Featured Image: Jayden Buckrell achieving the NCAA slalom title. Credit: Stephen Cloutier
It was a rainy start to the NCAA Championships on the Dartmouth Skiway. Nonetheless, the alpine athletes were still able to successfully compete in the men’s and women’s slalom races.
The competition was fierce for both the men and women, but it was Jayden Buckrell from the University of New Hampshire and Sara Rask from the University of Denver who won, giving their teams a strong start.
Buckrell of UNH Achieves Victory in Men’s Slalom
The men kicked off the alpine racing portion of the NCAA Championships with an exciting slalom as they fought for the chance at an individual NCAA Championship title.
The number one slalom athletes from both EISA and RMISA coming into the NCAA Championships were Filip Wahlqvist of the University of Colorado and Middlebury College racer, Bradshaw Underhill.
Wahlqvist won every single slalom in the regular season, except for the RMISA Regional Championships in Alyeska, Alaska, where he did not finish. Underhill was another one with the most 2025 victories, with four carnival wins, a 4th place, and an 8th-place result in the discipline.
However, after the first run, it was Jayden Buckrell who grabbed onto the lead. In the second run, he threw down a solid and aggressive run to impressively succeed in winning the NCAA individual slalom title.
In the regular season, Buckrell achieved three podium results, including a victory, and three top-10 finishes this season in slalom.
With joy in the finish arena, Buckrell stated, “This is an unreal feeling. I cannot believe it and cannot even explain my feelings right now. A huge thank you to my parents and my teammates; it wouldn’t be possible without all of them. This is a dream come true, and I couldn’t imagine this.”
Wahlqvist and Flanigan Achieve Podium
The defending NCAA slalom champion, Wahlqvist, was able to throw down a strong second run and move up into 2nd place. The CU Buffalo set the record this season for the most consecutive wins for any University of Colorado alpine ski racer.
He entered the NCAA Championships filled with confidence and enthusiasm. Before the event, he expressed, “The NCAA Championship is always the big one! That is the goal.”
The competition was extremely close, with Wahlqvist finishing just +0.03 seconds behind Buckrell’s combined winning time.
After the day concluded Wahlqvist stated, “I’m happy but I’m also a little bit mad, because I always try to win.”
Rounding out the podium was Bode Flanigan of Boston College. The senior made history for Boston College by becoming the first skier to podium at the NCAA Championships.
In his initial run, Flanigan finished in 16th position, so he knew he had to bring his all to move up. On the second run he came across the finish with the second fastest time, bringing him up to 3rd place.
Flanigan expressed, “I tried to relax and stay present in the moment. It is a cool opportunity to be racing with the best in the nation and really good guys, so I tried to just enjoy it. My first run felt really solid; I just wished it was a little faster, but I felt like I was in a good spot for the second run, so I tried to stay in the moment. I skied how I know I could, and I am really happy with how it worked out.”
“I’m honored to represent Boston College on the national stage, and I’m so excited for what’s to come for this team. Go Eagles,” he stated.
Pioneer, Sara Rask Wins in the Women’s Slalom
Sara Rask has had an unbeatable season in slalom, winning all of the regular season races. To top it off, she achieves a ‘mic-drop’ earning an NCAA slalom title.
In the first run, Rask was trailing Colby College athlete Carissa Cassidy’s winning time by a mere +0.05. She knew she could not hold anything back as Cassidy had performed exceptionally well amongst the EISA carnivals.
Rask stated, “My teammate Mia gave me a course report when she finished her [second] run, and she told me that I just need to charge the whole time. I was ready for some rock and roll and to give it my all.”
Cassidy had secured three regular season wins and a 2nd-place result in slalom, so she came into NCAA Championships ready to claim the discipline title. Unfortunately, Cassidy got a little wild on the pitch of her second run and got pushed low, costing her time. She finished the day in 9th place.
Rask listened to her teammate and went full send on the second run, and it paid off. She stated, “Yeah, it’s been magical and so fun. Since I came to DU, I always wanted to win a national championship title, and it was so fun to be able to do that my last year here.”
She is looking forward to cheering on the Nordic racers tomorrow, enjoying all of the aspects of her final NCAA Championship series.
Clement and Luczak Finish 1 and 2
It was a close slalom race for the women with Justine Clement of the University of Vermont concluding the day just +0.06 behind Rask’s overall time. During the regular season, Justine Clement finished three slaloms on the podium, including one victory.
In the latest giant slalom race at the EISA Regional Championships, she secured her first Collegiate GS victory, so she will be heading into the giant slalom race ready to secure an NCAA title.
Rounding out the podium was University of Colorado athlete and reigning slalom NCAA Champion, Magdalena Luczak. Luczak finished just +0.07 behind Rask; it was a nail-biting finish. The CU Buffalo secured 34 points for her team.
Luczak stated, “I’m more happy for the team because we’re in the lead, and that’s the most important part of the day, I think,” she continued, “We all performed well, we were focused, and we really pushed through the pressure of being the defending champions. It was a good day for all of us.”
Next up, the Nordic teams will battle in the Men’s and Women’s 7.5 km Individual Classical. It will start at 10 a.m. EST.
About the Author: Ellie Hartman
