Featured Image: Slalom Podiums from Utah Invitational/ Photo by Evan Sosnowski
PARK CITY, Utah — Colorado controlled the team race. Sara Rask owned the moment.
Across three straight alpine days at the Spencer F. Eccles Olympic Mountain Center, the Utah Invitational delivered tight margins, record-setting performances and shifting momentum before the RMISA circuit turns its focus to Bozeman.
Colorado won the meet with 740 points. Utah finished second with 614 on its home hill. Montana State placed third at 528, just ahead of Denver’s 514.
But the week unfolded one race at a time.
Day 1 — Giant Slalom (Feb. 22)
Colorado struck first.
Louison Accambray edged a stacked women’s field, while Justin Bigatel survived a razor-thin men’s finish to set the tone for the Buffs.
Women’s Giant Slalom — Top Five
- 🇫🇷 Louison Accambray (2001) – Colorado — 1:59.78
- 🇸🇪 Melanie Dahlberg (2002) – Utah — +0.56
- 🇺🇸 Erica Lynch (2003) – Nevada — +0.63
- 🇸🇪 Sara Rask (2000) – Denver — +0.69
- 🇨🇦 Justine Lamontagne (2002) – Montana State — +0.84
Five skiers finished within 0.84 seconds. Rask narrowly missed the podium. Dahlberg delivered a silver on home snow.
The men’s race was even tighter.
Men’s Giant Slalom — Top Five
- 🇺🇸 Justin Bigatel (2003) – Colorado — 1:57.43
- 🇳🇴 Johs Braathen Herland (2003) – Utah — +0.06
- 🇮🇹 Fabio Allasina (2004) – Colorado — +0.62
- 🇳🇴 Adrian Minde Hunshammer (2002) – Denver — +1.09
- 🇳🇴 Filip Wahlqvist (2001) – Colorado — +1.56
Herland missed the win by six-hundredths. Colorado placed three in the top five. The depth was clear.
Day 2 — Giant Slalom Qualifier (Feb. 23)
The second GS did not count toward team scoring. It counted toward history.
Rask delivered.
The graduate student from Stockholm won by eight-hundredths and set a new University of Denver record with her 19th career victory.
“It’s an amazing honor to have,” Rask said. “It’s been an exciting time here at Denver.”
Women’s Giant Slalom — Top Five
- 🇸🇪 Sara Rask (2000) – Denver — 2:08.18
- 🇫🇷 Louison Accambray (2001) – Colorado — +0.08
- 🇮🇹 Cecilia Pizzinato (2004) – Denver — +0.99
- 🇳🇴 Guro Hestad Vognild (2001) – Westminster — +1.45
- 🇨🇦 Justine Lamontagne (2002) – Montana State — +1.70
Accambray had won four of the previous five GS races entering the day. Rask overtook teammate Cecilia Pizzinato with a blazing second run to seize control.
Colorado’s men answered again.
Men’s Giant Slalom — Top Five
- 🇮🇹 Fabio Allasina (2004) – Colorado — 2:06.59
- 🇳🇴 Filip Wahlqvist (2001) – Colorado — +0.54
- 🇳🇴 Johs Braathen Herland (2003) – Utah — +0.59
- 🇺🇸 Justin Bigatel (2003) – Colorado — +0.96
- 🇳🇴 Sindre Myklebust (2002) – Utah — +1.43
Allasina earned his first collegiate victory. Colorado placed three in the top four. Herland reached the podium for the second straight day.
The margins remained tight. The pressure built.
Day 3 — Slalom (Feb. 24)
Weather moved the start earlier. Clouds rolled in. The meet reached its final test.
Accambray doubled down.
Women’s Slalom — Top Five
- 🇫🇷 Louison Accambray (2001) – Colorado — 1:30.67
- 🇨🇦 Justine Lamontagne (2002) – Montana State — +0.68
- 🇸🇪 Sara Rask (2000) – Denver — +1.21
- 🇺🇸 Tea Kiesel (2003) – Montana State — +1.40
- 🇳🇴 Cathinka Lunder (2003) – Colorado — +1.76
Accambray secured her second win of the meet. Rask returned to the podium for the seventh time this season. Lamontagne’s silver helped Montana State secure third overall.
The men’s slalom produced a breakthrough.
Men’s Slalom — Top Five
- 🇬🇧 Lucas Ellis (2004) – Colorado Mountain College — 1:31.12
- 🇪🇸 Alejandro Tasias Puente (1994) – Westminster — +0.68
- 🇳🇴 Filip Wahlqvist (2001) – Colorado — +0.79
- 🇺🇸 Stanley Buzek (2005) – Colorado — +1.26
- 🇮🇹 Fabio Allasina (2004) – Colorado — +1.48
Ellis claimed his second career victory. Colorado again placed three in the top five. Utah’s Johs Braathen Herland, third after the first run, did not finish the second.
Final Team Standings
Women’s Giant Slalom Team Scoring (Feb. 22)
- Colorado — 84
- Utah — 80
- Denver — 76
- Nevada — 65
- Montana State — 60
- Westminster — 35
- Colorado Mountain College — 32
- Alaska Anchorage — 31
Men’s Giant Slalom Team Scoring (Feb. 22)
- Colorado — 103
- Utah — 81
- Denver — 76
- Montana State — 60
- Nevada — 59
- Colorado Mountain College — 30
- T7. Alaska Anchorage — 27
- T7. Westminster — 27
Women’s Slalom Team Scoring (Feb. 24)
- Colorado — 90
- Montana State — 86
- Denver — 59
- Alaska Anchorage — 52
- Nevada — 50
- Utah — 47
- Westminster — 33
- Colorado Mountain College — 16
Men’s Slalom Team Scoring (Feb. 24)
- Colorado — 103
- Utah — 81
- Denver — 76
- Montana State — 60
- Nevada — 59
- Colorado Mountain College — 30
- T7. Alaska Anchorage — 27
- T7. Westminster — 27
Combined Alpine Team Scoring (GS + SL)
- Colorado — 371
- Utah — 271
- Montana State — 270
- Denver — 261
- Nevada — 222
- Westminster — 162
- Alaska Anchorage — 147
- Colorado Mountain College — 126
Final Team Standings — Alpine + Nordic Combined
Colorado’s alpine dominance carried through the full meet as the Buffaloes paired strong giant slalom and slalom performances with consistent Nordic scoring to secure the Utah Invitational title.
Utah held firm in second on its home snow, while Montana State used a balanced alpine and Nordic effort to finish third. Denver’s historic week from Sara Rask highlighted a fourth-place overall finish.
Overall Team Scores (All Disciplines)
- Colorado — 740
- Utah — 614
- Montana State — 528
- Denver — 514
- Alaska Anchorage — 353
- Nevada — 222
- Alaska Fairbanks — 215
- Westminster — 162
- Colorado Mountain College — 126
With the regular season complete, attention now shifts north.
The RMISA Championships — which double as the NCAA West Regional — begin Thursday at Bridger Bowl in Bozeman, Montana, with giant slalom on Feb. 26, followed by slalom on Feb. 27. A final slalom qualifier closes RMISA alpine competition Feb. 28, while Nordic races take place at Soldier Hollow.
The margins were tight in Park City.
The stakes rise even higher in Bozeman.
About the Author: Peter Lange
