Utah wins 2016 RMISA title with strong showing in Colorado

BEAVER CREEK/MINTURN, Colo. — The University of Utah Utes capitalized on a commanding 57-point lead over Denver and 64 point lead over Colorado after the first day of the 2016 RMISA Championships to ultimately claim the 67th annual NCAA Western Regional title over the weekend.

Utah won both Nordic races, took second in the women’s GS and third in the men’s GS to compile 361 points in the four races on opening day. The day began at Maloit Park with the women’s 5K freestyle race. On a 2.5K loop that includes technical hills, both up and down, Utah’s Veronika Mayerhofer beat all other women over the two laps en route to her first win of the season in a time of 13:04.6. While she hadn’t won a race prior to Friday, she was the most consistent skier on the circuit being named the women’s MVP as well.

Denver’s Linn Eriksen took second in a time of 13:13.2 with Mayerhofer’s teammate Sloan Storey taking third in 13:20.1.

In the men’s 10K freestyle, Colorado’s Mads Stroem won his third straight race, his fifth of the season, and his third straight RMISA Championship race after sweeping the races in Alaska last season. He also won by an impressive 43.6 seconds in a time of 22:12.6. That margin of victory is the largest in a men’s Nordic 10K race in over a decade, since the 2006 Alaska Anchorage Invitational when the Seawolves’ Kjetil Dmmen won the 10K classic race over the other collegians at the U.S. National Championships race by 43.7 seconds.

The Utes also placed three in the top five of the men’s race with Nick Hendrickson taking second in 22:56.2, Kevin Bolger fourth in 23:06.9 and Niklas Persson fifth in 23:06.9. Denver’s Moritz Madlener hit the podium for the Pioneers in a time of 23:03.8.

Meanwhile over at Beaver Creek on the famous Birds of Prey course that played host to the 2015 Alpine World Championships and the only World Cup in the United States this year, Montana State’s Benedicte Lyche won the ladies’ GS race in a time of 2:19.74, just six-hundredths over Denver’s Kristine Haugen, to claim her first RMISA Individual Championship. It marked the second straight season the Bobcats won an RMISA Individual Championship with Lyche joining Garret Driller, who won the men’s slalom last year.

Utah’s Roni Remme rounded out the podium in 2:19.94 with the Utes’ Julie Mohagen taking fourth in 2:20.30 and Denver’s Tuva Norbye rounding out the top five in 2:20.76.

In the men’s GS, Alaska Anchorage’s Sean Alexander won the race in a time of 2:19.30 over a pair of Buffaloes with Henrik Gunnarson taking second in 2:19.61 and Max Luukko right on his heels in 2:19.71. Utah’s Dominic Demschar was fourth in 2:20.17 and DU’s Sebastian Brigovic rounded out the top five in 2:20.35.

Alexander won UAA’s first RMISA Championship since 2011 when Lukas Ebner won the men’s classic race. Just a year before in 2010, the Seawolves’ Andreas Adde won the men’s giant slalom race.

In the second day of competition, the Utes were up by as many as 82 points on the field and held on for a 28-point lead over Colorado, who was then 39 points up on Denver. Utah scored 662 points to the Buffs’ 634 and Pioneers’ 595. Montana State finished fourth with 521 points followed by New Mexico (473) and Alaska Anchorage (449) with Colorado Mountain (101) beating Wyoming (83) for the first time.

The men got things started at Maloit Park and Colorado’s Stroem continued his impressive run as he claimed both his fourth straight race win and his fourth straight RMISA Individual Championship. He became the first men’s Nordic skier to sweep the regional meet in back-to-back years.

Stroem did it with an impressive time, as well, beating his teammate by 39.8 seconds in a time of 51:08.6 while Petter Reistad came in second in 51:48.4. That Colorado duo was followed by two Utes and a Seawolf in the top five as Perrson took third in 51:50.7 and UAA’s Luca Windkler took fourth in 51:53.4 and the Utes’ Kevin Bolger rounded out the top five.

In the women’s race, the Utes dominated both in stature and in time as Mayerhofer won her second straight race.

Meanwhile at Beaver Creek, the women’s slalom was coming to an end and Denver’s Monica Huebner took the title. After Huebner, Maria Gurmudsddottir took second with Haugen taking third and giving the Pioneer’s two podium appearances.

On the men’s side, Colorado’s Luukko won the regional slalom championship, the first for a CU male skier since 2002. Luukko edged out Taylor Shiffrin, who in turn edged out Adam Zika for the final two podium spots.

Next up for the RMISA teams is the 2016 NCAA Championships, hosted by Colorado March 9-12 in Steamboat Springs, Colo.

Full results from the event are available here.

Photo courtesy of Utah Athletics, release courtesy of RMISA