PARK CITY, Utah – University of Denver junior Espen Lysdahl (Asker, Norway) won his second NCAA individual championship in slalom, helping the Pioneers secure their 22nd skiing national title. This marks the eighth championship since 2000 and fourth title for the Pioneers in the past seven years.
“We didn’t miss a beat this week, and that’s what it takes to win a championship,” head coach Andy LeRoy said. “I believe in this team, and I know what they can do. With everything on the line, our team went out there today and raced like champions, placing all six alpine skiers in the top nine. I couldn’t be more proud of them, and it took everything I had to hold back the tears as I watched them compete."
Denver finished with 556 points, topping second-place Vermont (487.5) by 68.5 points. New Mexico (458.5), Colorado (402.5) and host Utah (392) rounded out the top-five.
Eleven Pioneers earned a combined 16 All-America honors at the NCAA Championships, including eight on Saturday. It marks the most All-America honors and the most individuals to claim the honors in DU’s storied history.
Lysdahl recorded the fastest time in both runs to beat junior teammate Trevor Philp (Calgary, Alberta) by 0.77 seconds, giving both skiers First Team All-America honors, while freshman Sebastian Brigovic (Rijeka, Croatia) earned Second Team All-America honors with a ninth-place finish.
Sophomore Kristine Haugen (Lommendalen, Norway) paced the women’s alpine team, finishing fifth and earning First Team All-America honors for the fourth time in as many NCAA Championship races. Sophomore Tianda Carroll (Jasper, Alberta) and junior Devin Delaney (North Conway, N.H.) both earned Second Team All-America honors by finishing seventh and eighth, respectively.
“We had one dominant day for Nordic and one for alpine, so this championship was the definition of a team effort,” Nordic head coach Dave Stewart said. “We knew all season that our goal was to win our 22nd championship. Everyone worked and practiced every day with that in mind, and it culminated in great racing all week.”
In women’s Nordic, freshman Sylvia Nordskar (Bærum, Norway) placed third in 15-kilometer freestyle, just 17.8 seconds behind New Mexico’s Eve Severrus, earning First Team All-America honors. Redshirt senior Makayla Cappel (Sun Valley, Idaho) also earned points for the Pioneers with a 19th place finish.
Sophomore transfer Pierre Guedon (St. Alban des Hurtières, France) earned First Team All-America honors with his fourth-place finish in the men’s 20-kilometer freestyle, coming in 12.2 seconds behind Colorado’ Mads Stroem. Freshman Moritz Madlener (Sulzberg, Bavaria) rounded out the Pioneer scoring in 27th place.
DU skiing now sits fourth in the nation for the most NCAA Division I team championships for any sport. Oklahoma State wrestling holds the record for the national titles with 34, followed by Southern California men’s outdoor track and field (26) and Iowa wrestling (23). Colorado’s 18 national titles are second most among ski teams, followed by Utah with 10.
Among all sports, Denver’s 29 national titles ranks 12th among NCAA Division I schools.
Men’s Giant Slalom All-Americans
First Team
Mark Engel, Utah
Armin Triendl, New Mexico
Niko Harmanen, Alaska Anchorage
Trevor Philp, Denver
Henrik Gunnarsson, Colorado
Second Team
Jonathan Nordbotten, Vermont
Sean Horner, New Mexico
Espen Lysdahl, Denver
Kevin Drury, Vermont
Joergen Brath, Utah
Women’s Giant Slalom All-Americans
First Team
Kristine Haugen, Denver
Kristina Rove, Utah
Chloe Fausa, Utah
Kate Ryley, Vermont
Brooke Wales, Colorado
Second Team
Rebecca Nadler, Harvard
Karoline Mykleburst, New Mexico
Courtney Altringer, New Mexico
Jessica Honkonen, Colorado
Randa Teschner, New Hampshire
Women’s 5K Classical All-Americans
First Team
Anja Gruber, Vermont
Sylvia Nordskar, Denver
Eva Severrus, New Mexico
Nichole Bathe, Alaska Fairbanks
Jessica Yeaton, Montana State
Second Team
Rosie Frankowski, Northern Michigan
Makayla Cappel, Denver
Anna Svendsen, Utah
Sloan Storey, Utah
Mary Kate Cirelli, Northern Michigan
Men’s 10K Classical All-Americans
First Team
Rune Malo Oedegaard, Colorado
Pierre Guedon, Denver
Niklas Persson, Utah
Mads Stroem, Colorado
Moritz Madlener, Denver
Second Team
Kyle Bratrud, Northern Michigan
Lukas Ebner, Alaska Anchorage
Trygve Markset, Denver
Aku Nikander, New Mexico
Fredrik Schwencke, Northern Michigan
Men’s 20K Freestyle All-Americans
First Team
Mads Stroem, Colorado
Max Olex, Alaska Fairbanks
Mats Rudin Resaland, New Mexico
Pierre Guedon, Denver
Patrick Caldwell, Dartmouth
Second Team
Fredrik Schwencke, Northenr Michigan
Aljaz Praznik, New Mexico
Paul Schommer, St. Scholastica
Sawyer Kesselheim, Montana State
Lukas Ebner, Alaska Anchorage
Women’s 15K Freestyle All-Americans
First Team
Eva Severrus, New Mexico
Rosie Frankowski, Northern Michigan
Sylvia Nordskar, Denver
Linda Danvind-Malm, Vermont
Anja Gruber, Vermont
Second Team
Sloan Storey, Utah
Paige Schember, St. Olaf
Anne Hart, Dartmouth
Marine Dusser, Alaska Anchorage
Alice Flanders, Michigan Tech
Men’s Slalom All-Americans
First Team
Espen Lysdahl, Denver
Trevor Philp, Denver
Jonathan Nordbotten, Vermont
Niko Harmanen, Alaska Anchorage
Sean Horner, New Mexico
Second Team
Travis Dawson, Vermont
Andy Trow, Utah
Coley Oliver, New Hampshire
Sebastian Brigovic, Denver
Kevin Drury, Vermont
Women’s Slalom All-Americans
First Team
Kristina Riis-Johannessen, Vermont
Kate Ryley, Vermont
Elise-Woien Tefre, Vermont
Jessica Honkonen, Colorado
Kristine Haugen, Denver
Second Team
Randa Teschner, New Hampshire
Tianda Carroll, Denver
Devin Delaney, Denver
Thea Grosvold, Colorado
Mateja Robnik, New Mexico
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