's 20K Freestyle |
| Mar. 14 | Men's 20K Freestyle |