Utah wins RMISA Championship, undefeated heading into NCAAs

By Published On: February 26th, 2012Comments Off on Utah wins RMISA Championship, undefeated heading into NCAAs

The University of Utah closed out its regional season with an undefeated record after claiming the 2012 RMISA Championship on Saturday (Feb. 25) with 932 points. The Colorado Buffaloes were second with 862.5 points, and New Mexico finished third after compiling 768.5 points.

Despite Utah’s alpine dominance this season, the University of New Mexico came out swinging for regional championships. Lobo Christopher Acosta notched his first collegiate race victory in the men’s slalom. He was followed by Denver’s Charlie Reynolds in second and Utah’s Torjus Krogdahl in third. Acosta had two other teammates finish in the top seven, propelling the Lobos to the team win for that event. New Mexico’s Stefanie Demetz was the only non-Ute to crack the podium in the women’s slalom when she finished in second. Utah’s Anna Kocken took the win, and teammate Julie Bordeau was third.

Fresh snow challenged the nordic athletes and accounted for unusually slow times in the classical races. Both Colorado’s Rune Oedegaard and Utah’s Maria Graefnings went two-for-two on the weekend to claim RMISA titles in the freestyle and classical events. Montana State’s David Norris was second in the men’s classical race, and Utah’s Didrik Smith was third. Graefnings was followed closely by Colorado’s Eliska Hajkova who finished second, 34.9 seconds back. A large gap opened before Denver’s Kate Dolan finished in third, over a minute behind the leaders.

Utah, Colorado, and Alaska Anchorage were able to qualify full 12-skier teams for NCAA Championships. Montana State and New Mexico will compete with 11, and Denver will have 10 skiers on their roster for the event. Official NCAA Championship teams will be announced by Monday (Feb. 27).

Final team scores at the conclusion of the RMISA Championships:
Utah – 932
Colorado – 862.5
New Mexico – 768.5
Montana State – 750
Denver – 716
Alaska Anchorage – 647
Westminster – 251
Colorado Mtn. – 105

Photo of Utah’s Alpine Team by Jeremy Elliot

Share This Article

About the Author: C.J. Feehan

Christine J. Feehan is a USSA Level 300 coach who spent more than a decade training athletes at U.S. ski academies - Burke, Sugar Bowl, and Killington - before serving as Editor in Chief at Ski Racing Media through 2017. She worked for the FIS on the World Cup tour for three years and then settled into her current home in Oslo, Norway.